“The consummate pro” was how Everton Assistant manager Steve Round labelled club captain Phil Neville ahead of the Blues’ Carling Cup Clash with West Brom at Goodison. But even a source so close to the veteran defender cannot have expected him to turn up with the consummate finish in extra time to send his side sailing into the fourth round.
A bench player in Everton’s last two games due to the burgeoning form of Tony Hibbert, Neville has been praised for his off the field attitude in light of Louis Saha’s recent reaction to being dropped. It is, perhaps, ironic then that the veteran right back will now earn the plaudits where his French teammate normally does.
A battle hardened Blues came from behind thanks to a Marouane Fellaini equaliser in the dying seconds of normal time before the skipper settled it, with a left footed stunner which takes his side to five games unbeaten.
Moyes made six changes to the side that dispatched Wigan on Saturday but his shuffled pack started much in the same manner as his successful weekend eleven with Marouane Fellaini and Jack Rodwell, two survivors of the rotation, brushing passes around confidently.
And although the possession stats will prove indicative of a comfortable half for Everton, it was West Brom who should have had the lead thanks to two ghastly errors from their hosts. Heitinga and Jagielka, playing in an unfamiliar central defensive partnership, failed to deal with a tricky Somen Tchoyi run and the Cameroonian found himself one on one with Jan Mucha before blasting over.
Then, after 27 minutes, it was Ross Barkley who presented Albion with goalmouth opportunity. His naive cross field ball was intercepted by Peter Odemwingie who, through on goal, followed the example of his team mate in driving over a high shot.
For their own advances, Everton looked most likely when adopting the aerial approach. Stracqualursi, who looked far from fleet of foot, appeared more at home tussling with Martin Olsson for balls into the Baggies’ danger area. But it was Fellaini who had the Blues best first half sight on goal, he headed a Baines cross wide just before the break.
The Blues came out of the break brighter, a Seamus Coleman slalom rousing the Gwladys Street before Stracqualursi forced a fine reaction save from Fulop. But, just as in the first half, slack passing from Moyes’ men proved their own undoing and when, for a third time, West Brom were presented with possession to break they didn’t waste it.
Odemwingie latched on Tchoyi’s through ball after Seamus Coleman’s misdirected header led to the turnover in possession. Streaking into the box, he drew the challenge of Jan Mucha before going down for the penalty which Jonathan Moss obliged in awarding. Chris Brunt slammed home the kick for his second Goodison goal in consecutive seasons and the Baggies began to bounce.
David Moyes responded by changing his upfront pairing with the introduction of Tim Cahill and Wigan match winner Apostolos Vellios, and they looked better for that change with 19-year-old’s athleticism proving a test for the tiring legs of Olsson and McAuley.
But it was the combination of physique and finesse in another which pulled Everton back from the brink on 87 minutes. Marouane Fellaini, employed as an emergency striker, collected a knock down from a long ball before spinning to fire home a left footed effort into the Fulop’s bottom corner to send the tie to extra time.
Renown for his fitness, Neville may have been one of the players Moyes could have expected to stay the course. A breathtaking left footed strike from 17 yards, even to the player, seemed a bolt from the blue.
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Everton (4-4-1-1): Mucha, Neville, Jagielka, Heitinga, Baines, Fellaini, Rodwell, Coleman (Gueye 79), Drenthe, Barkley (Vellios 62), Stracqualursi (Cahill 62)
Subs: Howard, Hibbert, Bilyaletdinov, Distin, Cahill, Gueye, Vellios
West Brom (4-5-1): Fulop, Mattock, Olsson (Dawson 104), Tchoyi, Brunt, Dorrans, McAuley, Odemwingie, Jones, Thorne (Scharner 96), Cox (Morrison 83)
Subs: Daniels, Morrison, Jara, Mulumbu, Dawson, Scharner, Berahino
Goals: Brunt 57, Fellaini 89, Neville 103
Att: 17,647
Ref: J Moss
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