Professional Blues see off the Cherries

It would be nice maybe to see Niasse replacing Lukaku (who must be lining up to leave at end of season).

On a side issue I'll be in New York City in a couple of weeks time and was hoping someone can point me in the direction of a bar that shows the Everton games "live". Any clues???

I am just curious as to how you know Lukaku is lining up to leave the club based upon his inclusion in the side by the manager. Is it him only or are all of the selections doing the same?

Personally, I think Mirallas really should be starting on the left, and maybe Baines back too.

Did Baines say something that has put him next to Mirallas on the bench. He can't be caring a slight injury because he has been on the bench at least thee matches in a row.

I simply don't believe that a manager thinks Oviedo is better than Baines.

I may have been tempted to start Gerry in place of Lennon only because Lennon has been working his bollocks off and could use a spell, but then I remembered we have nine days off before playing Villa so no need.

Great to see a Kone-free bench.

I hope for a big improvement in the 2nd half.

Joel Robles deserves great credit for a really good penalty save, as does Barry who I thought was his usual self – breaking up play, putting his foot in and distributing the ball well ....and what's with Lukaku's non-celebration after scoring??????

I'm very happy that Martinez has made Joel our No.1. We look a lot more comfortable defending from corners and his penalty save changed the course of the game. That's now 4 clean sheets in 5 games so there has been marked improvement improvement defensively for me.

I didn't think Rom should have been Man of the Match. I thought it was a pretty lacklustre performance from the big man. He only comes alive when the other team plays offensive game and the game becomes more open. In spite of this he could still do more when the opposition sit back. Barkley or Barry would have been my Man of the Match ahead of him.

Let's hope so! COYB

Roberto, well done but don't think this was perfect and go same again. We can be so much better with the players available. Enjoy tonight though, definitely a better feeling than last week.

I believe it's the anniversary of Rom's Belgian mate who died - the kid playing in Germany, killed in a car crash. That's why Rom was a little subdued today and barely celebrated the goal.

Why not play Mirallas there or Deulofeu?

I still think we lack balance and there is a lack of free flowing attacking football.

Lukaku has some strange moods sometimes, but he still scores, so great.

Coleman is a bit of a nark, isn't he? God bless him.

Niasse is a big bloke.

Does Deulofeu still play for EFC? Does Mirallas remember how to play football?

Winning ugly is fine, and it wasn't the prettiest performance I've seen from us.

Noticed a number of times when we had the ball well into the Bournemouth half, we stop, turn, and start passing backwards. The ball then ends back with our Goalkeeper. Very poor play. Very slow. Better teams, faster teams will always exploit that.

Just a few things now that should be obvious. Joel is now our No 1 Goalkeeper. Howard should now not be reinstated. Even if JR makes a mistake next week. He would need to make dozens before I would drop him. But I have a feeling that Robles will fare out OK. Would Howard have saved that penalty? IMO.....No. Tippy tappy will take Everton nowhere. Martinez has tried that. He is still persisting with it. But Everton will win nothing with it. The better teams have it sussed it out. Why do I think that tippy-tappy will not work against better teams. Simply because we are rubbish at it. We are too slow. Our players even look confused. And that is not good football. Cannot see this Everton team troubling the top 6 this season. So let's make sure that we are safe at least. Get over the 40 points mark... Then give this FA Cup a good old rattle. Just think... three more wins... that's all we need. Even Everton can raise their game for three matches.

That's three wins now in this years FA Cup. No goals conceded so far. We did not concede on the run to the final in 1966. Fifty years back. I believe in omens. Clutching at straws. Yes, why not. Right now I will take anything that comes our way. Good night.

Several solid performances, Barry as usual, Jagielka, Barkley, Funes Mori, Joel Robles... all-in-all, not bad.

Watford or Reading at home will do me.

Poor performance, still vulnerable from crosses into the box.

To me, only Barry and Robles played up to scratch. Still, at least we're in the draw.

Not the best performance today but they got the job done. We'd have settled for that result beforehand. Well done Robles for the penalty save. What was McCarthy thinking of?

2 up going into stoppage time and I was still worried. Credit to the players though for managing the game out as the modern saying goes but we haven't turned a corner on the strength of today. But we are in the next round and we can live in hope.

