Everton stars old and current impressed over the weekend to clinch the man-of-the-match awards in both Scottish Cup semi-finals.
Academy graduate John Lundstram earned the adoration of supporters as his display helped Rangers defeat bitter-rivals Celtic in extra-time on Sunday. The Merseyside-born midfielder's performance led to the term 'Scouse John' trending on Twitter as a clip of one of his crunching tackles went viral.
The former Blue excelled a day after current Everton starlet Ellis Simms helped Hearts to victory over Hibernian in another derby clash with a wondergoal from outside the box.
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Across an Easter weekend featuring no game for Everton's first team, there remained interest to be had elsewhere. While that was expected in the Premier League as relegation rivals fought to close the gap to the Blues - closest-threat Burnley reduced it by one point after they drew at West Ham United - one unexpected source was the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
But both ultimately provided interesting scenes for Evertonians. That started on Saturday as Edinburgh rivals Hearts and Hibs battled for a place in the final, with the former winning 2-1. One of the key moments of the game came as Everton striker Simms opened the scoring with a 20-yard first-half strike that had supporters of his parent club brimming with excitement across social media.
Simms, who in November signed a new deal set to keep him at Everton until 2024 and will be looking to impress Frank Lampard when he returns to the club in the summer, went on to earn the official man-of-the-match award for his efforts. Then on Sunday it was the turn of Lundstram to impress. The 28-year-old rose through the ranks at the Blues but was released at the age of 21. He initially signed for Oxford United before joining Sheffield United and, last summer, Rangers.
As his side sealed a dramatic win over their Glasgow rivals, it was Lundstram who won the plaudits of many - with footage of his thunderous tackle on Callum McGregor shared widely as 'Scouse John' trended across Twitter after the match. The efforts of Simms and Lundstram mean the pair are set to face each other in the final at Hampden Park on May 21.
