Everton reached the FA Cup quarter finals after a nine-goal thriller with Tottenham.

Davinson Sanchez opened the scoring for the visitors inside four minutes as he rose highest to convert Son Heung-Min’s corner from the left-hand side.

The Blues drew level late on in the first half when Gylfi Sigurdsson teed up Dominic Calvert-Lewin for a half-volleyed effort which flew past Hugo Lloris.

Richarlison put Carlo Ancelotti’s side ahead just two minutes later with a low drilled finish from outside the area into the right-hand corner of Spurs’ net.

A remarkable first-half turnaround was completed by Gylfi Sigurdsson from the penalty spot after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had tripped up Calvert-Lewin.

But the visitors reduced the deficit with the last kick of added time through Erik Lamela and equalised after the interval with another goal from Sanchez.

Everton, however, struck back again as Richarlison latched onto a Sigurdsson through ball and fired a clinical finish past Lloris from a narrowing angle.

Harry Kane met another delivery from Son at the far post for the Londoners took their hosts into extra-time for a second FA Cup round this season.

In the 97th minute, a clever ball over the top allowed Bernard to rifle home the decisive goal and saw Sigurdsson rack up his third assist of the night.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Goodison hosts another Cup classic

 

Just what is about February and breathless FA Cup ties at Goodison Park?

Almost 30 years to the day since one of the most remarkable encounters in this competition’s rich history, the Grand Old Lady played host to another.

On a sub-zero evening, a straightforward outcome was preferable but when the goals continue to flow like this, extra time actually proved a blessing.

Everton now hold the distinction of winning the highest-scoring FA Cup tie between two top-flight teams, a feat which dated back to February 1961.

Moreover, they are the only team that Jose Mourinho has faced in 981 games of elite-level management to have scored and conceded four goals apiece.

Fans of a certain vintage will undoubtedly look back far more fondly on the chaos of an eight-goal thriller between the Blues and Liverpool in 1991.

Their continued absence was the one sore point of a truly unforgettable night.

Blues finally get Ancelotti’s message

 

Carlo Ancelotti could have been forgiven for sensing a potential deja-vu.

Everton falling behind against Tottenham carried striking similarities with last weekend’s eventual 3-3 draw at Manchester United due to another poor start.

Another half-time rollocking from their manager appeared inevitable after a first half display where they were both sloppy and regularly on the back foot.

But before the Italian could begin warming up to deliver a second verbal blast in four days at the interval, his side responded in a very unexpected fashion.

Converting their deficit into a relatively comfortable 3-1 lead within just seven minutes appeared almost a preemptive strike from Ancelotti’s players.

Even when they surrendered the lead twice in the second half through yet more sloppy defending, they hit back through a newfound level of resolve.

Maybe this Everton squad is finally getting their manager’s message after all.

Sigurdsson turns master creator

 

It looked like becoming another of those nights for Gylfi Sigurdsson; ones which invariably begin on a bad footing and only get progressively worse.

Ball-watching as Davinson Sanchez gave Spurs an early but not undue lead had the potential to set the tone for an ominous outing from the playmaker.

When Sanchez got the better of him for a second time from a set piece, it felt like Sigurdsson still retained the muscle memory of his time in north London.

Either side of it, however, the Iceland international tried to atone through his attacking output to produce his most productive display in a royal blue shirt.

Not only did Sigurdsson find the target by wrong-footing Hugo Lloris from the penalty spot before half-time, but also racked up three assists in the process.

He saved the best for last by pirouetting on the ball under pressure by Spurs defenders before hooking it into space for Bernard to score in extra-time.

Evertonians have rarely seen this side of Sigurdsson in his four at the club but this was proof that he can still conjure up quality moments when required.

Deceptive bench wins the tie

 

A cursory glance at both substitute benches before kick-off carried a sense of foreboding for Everton, not least with Spurs boasting a returning Harry Kane.

Jose Mourinho’s decision to give the England captain a watching brief for the first 52 minutes highlighted just how strong even their backup options are.

With Josh King cup-tied, Ancelotti’s side were light in attacking quality but their manager’s choice introductions proved to be truly inspired ones.

Bernard’s match-winning strike inevitably stole the headlines but Seamus Coleman deserves particular credit for his driving runs from the right flank.

On occasion, Everton’s captain has struggled this season as the sands of time seemingly bogged him down. Yet this was one of Coleman’s better display.

Besides the 32-year-old and Bernard, Mason Holgate also provided some fresh legs as his team defended their slender lead in the final 13 minutes.

Proof, were it needed, that appearances can be deceptive in games like this.