Can't agree with Keown that Lukaku was MotM. Barry for me.

Shocking first half, got the goal, defended it well, got another. That was what used to be called a 'good professional performance'. It's about winning in the cup and we won. That's it.

OK – we were better than Bournemouth, but still not very convincing. Once we got into the final third, we seemed very disjointed, and I struggle to remember a good attacking drive from midfield – too many sideways passes and turning back even though there was space to run into. Very frustrating to watch – we promise much but don’t deliver. Very few good chances despite the possession and the players at our disposal.

That said, congrats to Robles – he just adds so much assurance to the defence, and the penalty save was top drawer.

And we did "manage" the game very well, for the most part, after we went ahead.

Roll on the next round and hope for an away tie!

Still pleased with the result and nice to see Niasse, let's just win all 12 games and I'm sure we'll have something to cheer by the end of the season.....

At half time I had to go out to calm down. Endless pointless passing with sod all ever creating the ghost of a chance, again. It does my head in (and Rom's to judge by his "movement" – I don't blame him either). With one notable exception everyone in football knows that possession alone is not the object of the game.

We created very, very little (their keeper had barely to make a save) and got a big slice of luck with the first, but who cares? A workmanlike second half but we're in the quarters. My joint MotM was GazBaz and Aaron.

We'll have to play better whoever we draw in the quarters. Keeps the interest going for the next few weeks at least. Robles looks confident and must now be our keeper through to the end of the season.

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Twatkinson had a good game for a change and could have sent McCarthy off for his hand ball as he was on a yellow.

Barry was MotM for me, Lennon good too. Rom has a lot to learn. I hate Sturridge but Rom could learn from him how to do it yourself if you aren't getting the service.

These two games were screaming out for a player to carry the ball, take someone on, and create chances.

I thought Niasse showed a will that was promising. When fit I think he will offer us a lot. A good day.

Why Martinez persists with real width on one side and not on the other always put's pressure on whoever is the left back. Deulofeu would have given the full back a roasting and allowed Lukaku to play in his normal position as a centre-forward waiting to prod crosses home.

Also, too many passes when astray to give Bournemouth unexpected and undeserved possession. And too many shots well wide of the mark.

Finally, It would have been nice if the scoreboard had read Cherries 0: Toffees 2 to give the scoreboard a more delicious look.

Still not good at the end of moves and we nearly gave a goal away from him losing the ball near their area but he is international class now and in a year or so he will be the best No 10 in world football. Mark my words. It is wonderful to have Ross with us but it won't be for long now.

Can't we just have a Robles moment and be happy with this?

Robles hopefully keeps goal for the rest of the season.

Niasse showed promise.

Barry or Barkley (but not Rom) was Man of the Match.

Absolutely spot on Mark.

No matter what happens from now on this season has been sabotaged by a mixture of incompetence and stubbornness.

"We're in the hat, lad; can't ask anymore than that."

It was a poor show against Bournemouth's reserves. A draw would've been a fair result.

Our final ball was pretty woeful all game, so there is still much to do. Here's hoping for a decent away draw for the 6th round.

I think any good club needs players who will bide their time and grab an opportunity. I never thought Mirallas was that type. Today, in his interaction with the coach and his team mates I felt he did. I should add that I think he is a class player whose absence from our starting eleven baffles me.

Only watched it on TV, and thought it was painful at times, but it seemed very windy, which is always the worst conditions to play footy in.

I also think it was a good job we were playing away from Goodison, because no way would the natives have put up with that first half display.

Possession is great to me, because the opposition can't score when we have the ball. But football is about scoring goals, and I think we would score loads more, if we went direct and got players up in support of Lukaku.

That said it's great to be in the hat tomorrow, and a special mention for Aaron Lennon, who is a real team player, and also real help for Coleman.

We looked very strong on the right, now we just have to sort out the other side.

I hear what you're saying about Barkley. Yes, some of the passing was awry this evening but I think he was the only player who tried to make something happen and made the incisive pass, even though some of which didn't pay off.

I don't think Rom helped though. He was pretty immobile and he could have helped Ross a little more in that regard. Man of the match he wasn't.

Our away support was just fantastic.

