Chelsea and Everton have form for cup drama. Penalty shoot outs, replays and extra time have all been commonplace in knockout clashes between these two.
It was of little surprise then, to the 23,000 still inside Goodison at 10:30, that this one went all the way, and, with missed penalties, a red card, time added on and a last gasp winner, the action packed status-quo was very much maintained.
In truth, Everton gave as good as they got in this, their second meeting with Chelsea in three weeks, but the task of chasing a game in which the visitors were criminally handed the advantage, in the end, proved to be the undoing of the Blues as their legs tired and an extra time winner from Daniel Sturridge finally extinguished what fire remained in this heated cup tie.
Andre Villas Boas’ first trip as a manager to Merseyside is one that will live long in the memory. The rollercoaster encounter took its first bizarre twist when Nicolas Anelka, in a fashion which has become unhappily trademark, brushed a penalty wide after Josh McEachran was fouled in front of the Gwladys Street end by John Heitinga.
But, if Anelka’s half-hearted miss was a charitable let-off for the hosts, Chelsea’s eventual opener in the 38th was a gift-wrapped compliment returned.
Having seen much of the better possession in the first half, Moyes’ men found themselves behind when a speculative chip at goal from Soloman Kalou was inexplicably dropped in the net by second choice keeper Jan Mucha. Neville Southall, who made a pre-match bow on the pitch, will have held his head in a pair of safer hands, as the teams strode in at half time.
Keen to atone for the Slovakian’s error, Everton began the second half with gusto if not any great measure.
And their keenness to close down opened up a gap which Anelka should have exploited on 55 minutes, through on goal the striker hit the target this time but Mucha was equal to the effort.
Everton’s heightened tempo may have seen caution thrown to the wind, but it bore fruit on the hour when Louis Saha came between ball and keeper to make a timely interception before being fouled by Ross Turnbull.
Mason awarded the second penalty, sending off Turnbull in the process. Faced with the newly introduced Petr Cech, it was Baines this time who squandered the kick when the Chelsea number one beat away a powerful effort with his first touch.
To their credit the Blues continued to toil, often forcing the Londoner’s backs against the wall, but it wasn’t until the 83rd minute that they got their reward and, for the second time in five days, a team were reminded why when Louis Saha is fit, switching off, even in the final throws, can be fatal.
The Frenchman expertly headed Seamus Coleman’s cross leaving Cech rooted to the spot to take the tie into extra time.
Predictably perhaps, the final thirty minutes slowed to almost walking pace but, equally as predictably, for this fixture, there was drama still yet to unfold.
Royston Drenthe saw red for a second yellow in the second period of extra time and that turned the tide firmly against Everton. Wave after wave of Chelsea white was repelled by some heroic defending with Leighton Baines blocking heroically on the line and Mucha saving well.
But as the Blues energy sapped legs closed down to their last, the bow finally broke. Florent Malouda’s piledriver was parried to the feet of Daniel Sturridge by Mucha, who for the second time in the evening will be disappointed with his contribution.
Sharper than his tiring markers, the England man applied the finish to kill off the tie and with it Everton’s dreams of Carling Cup progression.
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Everton (4-4-1-1): Mucha, Baines, Heitinga, Bilyaletdinov (Coleman 81), Saha, Drenthe, Distin, Cahill, Neville (Hibbert 46), Fellaini, Rodwell (Stracqualursi 78)
Subs: Hahnemann, Hibbert, Stracqualursi, Barkley, Osman, Coleman, Vellios
Chelsea (4-3-3): Turnbull, Ivanovic, David Luiz, Romeu, Malouda, Lukaku (Cech 60), McEachran (Mikel 64), Kalou (Sturridge 85), Alex, Bertrand, Anelka
Subs: Cech, Lampard, Torres, Mata, Mikel, Ferreira, Sturridge
Goals: Saha 83, Kalou 38, Sturridge 116
Ref: L Mason
Att: 23, 170
BY Aaron SHARP @ Goodison Park
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