Everton were knocked out of the FA Cup third round as they were beaten by Leicester City.

After a dull first half, the Blues appeared to be on course for the next round when Romelu Lukaku fired them in front after fine work by Gerard Deulofeu.

However they would not hold the lead for long as Foxes substitute Ahmed Musa managed to scramble in an equaliser at the near post shortly afterwards.

The Premier League champions had Musa to thank as he haunted the home side again when he fired into the bottom corner to round off a free-flowing move.

Here were the key talking points on a disappointing afternoon at Goodison Park:

Another wasted opportunity

 

With the Premier League’s top six already appearing established for the remainder of the season, European football is set to be increasingly hard to come by for Everton.

FA Cup success would have been the Blues’ best way to meet Ronald Koeman’s expectation and get themselves back on the continental stage in time for next term.

But it wasn’t to be as they fell short at the first hurdle in what will widely be regarded as a highly disappointing result for success-starved supporters.

Koeman will look back on this result and regard it as something of a missed opportunity, especially after the champions had appeared to be there for the taking.

Blues need a real playmaker

 

It is widely known that this current Everton team are lacking a creative spark in the middle of the park and this game made it obvious.

They found themselves in good positions on numerous occasions throughout the game but were constantly unable to find the final ball that was needed.

It was something that came back to haunt them as their failure to convert their numerous half chances saw the away side leave with a win.

In what is expected to be a busy January transfer window, Steve Walsh would be wise to try and find Everton the playmaker they desperately need.

Deulofeu takes his chance

 

A week can be a long time in football and Gerard Deulofeu is someone who can attest to that.

At the beginning of the week, he had been left out of successive squads and appeared to be on his way out with youngster Dominic Calvert-Lewin preferred ahead of him.

Fast-forward to Saturday afternoon and it appears the Spain international may be given the chance to prove he has a future at Goodison Park after all.

He came on as a second-half substitute in this game and provided an assist for Romelu Lukaku’s opener which was a reminder of what he can offer on his day.

There is still a long way to go before proving he has a long-term future at Everton but more of the same that he showed against the Foxes will convince Koeman that he should.

Blues’ lack of depth is evident

 

It perfectly demonstrated the issues with this current squad when Everton were forced to turn to Arouna Kone in an attempt to rescue the game late into the second half.

The Ivorian has failed to do much of note in his time on Merseyside and the fact that he was the best option in such circumstances clearly shows the scale of the rebuild needed.

This is not Koeman’s squad – a fact typified by Ashley Williams being his only signing to finish the game – and it may be some time before the Dutchman has the options that he would like.

In the meantime he must try to find a way to get the best out of a group that is lacking in the quality that he needs as they chase down a likely seventh-placed finish.