Pat yourselves on the back. I could hear the through the TV urging the players on. Great show by best fans in the world.

Also, he played basketball which is a non-contact sport but where the starfish is encouraged.

Lukaku does finish well, but only if he's given the right service. Anyone who thinks he's lazy is a fool. He'll walk through brick walls, his only fault maybe his first touch.

I still think we lack another creative player in CM who can open up defences, maybe not with every pass, just 1 or 2 times in each game.

Ross provides other qualities – passing and goalscoring –and is looking more self assured, that's a big plus especially away from home. At home, we will still struggle when other teams park the bus.

Lennon worked his socks off, Barry continues to be serious contender for Player of the Season, defence looked fairly solid and Robles must be growing in confidence in every match.

Pretty good weekend so far as I'm concerned....

I'm not sure but he doesn't look happy right now.

The lad was a tad unlucky not to have three, being denied a brace by another very poor decision from an official, in a game where he hardly had anything played to him in such a way as to give him a proper attacking opportunity.

Someone has suggested it is a significant anniversary for him. A reminder to us all that these young men are liable to have all sorts of events and potential distractions occurring in their private lives, so maybe not everything we see on the pitch is a reflection of their relationship with the club, manager, and team-mates.

However, Gerry is becoming increasingly frustrated when he plays balls into the box for Rom to run onto, only to see him outside the box.

Has Gerry's frustration cost him his starting place?

We win more games with Cleverley in the team than we do when he isn't. The manager knows exactly what he will get when he picks him. He is a busy player who closes down opponents and passes the ball well. He can also score a few goals.

Admittedly his qualities are more suited to away games than home games where the opposition sit deep but he is one of our core players.

Although the Cherries did rest one or two players, they are no pushovers and who knows ... they could have won if not for Robles's super penalty save.

The clever flick by Barry was a sign of real experience.

Based on today, when Oviedo was not as strong (he didn't do much wrong either), Baines has a shout to get back in and should get sub time at least against Villa.

Plus we still have Besic to come back in and challenge McCarthy, and if required provide some relief for Barry. Baines could also potentially help out there. McCarthy to me seems like someone we bring on to hold a 2-0 lead and close a game out. He doesn't offer anything going forwards. On that note, Barry is a rock back there, and gets my Player of the Season vote by a long distance. For a man of 35, who looked to be fading at one point, he's been keeping us from collapse at times this season. And the flick for the second was lovely, I could watch that all day.

Americans who (almost always) play multiple sports – that can be a massive bonus as well as a hindrance when transferred to soccer.

No one should take offense to your comments.

Great win today and either Reading or Watford will do me for the semi's and here's to hoping Hull get the gunners out.

It's "primetime"...

Quite a character!

Cut the kid some slack, and realise he's a human being – not just a footballer. He clearly had his friend on his mind today, and was irritated (quite rightly) by the lack of service, then dedicated the goal to his dead friend.

I think Rom gets way too much unwarranted stick for his performances – he's there to stick the ball in the net, and he's done that 21 times this season. He's a beast. Get behind him for crying out loud.

And we were certifiably unlucky again!

That "offside" goal from Lukaku...

Another call against us as he was clearly not offside and the goal should have stood! I thought for sure they'd level after that...

We actually beat back bad luck today, but seemingly it's still shite... you really can't win can you?! I for one thought we simply misfired in the first half and got it right enough in the second half to win and move on.

It's not nearly, nearly as bad as some would make it.

That was a beautiful thing to watch.

Antony (#81), the two characters you champion may well on the day, at their moment, offer more than Tom; however, if I was a Manager, I would pick players who I could rely on and the two are simply not that. They are brilliant one minute and a waste the next.

I guess Martinez wants at least an idea of what he will get, maybe that is why Lennon is ahead of them now, along with view that Lennon will do his defensive duties without complaining; he just gets on with it. That said, I am also not sure about him either.

It's about opinions, which is I guess why we are on here...

From the one replay that was shown, it looked like Rom was about a yard behind the ball when the pass was played but the commentators didn't seem interested in confirming it one way or the other. (Keown always seems to play down his association with us.)

Lukuka has been pointing to the sky and crossing himself even before he joined Everton!

