Everton reached the FA Cup fourth round after a replay win over Crystal Palace.
Andre Gomes scored the only goal of the game late in the first half k with a curling free kick that beat Sam Johnstone at his left-hand post via the woodwork.
Sean Dyche’s side will now face a home tie with Premier League counterparts Luton Town, who overcome Bolton in their third-round replay, on January 27.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
Virginia seizes his moment
Life as a backup goalkeeper can be a complicated existence.
Joao Virginia knows that predicament better than most after playing second fiddle to Jordan Pickford ever since he broke into Everton’s first team ranks.
Opportunities proved so few and far between that the Portuguese’s loan spells equalled his senior appearances prior to this FA Cup double-header.
Back between the sticks for Wednesday’s third-round replay, however, Virginia seized his opportunity with another clean sheet and solid display.
Admittedly, operating behind a Blues’ defence that headed into this tie with an impressive six clean sheets in its previous ten outings eased the task at hand.
But Virginia’s shot-stopping abilities were truly tested by Crystal Palace’s front line during Goodison Park’s largely dour encounter in sub-zero temperatures.
He saved the best for last with a strong block to deny Jeffrey Schlupp’s header at point-blank range as the visitors went in search of a late equaliser.
On the strength of those heroics, it’s easy to see why Sean Dyche has not discounted Virginia retaining his spot for the fourth-round visit of Luton Town.
Redemption, finally, for Gomes
Memories of Everton’s last meeting with Palace beneath the lights invariably resurfaced ahead of their latest FA Cup do-over at the Grand Old Lady.
Andre Gomes is one of the few to look back with fondness at the heady night in May 2022 when his side narrowly preserved their Premier League status.
The luckless midfielder found himself consigned to a ringside seat after being left chasing shadows while the Eagles raced into an ominous two-goal lead.
He spent the next 12 months on loan at Lille, with mixed results, before a reintegration into Dyche’s squad proved to be as very much a bit-part player.
Necessity offered him a rare start with Idrissa Gueye at the Africa Cup of Nations while Abdoulaye Doucoure nursing another hamstring injury.
Yet Gomes provided a reasonable account of himself in the engine room and capped it off with an exquisite free kick which broke a recent Everton hoodoo.
Not since Lucas Digne struck home in a Carabao Cup second round win at Lincoln City in August 2019 had the hosts hit the target with a direct set piece.
Ending that 196-game drought as well as a 20-month personal torment saw Gomes finally seek redemption for one of his lowest ebbs in a royal blue shirt.
More mixed messages on takeover
A hard-fought passage into the FA Cup’s fourth round offered a much-needed dose of escapism after Everton’s latest financial fair play referral on Monday.
Other matters, though, provided an unnecessary and avoidable sideshow as 777 Partners again occupied the front row of the directors’ box for this game.
The Miami-based group’s proposed takeover which will signal a break with the Farhad Moshiri era is still yet to receive the necessary regulatory approval.
Not that it stopped Josh Wander and Co. enjoying another spot of Goodison’s hospitality on fourth occasion as they await the Premier League’s decision.
Just 24 hours after top-flight chief executive Richard Masters confirmed that an outcome is still a matter of weeks away at least, it all feels very premature.
So, too, do reports that the group paid flying visits to staff at the club’s Royal Liver Building headquarters and the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Conflicting information, meanwhile, suggests that 777’s buyout of Moshiri’s 94.1% shareholding will not pass muster and leave the club’s future at risk.
At a time when Everton yearn for clarity, the Americans’ continued presence is simply more mixed messaging that clouds an already convoluted situation.