Everton saw off Newcastle to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
James Garner opened the scoring with a first-time strike from just inside the penalty area after being teed up by Hayden Hackney in the 34th minute.
Provider turned poacher as the Blues doubled their advantage shortly for half-time when Hackney was on hand to convert a cutback from Thierno Barry.
A third followed after the interval as Barry got himself among the goals by rifling into the North Stand’s net after receiving a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall pass.
But the visitors managed to snatch a late reducer courtesy of Dan Burn meeting Anthony Elanga’s cross to deny Jordan Pickford a clean sheet.
David Moyes’ side will now face a trip to League Two outfit Fleetwood Town in the competition’s last eight stage as their reward for downing the Magpies.
Here were the key talking points from Hill Dickinson Stadium:
Has Grealish burned his bridges?
Jack Grealish was a surprise absence from the hosts’ matchday squad when the line-ups where announced but the reason soon became evident.
Everton took the rare step of announcing that the England international had been stood down for the Carabao Cup tie due to ‘a breach of club discipline’.
An unauthorised absence from training is believed to be the reason behind Grealish’s omission against Newcastle that risked proving detrimental.
Since returning for a second season-long loan, the 31-year-old had hardly captured the imagination in the same way that his original spell ignited.
But this disciplinary issue has cast fresh doubt on whether he should be under serious consideration to be signed permanently as a free agent.
Grealish’s off-field problems were well-documented long before he fell afoul of the disciplinary code on Merseyside and seemingly they have not gone away.
He was quick to wax lyrical about how feeling ‘loved’ had been a driving factor in the decision to seek a return for another campaign in the royal blue shirt.
Fans continued to back him at every turn, even after underwhelming displays, but this threatens to test the limits of their patience as much as the club itself.
Blues dream of Wembley again
Everton’s domestic form has fallen off a cliff to such a point that David Moyes is enjoying a freedom which was not afforded to his many predecessors.
Just two wins in the last 15 Premier League games would have provoked pitchforks among supporters prior to the Scot’s return to the hot seat.
He is far from out of the woods on that front but the Carabao Cup is offering a welcome distraction as a potential date with destiny edges ever closer.
Whoever emerged victorious from the first of the Blues’ double-header clash with Newcastle could not have asked for a clearer route into the semi-final.
Although Fleetwood Town dumped Arsenal out of the competition, Moyes’ side are arguably more streetwise on avoiding another cup upset at Highbury.
They proved their mettle against a Magpies team who sought to be agents of chaos by any means, including several bouts of skirmishes in the second half.
After 32 years and numerous false dawns, Evertonians know better than most not to get carried away at the prospect of ending their silverware drought.
Still, there is legitimate evidence to believe that a trip to Wembley in late March could be on the agenda despite their ongoing top-flight travails.
Hackney is staking his claim
Patience has been a virtue for Hayden Hackney’s early Everton career.
The midfielder had arrived at Hill Dickinson Stadium to great fanfare, with a host of Premier League clubs also vying to prise him from Middlesbrough.
He lived up to that initial hype, too, with a star turn in the opening day win over Crystal Palace before falling down the engine room’s pecking order.
Hackney could have been forgiven for questioning the wisdom of leaving his boyhood club simply to be one of the first names on the substitutes’ bench.
Yet the 24-year-old bided his time until an opportunity finally arrived and offered a compelling case to his manager for an extended run in the side.
Involvement in both first-half goals, the latter his first for the club, was real feathers in Hackney’s cap as was the energy he brought to proceedings.
There is still room for improvement in other aspects of his game as the cheap fouls conceded and being caught cold on several counter attacks attests.
What remains undeniable, however, is that Everton’s midfield functions far better with Hackney on the pitch than kicking his heels in the dugout’s seats.