Brilliant Everton edge closer to silverware

Obviously we also need to learn to defend - Stones who is fantastic still does schoolboy stuff - ie trying to charge down city player on edge of our box following our corner being cleared instead of sprinting back to half way line - but I'm less concerned about that - just thrilled with the football we're playing.

Mori is like Jekyll and Hyde, at times unbelievable bad but then at others looks like a proper defender.

I hope we can play fantastic and start winning games now.

From his introduction to the side in Moyes' first season, this local lad has always had something Barkley lacks - and that's an abundance of football intelligence. And in spite of his small stature that intelligence has been put to good use. He is undoubtedly a better left side option than Kone -but then, who isn't ?

My fear is that last night's injuries will do for us in the replay as whilst we have a myriad of players, many of them are no more than make-weights. In particular, I refer to the total absence of a deputy for Romelu.

But to all involved last night -well done !

The likelihood is that he's 19 games + the Cups away from finishing his playing career at Everton. Roberto's playing the guys he's counting on for next season. Doesn't mean he is misusing Leon Osman or doesn't realize what Ossie's good at. Leon was the only Blue played in all 38 games Roberto's first season, after all. His time is nearly up; no more to it than that. Happens to every player.

Let’s hope we have a full pick to choose from for the return tie as we have every chance!

He used to be one of my favourite players but the Prem is too fast and too physical for him now.

You could see the gaps in front of Bainesy once he came on.

The second leg will be difficult due to our inability to keep a clean sheet but at least we've got our noses in front.

Special mention for Barry and Besic who were huge last night and I thought Barkley sparked all the danger up front.

" What did City do once they realised he'd been brought on? put the speedster Navas on to try and get down our left side - no coincidence"

Wrong, Jim. Navas came on for the completely ineffective Delph. They were a goal down and brought on a forward. Nothing to do with Osman. You're not the bleurt who sits behind us in the Lower Gwladys are you. The one who slags Osman off even when he's not playing?

Too many exceptional performances to mention again. The goal against was typically Everton being left wallowing on a fast counter attack but there's a very good team in there with for me Barry, Barkley, Baines and Besic exceptional. We look so much better with a fit Besic in the team and he should become a very valuable member of the side.

I see us as underdogs in the second leg but win or lose I hope that this very good step up in form isn't a false dawn as many before have been. I don't care if we don't win cups, I'd exchange a good league run for the rest of the season any day.

I would love to see Pienaar again as he does stay wide, brings Baines into the game far more than anyone else but IF he ever comes back, he too will not be able to cover Baines as well as a Tom Cleverley can do.

On the other side Deulofeu is so exiting going forward, works well for Lukaku and just about does a little defending to help Coleman out, but he’s clearly in for his ability to create. Ossie just hasn’t got that creativeness, pace Martinez needs/wants in his teams.

Leon has limitations mainly based around his size and strength but he did a good job yesterday in what was a great team performance. Surely it is unfair to blindly criticise a great Everton stalwart who has played very well against a top side within the limits of his ability? It was beyond belief to still hear criticism of the exceptional Ross Barkley who runs everything creative in our side and has worked very well in ironing out his weaknesses. The best midfield player in the UK and among the best in the world who is fast becoming a very creative box to box player with the potential to score 20 a season.

At least we don’t get the lazy, no-first-touch criticism of Lukaku now who is rightly being recognised everywhere for his devastating play. It was always there the problem was us fans couldn’t cut him the slack or the slack needed by other players who come into the side as unfinished articles needing game time to become the finished articles.

In terms of playing talent we have it in spades with perhaps 4 current players who could push or exceed £50 Mil at current prices. One day I wish we could develop flexible strategies that can complement our devastating attacking play which could hold a lead or provide a little more protection when we have 8 or 9 men in the opposition area. Very creditable for us to have thrown off the Moyes shackles and go for wins but it can’t be totally incapable of defending credibly against a break.

The 10:10 spell last night (10 minutes with 10 men) after Coleman went off was like classic training ground football which City didn’t have an answer to. We also probably don’t have an answer to what happens if Lukaku is inured or god help us sold but we are progressing even allowing for the maddening reverses that only EFC seem to be able to conjure up.

Make no mistake we have some very good players and are one of the best attacking teams in the EPL, I still rate RM as a totally blinkered strategist and a blathering idiot but I remain hopefully positive about him. I would hope that a top team comes in for him but I think were stuck with him for the journey which could even include a possibility of relegation. Our biggest worry is having so many good players and limited financial resources to keep them and build on what we have.

I was disappointed with Roberto for bringing Ossie on, especially as he had younger more leggy attacking options (mainly Mirallas). That said, I do think he played really well.

Ossie has a great knack of dropping into pockets of space and allowing himself to turn or carry the ball over short distances, even with his lack of pace.

This is something Ross could take note of to help push his game on a little. This is not a dig at Ross, as I’m a huge huge fan of his. It's merely an opinion that, when Ross is not in possession, he could be found a lot easier in attacking positions if he learnt the art of playing between the lines a little bit better.

Anyways, it clear that Ossie can’t play often, especially at Premier League level, but he is a good little player to do 15 -25 minute cameos at times.

He has been a good player for the blues during his time and has always been a loyal Evertonian; for that I’m grateful.

This though should be his last season as a player; maybe he could be a coach or something but his squad number needs passing on to another.

Osman like Cleverley is a very disciplined footballer, and he showed this the other night by keeping us simple and providing the cover, that our left backs have been sadly missing all year.

If he kept drifting into the centre Jim, all the better, even if I never saw it like that myself. He won a few tackles, let Sagna have a couple of kicks, and most importantly, he made sure we were never exposed down our left side.

Barry and Besic, rightly get a lot of the plaudits, but I think the reason we won the game, is because we had a much more defensive balance to the team the other night. So well done to Cleverley and Osman, for doing the dirty unselfish work in a position they would probably not wished to have played in!

Robles was decidedly average at best. He failed to come for corners and in fact retreated to his line as the corners were coming in. He was responsible for the goal. He read the situation too late and came out too late. He then incredibly stayed on his feet and let the player slot home a rather soft and easy goal.

His save in the first half was a poor deflection into our 6 directly into danger in front of an empty goal, because he was so deep on the post (it was behind his right shoulder) that he could only deflect it around his left shoulder. He should have had his body behind it given the flat angle and distance of the shot.

Agreed. Thought Robles got his angles all wrong for the goal it may as well have been an empty net. The save low to his left was class.

Absolutely I think Howard would have done better. The proper defense in that situation, coming out and going low, was exactly what you experts on here criticize Howard for. Well you got your wish, a goalkeeper who stayed on his feet and let a very easy goal go in.

Robles moves like a giraffe on ice and has to anticipate more quickly and get out sooner to make up for his lack of speed. When he hesitates and then comes out, it is disastrous.

Sean,

Agree to that. Would love nothing better than Man City to lose three in a row to Everton (well except for Liverpool losing three in a row to us), regardless of who is in goal or the centerback pairing.

Not a huge Besic fan but Barry - Besic allows Cleverley to go out wide (maybe Pienaar now) on the left and this changed the whole shape of the formation and kept their right back and a midfielder occupied and stretched wider, opening up the middle more. Kone has done well but he is always too far into the middle for me. COYB!