I'm made up we won today. We deserved the victory, despite a bit of luck contributing to the result, and a win is a win in the cup... we just need a good draw tomorrow night and who knows...?

But isn't it worth looking at today's win and trying to explain a few things? We've just beaten Bournemouth reserves with our full-strength team and we did struggle, a lot at times, to look in control or ease fears that we could concede.

Why did we need Cleverley on the left when putting Lennon there and giving Geri a run out would surely have improved the service to Rom?

Why can't we alter our shape just a wee bit when we had a sense beforehand from Howe's statements that he was going to make a lot of changes?

How can anyone underestimate the terrible stubborn mistake made by Martinez of not replacing Howard with Robles two months ago ?

How does Rom get MotM when Barry basically played like two men in midfield on another off day for McCarthy?

It's not a fume, or even OTT ranting and it was a very welcome win. But every time I watch us play now, I just get angry that we don't seem to believe in ourselves, that we cannot change our gameplan at any point, and basically that these players are so, so much better than our results this season. It's horribly frustrating... and made more so when I start to think that we will probably lose two of the best in the squad in the summer while others will strengthen again.

Roberto get it sorted in the last 12 and hopefully three more cup games.....it's tantalisingly close.

I'd have to believe, were it any other team, it would get a mention. It was a perfectly good goal that was disallowed.

Imagine if that had occurred against an Arsenal or Man City... The margins are sooooo thin it could have easily affected the outcome.

As I stated in Lyndon's piece, our luck this season is horrific.

I'm wondering if we played well enough that we can actually say we MADE our own luck today? How 'bout it, all you "you make your own luck" folks out there? We actually beat some really shit luck today! We must have made our own, right?

Lukaku was MotM because either (a) all the other players on the pitch were ineligible, or (b) Keown wants him to sign for the Arse.

Moment of the match: Keown as Bournemouth were about to take a penalty, "This is a massive opportunity." Richie Benaud award there.

Now that's a phenomenally close call...

Of course the pointing to the sky etc. may still have been a reference to him, but it is definitely not the anniversary of his death.

But as you say, these kids are humans too, probably best not to try and read too much into players' reactions unless we are world-class psychoanalysts and experts in body language.

Not much better after the break with the very rapid King giving both fullbacks a hard time but we won the day and go through to the next round.

For me, the big plus was Niasse who looked a serious player.

In terms of match analysis, I've given up. It was the same performance with a different outcome. This time around we got the lucky break.

Lukaku took time to get into the game, largely because the wind was playing havoc with our attempts to get the ball to him.He was criticised on BBC by Keown, for not trying enough but then Keown gave him MotM.

Credit to Martinez for keeping the same team – perhaps continuity is the key. We had our shaky moments but generally deserved the win. Lennon, Barry and Robles stood out for me, but there were solid performances from everyone.

Before anyone starts getting their hopes up though, keep in mind we've haven't played anyone decent yet (Bournemouth made no less than 7 changes for the game yesterday....). We've been very lucky with the draw but sooner or later we'll get a decent side taking it seriously.

Likes of Spurs, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea still involved. Nevermind West Ham and Man Utd.

Hoping for another away tie...

At one point, a Bournemouth player was allowed to turn and cross the ball, even with two Everton players around him, to an unmarked Dan Gosling standing on the six-yard line, giving him a free header, from which he should have scored.

I think we all know what the outcome might of been if that header had gone in. Once again, basic defending. We need to put this right, otherwise this team will never achieve anything.

I think that came from a corner that Funes Mori had headed away, and was the only time Bournemouth really threatened. But you're right, players have obviously gone missing and we were lucky Gosling's header was so poor.

However, and I don't know if it was the dour nature of the game or my total belief that we WOULD win (although I thought it might be a bit of a goal fest – I had a tenner at 66-1 on us to win 4-2... so I got the margin right at least), but my excitement levels after that victory are disappointingly low.

Maybe the reason is I am a little bit of a fatalist (can't help it) and am feeling an impending sense of déjà vu.

I would love us to win the FA Cup this season (just 3 games away) but wish we could combine it with a really good Premier League run, or – under a different manager or something (á la Di Matteo when he took Chelsea to Champions League victory as caretaker manager) or something – ANYTHING – that doesn't compare us with Wigan.

