AndyC
Player Valuation: £70m
Romelu at the double sends Blues to Wembley as Costa and Gareth Barry see red.
Hopefully, the alleged biting incident of Diego Costa on Gareth Barry will not overshadow a magnificent result for Everton as they secured their semi-final berth with two magnificent strikes from Romelu Lukaku against the club who never gave him a chance.
Everton welcomed Farhad Moshiri to Goodison Park and the 49.9% shareholder will surely have been blown away by the atmosphere the Grand Old Lady produced.
Under pressure Roberto Martinez restored Leighton Baines to the left back role and added Tom Cleverley to a five-man midfield designed to permit Ross Barkley to play an attacking role in support of Lukaku… and Everton gave early notice of their intent with a volley from Tom Cleverley drawing a save from Courtois inside forty seconds. In what was an electric atmosphere, the horrible snide that is Costa drew an early yellow card for a poor challenge on Gareth Barry, the first on many incidents involving a player rapidly becoming one of the most despised in British football.
And Chelsea demonstrated even more snide when a perfectly good, but hard challenge by Seamus on Pedro left the Spaniard in a heap and the under pressure Ivanovic back-heeled the ball into touch only to claim he did it so Pedro could receive treatment – Everton duly played the sportsmen by giving them the ball back from the throw in. Kenedy was very lucky not to see a yellow card brandished in his direction by referee Michael Oliver for a poor tackle on Aaron Lennon who was having a fine first half full of energy and all-round effort.
Everton were working hard in all areas with McCarthy and Barry giving no quarter in midfield and the defence not allowing Chelsea any encouragement in a first half that was competitive but in all honesty, lacking real quality. Neither goalie was really being troubled until the only notable save shortly before half time as Joel Robles touched a Willian free kick over the bar after Jags had been booked for a challenge on Fabregas who rolled around like someone had inserted half a dozen of Duracells finest up his whinging jacksy.
Goalless at half time was probably right
Everton again started brightly in the second half and RFM was unfortunate to head a Cleverley corner from the left wing over the Gwladys Street crossbar. The game was still tight and Everton rode their luck just before the hour mark a pass from Ivanovic set Fabregas free in space and he found Costa down the visitors left flank. Costa evaded a challenge and worked his way to the byline to send the ball right across the face of the Park End goal while the majority of Goodison held their breath.
Fabregas was righty booked for a foul on Gareth Barry as Everton began to turn up the pressure and
this Evertonian was happy when Willian – a terrific player – was withdrawn for Oscar on 65 minutes.
With a draw and Stamford Bridge replay looking a distinct possibility as the minutes ticked away, it looked ever more likely that either a fluke or a piece of sheer genius would be needed to break the deadlock… and it came and how !!!
Inside the final 15 minutes, Everton worked the ball down the left wing and forward to Romelu Lukaku. The big Belgian goal machine duly twisted this way and that trying to shake off defenders and as he beat one, another appeared and Rom kept going until another superb twist of his muscular frame presented him the shooting opportunity and he despatched a fierce left foot drive beyond fellow Belgian Courtois to nestle sweetly inside the far post. WOW – Goodison erupted in exultation at one of the finest goals it has seen in quite a few years.
Whilst the free-flowing move that ended with Ossie lashing a beauty past a rooted Larissa was a goal of sheer poetry, this strike by Big Rom was all about raw power, brute strength, bloody-minded determination and no shortage of skill – every single previous and future Everton centre forward would be proud of such a finish.
Chelsea responded by withdrawing Matic in favour of Loic Remy, but it was to no avail. Goodison was raucous in the extreme and when, a couple of minutes later Ross threaded a delightful through ball down the right flank, who was there but Big Rom again and he showed that he has dynamite in his right boot as well as his preferred left in crashing his second past a disgruntled and now fed-up Courtois. Goodison went nuts and rightly so, this was a brace of goals of magnificent quality and raw power and Everton were on their way to Wembley.
The horrible and universally hated John Terry replaced Kenedy and with Goodison in full song, the game took on a more sinister tone as a clash – not the first - between Costa and Gareth Barry saw the snide shown a second yellow and thus a red for either an alleged attempt to bite GB or for making contact with the head. Gareth was also yellow-carded – somewhat harshly in my opinion – and this was to be fateful two minutes later as a tired challenge on Fabregas saw him go down screaming in feigned injury yet again and Michael Oliver showed GB his second yellow and red.
The final minutes saw Roberto make three substitutions bring on John Stones, Mo Besic and Oumar Niasse to a. eat up some time and b. reward first Aaron, then Ross and finally Romelu respectively with their well-deserved standing o’s for their parts in a superb all-round team performance.
Picking a Man of the Match is a hard choice today… Romelu for his brace will arguably be favourite, but nobody baulked today and James McCarthy was outstanding.
The despair of the final twelve minutes against West Ham was washed away by a tsunami of joy as Everton are Wembley bound and on the showing today, who would bet against it being the first of two.
