Everton exited the Carabao Cup quarter-final to Fulham on penalties.

The visitors took a surprise lead late in the first half as Michael Keane turned the ball into his own net from ex-Blues defender Antonee Robinson’s cross.

Substitute Beto pulled Sean Dyche’s side level in the final 10 minutes with a header at close range from James Garner’s shot deflected into his path.

But the subsequent shootout saw Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye miss their spot kicks to hand Marco Silva a third victory on his old stomping ground.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Blues receive a reality check

Everton’s resurgence had to end sometime but this still felt a cruel fashion.

The strides that Sean Dyche’s side took since being hit with a 10-point deduction appeared to be a genuine, if belated, step in the right direction.

Those signs were still evident as his charges rallied from Michael Keane’s first-half own goal, derived against the run of play, to take the tie to penalties.

Had the Carabao Cup’s rules still allowed for 30 minutes’ extra time instead of a straight shootout, the Blues would have more than fancied their chances.

Both momentum and the intensity of the Goodison crowd were fully with the hosts but the lottery of spot kicks lived up to its billing across 16 attempts.

Missing out on a first semi-final of Dyche’s managerial career felt as big a missed opportunity as extending his side’s impressive recent crest of a wave.

Whether Everton would have been able to take their cup odyssey all the way to a Wembley date still heavily depended on a favourable semi-final draw.

Still, this felt like an inevitable reality check on Goodison’s feelgood factor.

Onana misjudges the occasion

There is a cardinal rule in football that you should never play the occasion.

Someone should have warned Amadou Onana before he stepped up to take what would prove to be a costly moment in front of the Gwladys Street End.

Events from 12 yards saw Everton and Fulham’s players produce an array of attempts in their quest to take an upper hand that would seal a last-four spot.

Beto and Arnaut Danjuma opted for a shuffle in efforts to wrongfoot Bernd Leno while Michael Keane and James Garner went for straightforward kicks.

Onana, however, went far beyond the former with decisive a kick which will live long in the memory of the Goodison faithful for all the wrong reasons.

All the Belgium international had to do was send his penalty low and hard into the net to move his side to within potentially 180 minutes from Wembley.

Instead, he produced a tame offering which was comfortable enough for Leno to stop at his lefthand side to firmly gift Marco Silva’s side the advantage.

Whether Onana was distracted or simply envisaging the headlines of his potential heroics, the midfielder undoubtedly misjudged the mood of the tie.

Branthwaite back with a vengeance

Suspension ruled Jarrad Branthwaite out for last weekend’s comfortable win over Burnley but he returned with a vengeance against the Cottagers.

The defender has become a revelation since being afforded an extended first-team run and added a fresh string to his bow during the opening 45 minutes.

Deployed in something of an unfamiliar role at left-back, Branthwaite was able to contribute at both ends of the pitch thanks to that advanced positioning.

In the first half alone, he produced several proficient deliveries that should have yielded a breakthrough for Everton as they seized the early impetus.

He could have opened the scoring in his own right after being picked out by Jack Harrison at the far post for a downward header which Leno collected.

Yet it was at the back where he again proved a standout; thwarting Harry Wilson effort before extending those qualities to Fulham’s late ascendancy.

Branthwaite is already on course to becoming Everton’s next Player of the Season and his latest outing only served to strengthen those credentials.