The similarities between us and THAT Wigan season are worrying for me. No way we're going down this season, but next season, with RM still entrenched after possibly winning or getting damn close to winning some silverware, and our squad likely weakened because of summer departures, might be the doom season.

It may, of course, be the total opposite with the team mixing it at the top buoyed by a bit of success... but, like I say, the omens are a bit ominous and I wish I could (but I can't) make them go away, sadly.

Anyone with me on this? (Maybe I shouldn't have watched the brilliant Apocalypto again last night.)

Eddie Howe's no fool, he's seen that we can't break down a massed defence; he had them set up pretty defensively in the first half and consequently we struggled – it was more pass, pass, sideways, sideways, backwards, backwards with no end-product.

Martinez surely has to see that it needs mixing up. I really hope that Niasse is the rocket up the backside that Lukaku needs because, goal record aside, I don't think he offers himself or works hard enough at the moment. He reminded me of Yakubu yesterday, ambling around looking bored, at least Niasse looked willing to put himself around a bit, had a couple of neat touches and looks willing to impress. Lukaku looks like a guy who knows his name is on the teamsheet, week-in & week-out, no matter what he does.

Howard has also suffered from this perceived lack of competition over the last couple of years – although in his case there was competition but Roberto just refused to see it.

Keown giving Rom MotM was very funny. There weren't many stand-out performances but he wasn't even close. His goal doesn't mask his poor form of the last two months, whatever the reason.

And back to the luck thing. A deflected goal and a penalty miss... I will have to see the Lukaku disallowed "goal" again as I didn't realise he was behind the ball.

I like Robles; I think he has a lot of potential, but he's far from being so much better than Howard as some people on here seem to think. Howard has become a figure of hate and people will back Robles over him regardless of his performances.

I thought Robles was steady but not any better or worse than Howard has been. The penalty save makes him look better yesterday.

As for our luck yesterday – as the manager keeps saying, small margins, right?

The offside goal wasn't offside – Rom was behind the ball when it was played. Weird the BBC didn't mention it last night. I have a feeling they ran out of time in the edit and just chopped our game together a bit last minute.

Man of the Match for me yesterday was probably Barry again. Ross was decent too but nobody really shone massively. Macca was lucky to be on the pitch with the deliberate handball for the penalty, after already getting a yellow – I'd have subbed him around 60 minutes.

Either way, we can all analyse the game to death, but the bottom line is we won 2-0 and personally I don't really care how we win, as long as we do!

Our goals had a little bit of luck about them, but I am not complaining. Although had they scored from the spot or had Gosling scored with the header from point blank range, when we were a goal up then it could have been a different story.

I thought it was quite interesting listening to Redknapp, Shearer and Moyes at half-time. Redknapp was quite critical of RM's tactics and said what many have us have said on TW. Shearer also said we should play more early passes to Lukaku, and play to his strengths – again, something that has been mentioned more than once on here.

Another cringeworthy comment from RM when implying that Robles's performance was due in some way to Howard.

He did, but it was immediately pointed out by both Moyes and Redknapp that Lukaku at least has to make some semblance of an effort to offer himself in those situations. Move into space rather than just standing there motionless, lifting his arm up and down now again.

Redknapp even made a wisecrack about himself displaying more mobility than Rom when he walked his dog that morning.

If Martinez could win the trophy with Wigan, then the same possibility should apply to the Bournemouth manager. That he chose to protect the majority of his 'first choice' players says it all to me. The 'glamour' of the Cup is now not much more than a relic of memory. The Premier League rules all – and 'the game' is worse for that.

For all his bluster about the relative unimportance of yesterday's game, at least Martinez realised that it was getting near to his last throw of the dice and fielded his 'best' team. And set out the tactics to win it. For that alone he deserves our approbation.

Also, if that penalty had gone in, and/or Gosling knew how to place a header, he might actually have pulled it off.

Would we then still be criticising him?

The FA don't help themselves if they want to boost the status of their competition. The 3rd Round was preceded by midweek League Cup semi finals and followed by a full league programme a few days later. The 4th Round had a full league programme following it in midweek. This round has European ties before and after. Actually, if you wanted to kill it off, why not organise it like this?