Ma, put the champagne on ice !!!
Hopefully, the alleged biting incident of Diego Costa on Gareth Barry will not overshadow a magnificent result for Everton as they secured their semi-final berth with two magnificent strikes from Romelu Lukaku against the club who never gave him a chance.
Everton welcomed Farhad Moshiri to Goodison Park and the 49.9% shareholder will surely have been blown away by the atmosphere the Grand Old Lady produced.
Under pressure Roberto Martinez restored Leighton Baines to the left back role and added Tom Cleverley to a five-man midfield designed to permit Ross Barkley to play an attacking role in support of Lukaku… and Everton gave early notice of their intent with a volley from Tom Cleverley drawing a save from Courtois inside forty seconds. In what was an electric atmosphere, the horrible snide that is Costa drew an early yellow card for a poor challenge on Gareth Barry, the first on many incidents involving a player rapidly becoming one of the most despised in British football.
And Chelsea demonstrated even more snide when a perfectly good, but hard challenge by Seamus on Pedro left the Spaniard in a heap and the under pressure Ivanovic back-heeled the ball into touch only to claim he did it so Pedro could receive treatment – Everton duly played the sportsmen by giving them the ball back from the throw in. Kenedy was very lucky not to see a yellow card brandished in his direction by referee Michael Oliver for a poor tackle on Aaron Lennon who was having a fine first half full of energy and all-round effort.
Everton were working hard in all areas with McCarthy and Barry giving no quarter in midfield and the defence not allowing Chelsea any encouragement in a first half that was competitive but in all honesty, lacking real quality. Neither goalie was really being troubled until the only notable save shortly before half time as Joel Robles touched a Willian free kick over the bar after Jags had been booked for a challenge on Fabregas who rolled around like someone had inserted half a dozen of Duracells finest up his whinging jacksy.
Goalless at half time was probably right
Everton again started brightly in the second half and RFM was unfortunate to head a Cleverley corner from the left wing over the Gwladys Street crossbar. The game was still tight and Everton rode their luck just before the hour mark a pass from Ivanovic set Fabregas free in space and he found Costa down the visitors left flank. Costa evaded a challenge and worked his way to the byline to send the ball right across the face of the Park End goal while the majority of Goodison held their breath.
Fabregas was righty booked for a foul on Gareth Barry as Everton began to turn up the pressure and
this Evertonian was happy when Willian – a terrific player – was withdrawn for Oscar on 65 minutes.
With a draw and Stamford Bridge replay looking a distinct possibility as the minutes ticked away, it looked ever more likely that either a fluke or a piece of sheer genius would be needed to break the deadlock… and it came and how !!!
Inside the final 15 minutes, Everton worked the ball down the left wing and forward to Romelu Lukaku. The big Belgian goal machine duly twisted this way and that trying to shake off defenders and as he beat one, another appeared and Rom kept going until another superb twist of his muscular frame presented him the shooting opportunity and he despatched a fierce left foot drive beyond fellow Belgian Courtois to nestle sweetly inside the far post. WOW – Goodison erupted in exultation at one of the finest goals it has seen in quite a few years.
Whilst the free-flowing move that ended with Ossie lashing a beauty past a rooted Larissa was a goal of sheer poetry, this strike by Big Rom was all about raw power, brute strength, bloody-minded determination and no shortage of skill – every single previous and future Everton centre forward would be proud of such a finish.
Chelsea responded by withdrawing Matic in favour of Loic Remy, but it was to no avail. Goodison was raucous in the extreme and when, a couple of minutes later Ross threaded a delightful through ball down the right flank, who was there but Big Rom again and he showed that he has dynamite in his right boot as well as his preferred left in crashing his second past a disgruntled and now fed-up Courtois. Goodison went nuts and rightly so, this was a brace of goals of magnificent quality and raw power and Everton were on their way to Wembley.
The horrible and universally hated John Terry replaced Kenedy and with Goodison in full song, the game took on a more sinister tone as a clash – not the first - between Costa and Gareth Barry saw the snide shown a second yellow and thus a red for either an alleged attempt to bite GB or for making contact with the head. Gareth was also yellow-carded – somewhat harshly in my opinion – and this was to be fateful two minutes later as a tired challenge on Fabregas saw him go down screaming in feigned injury yet again and Michael Oliver showed GB his second yellow and red.
The final minutes saw Roberto make three substitutions bring on John Stones, Mo Besic and Oumar Niasse to a. eat up some time and b. reward first Aaron, then Ross and finally Romelu respectively with their well-deserved standing o’s for their parts in a superb all-round team performance.
Picking a Man of the Match is a hard choice today… Romelu for his brace will arguably be favourite, but nobody baulked today and James McCarthy was outstanding.
The despair of the final twelve minutes against West Ham was washed away by a tsunami of joy as Everton are Wembley bound and on the showing today, who would bet against it being the first of two.
Ma, put the champagne on ice !!!
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