Everton 2 – 0 Peterborough Utd
Sean Dyche is finally gone, and there’s suddenly a fresh new feel about the Old Lady as it hosts its last FA Cup campaign, starting with this 3rd Round tie against The Posh.
Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman are in charge now, but Dyche has left them with the first XI selection and a slew of injuries as they juggle to come up with a team for this evening’s entertainment.
Dwight McNeil is still unavailable, Garner and Iroegbunam are closer to returning but also unavailable, and Chermiti also misses this one. Calvert-Lewin has an ankle issue and does not make it, so Broja may start if he has fully recovered from jarring his knee when kicking the turf as he tried to score against The Cherries on Saturday.
And there are quite a few changes: No Pickford, No Tarkowski, No Calvert-Lewin, three centre-backs, Armstong and Beto starting… but still two goalkeepers on the bench, of only 8 players?
Both Youngs, father Ashley and son Tyler, on their respective subs benches, potentially the first time in FA Cup history if father and son get on the grass to play each other.
Muted applause for Baines and Coleman in the dugout before Beto kicked off — without the obligatory keeper punt! Beto loosened up with an early shot that was straight at Bilokapic.
Plenty of Blues possession, as you’d expect, but very little pressing when they did lose the ball. And not a good sign that Virginia did soon resort to the long punt beyond Beto. Ndiaye went on a dribble that led nowhere.
Beto’s judgement was lacking when he overhit what could have played in Armstrong. Ndiaye tried to curl one in from outside the area, but well off target as the Everton players tried to get used to playing patient possession football, but they were finding it hard work to get into the Posh penalty area.
A poor ball from Mangala invited the opposition forward until the transition, when Hayes had to take down Patterson. Armstrong played it in and it came to Managla for a shot that was dreadfully scuffed.
Gana tried a shot from too far out that saw a strange save from Bilokapic. From a decent Mykolenko cross, the cleared ball was volleyed well by Mangala, smacking the angle of the goal. Then Fernandez came close to putting it into his own net but Everton’s resulting corner was poor.
Patterson found Beto close to goal but the big man just couldn’t control the ball properly. Keane overhit a deep diagonal ball beyond Patterson. Really far too many weak mistakes from the Everton players in the first 30 minutes.
Patterson got in another cross but the Bkue shirts were outnumbered. Another forward pass was overhit and yet another misplaced by Beto. Patterson ran into Kyprianou. Armstrong fired a cross way too hard over everyone.
Patterson put in a much better cross but Beto was stuck behind Fernandez for a corner that again broke down and Posh were quick on the counter, Mylolenko having to block the shot from Jones. The resulting corner came through to Hayes who smashed it at goal and somehow it deflected off O’Brien then blocked by Branthwaite, very lucky it did not go in.
Beto almost got in on Bilokapic as he cleared the ball, but the visitors were not intimidated by their Premier League hosts. A lovely ball in from Branthwaite should have been buried by Beto but he headed it straight into Bilokapic’s hands.
Ndiaye worked hard to get the ball forward but it was a beautiful pass from Armstrong that allowed Beto to pivot around Bilokapic and slot the ball into the net. Everton had scored!!!
Jones did very well to outpace Branthwaite and work his way wide before firing at Virginia to end the half.
Into the second halfHayes almost got around Patterson, winning a corner that Virginia tracked all the way, catching it well. Everton tried to get forward but they were regularly thwarted by the well-disciplined white shirts.
Great work by Patterson on a brilliant out ball from Armstrong saw him set up Gana who wellied it over the bar — he really should have scored. At the other end, Patterson heavily bodychecked Hayes off the field, rather unnecessarily, gifting a corner that was cleared.
Armstrong was double-teamed and got a free-kick in the corner that Patterson swung in a little too deep. O’Brien tried the long diagonal but it was beyond Mykolenko. Patterson, Beto, and then Magala all put in poor crosses, the last winning a corner that Patterson overhit and O’Brien handballed.
A lengthy spell of possession for Peterborough saw the ball finally find Dornelly in space and a quick strike would have had Everton in trouble. A really good Everton move down the left got almost all the way, Mykolenko with the error at the end of it.
A good ball into Beto had him doing all the arms and legs as he battled with Fernandez. From the resulting corner, Mangala’s shot was deflected, with Beto and Armstrong getting subbed.
Mykolenko fed Ndiaye well but he was escorted to the line for a corner which Harrison drilled to Keane on the edge of the box, but he messed up the volley, at which point, Ashley Young replaced Patterson. Young put in a couple of crosses but no Everton players on the end of them.
Some brilliant ball work from Harrison before feeding Ndiaye who then lost his footing. There were still errors from a host of players that were making Everton’s play look really poor as they struggled to both keep the visitors at bay and get forward.
Broja looked to take advantage of a rash charge by Bilokapic but instead he was landed awkwardly and did his ankle after a challenge as Everton played on with 10 men, Lindgren almost getting behind O’Brien and firing into the side netting.
Broja’s injury looked very serious as he needed extended treatment (7 minutes) before being stretchered off all the way across to the far corner, and an ambulance trip to hospital, replaced by Doucoure, with 10 minutes added on.
But the bodies kept hitting the turf, Conn-Clarke next to feel the strain. Then Lindstrom as he tried to force a cross with Fernandez impeding him. And then Katongo wrestling Branthwaite to the ground for an obvious penalty. Iliman Ndiaye converted from the spot to seal the win.
Everton: Virginia, Patterson (72′ A Young), O’Brien, Keane, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Gana, Mangala (89′ Doucoure), Armstrong (68′ Harrison), Ndiaye, Beto [Y:66′] (68′ Broja (89′ Lindstrøm)).
Subs not Used: Begovic, Leban, Butterfield.
Peterborough Utd: Bilokapic, Collins, Nevett (46′ Wallin), Jones (46′ Lindgren), Hayes, Kyprianou (64′ De Havilland), Katongo, O’Brien-Brady (88′ Mothersille), Dornelly (76′ Odoh), Fernandez, Conn-Clarke.
Subs not Used: Blackmore, Sparkes, T Young, Ihionvien
The match is being streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport Website.