Everton breezed into the last eight of the League Cup — and a tie against fourth-tier Fleetwood Town — with a surprisingly comfortable 3-1 win over Newcastle United.
The build-up to Thursday’s clash at Hill Dickinson Stadium was a strange one. The pressure was high anyway, but the news of Jack Grealish’s suspension for a breach of club discipline caused extra strain.
However, Everton delivered what was arguably their best all-round performance all season. Here’s what we learned.
FANS WERE RIGHT TO WANT CHANGES
Yes, David Moyes sees these players day in, day out in training. But sometimes, fans have a pretty good idea of what should happen — or could happen — to influence games or change track.
Moyes introduced Tyler Dibling and Hayden Hackney, but the rest of the team stayed the same. Jarrad Branthwaite was again absent due to concussion protocol, so Jake O’Brien stayed in at the back.
Dibling had a quiet night, but offered more than Brennan Johnson has been doing, while Hackney grabbed a goal and an assist and was a driving force in midfield, even if he was not always perfect.
EVERTON’S BIG PLAYERS STEPPED UP
Everton needed their key players to actually perform on Thursday, and even though Grealish wasn’t there (more on him to come), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James Garner, Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski delivered the goods.
Tarkowski has been Everton’s best player this season, but he was immense, making a superb last-ditch challenge to deny a certain goal in the first half, and then organising the defence in the second. Pickford was kept busy, without being truly tested, and would have kept a deserved clean sheet if not for some sloppy work from Everton’s right-hand side and O’Brien.
Garner turned in his best performance in some time, opening the scoring with a sharp finish on the slide and playing a pivotal role in Everton’s third.
Dewsbury-Hall was integral to two of the Toffees’ goals, and the balance seemed much better as he interchanged with Hackney positionally.
EVERTON CAN BE CLINICAL
Newcastle started well; in fact it was pretty much one-way traffic for the opening 20 minutes.
But then, Everton gained a foothold, and when their chances came, they took them.
Each of the finishes were excellent in their own right, and they showed Everton can be clinical. They created good chances at the end of some good moves.
Worryingly, they did face 28 shots, with 9 of those being on target, but those Newcastle attempts were only worth a combined 2.09 xG. Everton’s xG, from 11 shots, was 1.84.
On average, Everton created chances with a 16% likelihood of being converted into a goal. Newcastle’s chances came in at just 7%. Promising signs, albeit facing that many shots, even factoring game state into account, is not a positive.
GREALISH MIGHT HAVE A LONG WAY BACK
The rumours had been swirling all week, and we will never know for sure (officially) just why Grealish missed training, or which sessions he missed.
What we do know is he missed the Arsenal game due to “illness” and then was suspended for this match.
Moyes did not elaborate on it during the post-match presser, but the mood music online and in the fanbase generally does not seem to favour Grealish. A sour note on an otherwise fine night for the Toffees.
Read more – Moyes praises Hackney’s Newcastle impact but warns Everton midfielder he must keep improving