If there are too many fixtures, scrap the League Cup. Start the FA Cup much earlier in the season, have a clear week before and after each round, keep replays, play all matches simultaneously on Saturday apart from one televised match each round, no Friday or Monday fixtures.

Oh, and can we have Cup Final 'It's a Knockout' back and meet the fans on the train to Wembley, please. We would need a replacement for that dirty bastard Stuart Hall – how about Bobby? 'Just look at the Swiss! Incredible! Phenomenal!'

He got booked early in the game, but his work rate and the amount of times he tackled and regained possession in the 2nd half was immense. Maybe I was looking at a different game...

Professional in this sense to me means we keep the ball, have a good shape, maybe don't threaten much, but are tight and in control. Giving away a stupid pen and losing the ball just outside our area, as we often do, are the opposite of professional.

Still, so glad to go through when we played so poor.

We have four wide players Lennon, Deulofeu, Mirallas, and Pienaar. Yet only one of them is ever on the pitch at any given time. The lack of game time Mirallas gets is criminal.

We have the means to play to Lukaku's strengths but we never do. He spends game after game isolated up front as a lone striker as he did yesterday. If RM wants to get the best from him (while he's still at Everton) he has to give him more support from midfield. A second striker or play two wide players instead of one.

People say that the teams who qualify for Europe have an advantage in the League Cup because they play one less game, but I disagree with that.

I actually think the fact that it's a midweek competition gets the cleverer managers using it to get their players used to playing more midweek games, just like they have to do in Europe.

More often the team that wins the Premier League, wins the League Cup, so maybe it's become more valuable to these teams because of the midweek format?

The apparent need too maximise the income going into New Wembley has cheapened the image of the venue and the excitement that surrounded the Final. Own Goal par excellence!

Soundbites coming out of the organisation seem to indicate that the FA are clueless as how to 'save' the Cup and, no doubt, anything they do come up with will only serve to worsen their plight!

Both teams struggled to to control the pace of their passing with balls being under- or over-hit. If anything, we found it slightly easier playing against the wind in the second half.

Trouble is I can't see the Premier League allowing that to happen....

He picked a team to do a job and they did it. Yes, we would have been more entertaining with Kev and Geri instead of Lennon and Cleverley but would have been a lot more open in defence.

In time, we can hopefully defend well, and play with flair... but yesterday wasn't the time to try.

Job well done for me.

Pleased to see Mirallis get a few minutes and Niasse looks a serious player. A very serious player. Definitely our main man next year. I know one when I see one and this lad is the business.

Yes, Lukaku is also the business but I think he'll move on. Players with his goal scoring stats are high on the shopping list of rich clubs.

It's a bloody shame that a player with so much physicality and athleticism should play in this manner. BBC tried to highlight our slow build up play; all they did was highlight that the big man stands still with his hand raised as if by magic the ball is going to find its way to him through the man standing in front of him.

It may well be that we have to utilise a harder working and maybe less clinical goalscorer which I guess is why Niasse has been signed. Lukaku will be off for decent money as he is classed as a marquee striker – I feel his reputation is greater than his level of performance.

I just hope he can pull out a few more big performances in the cup and get us some silverware. I think £50m would be a nice kitty for a new striker and attacking midfielder.

I disagree, and think Lukaku is a bloody marvel, who we would be crackers to move on. He:

- did a great run in the first half;
- had a good goal disallowed;
- scored.

I would rather he did all this than look excited and interested !

Also someone posted that it was the anniversary of his mate dying in Belgium....

We have a guy who scores at ,or better than, a goal every 2 games. Why sell and take the risk that any replacement might not perform to that level – despite the reputation they bring with them?

For me Lukaku has had very easy opposition of late and he has looked pretty poor and disinterested. People say he's carrying a knock... he didn't look like it when he did that run. That was the most he moved all game.

Lukaku's goal stats are like English summers... you look at days in isolation and think "where is the summer?" At the end of the month you get a statement saying driest June on record.... well yeah it's been bloody cloudy though. Lukaku has two goals in the last 10 games.... a penalty and a goal against Bournemouth.

People will see what they want to see with him. Lots of excuses get thrown his way, for me he needs to do a heck of a lot more.