Blues handed Chelsea test in FA Cup QF

That said, we've taken 4 points off them this season – and it should have been six.

... so we'll probably win.

A tough one – 2 teams fighting to rescue their seasons.

And they are nowhere near as good as last season!

Am I right in saying Chelsea have the Champions League 2nd leg that midweek before the Quarter Final?

At 2-1 down against a good Paris St Germain team, we must hope they have to give it everything in that game; it just may take it out of them mentally before the Everton game.

At least against Chelsea they'll come to play football, and our record against them is decent. I'm quite pleased.

If not, then we'll not progress.

Interesting to see Brendan Rogers's poor performance on live TV, a man who – in the words of the great John Giles – "uses 10 words when 1 will do". Maybe the great spoofer has nothing left to embellish.

Man City's line-up was a disgrace today – there'll be thousands of City fans who've travelled and forked out serious money today to watch their club essentially give up their participation in the competition. Wasters.

Preston 1902-03

COYB

Don't let another big chance evade our clutches, I'm still gutted we didn't beat a poor Man City team by a bigger score at Goodison, just maybe we'd already be in a Final next week if we had done.

We can beat them, yes... but, as usual, we just can't sneak past the big boys.

I can't wait to have the rent boy chavs at our place, bring it on.

Let's hope we have a performance like the home leg against Man City in the League Cup. If we turn up, there's no reason why we won't be drawn in the semi-finals.

We have to view this as an opportunity to eliminate one of the favourites

As long as they get good officiating, Everton will win.

Naismith wouldn't have been selected.

Chelsea and West Ham fans on social media are even less chuffed with the cup draw.

Let's hope Gwladys is in a rock 'n' roll mood that day and helps the blues reach another semi-final!

Keep the faith.

I can't imagine Chelsea being as bad as they were in the league against us, when we should have absolutely stuffed them, but if we play as well as we did against Man City, then we'll go through.

On our failure to get an easier draw, well we've just had Bournemouth, Carlisle and Dagenham and Redbridge, so life has hardly treated us cruelly in that respect. When we won the cup in 1995, that side feared nobody. I think you have to play well to win the FA Cup – not just keep avoiding the better teams. Though, to be honest, as long as we win it...

Close in '66 (for 4 minutes); never a penalty in the '95 semi-final.

I hate the negativity on here sometimes about it being a bad draw for us! It's not – being at home in the Quarterfinal is all that matters.

We are at home against a team below us in the Premier League who we have taken 6 points off this season (I say 6 – we beat them at their place really!)

Stop being so negative, FFS

We will beat them.

I like Hiddink and if he leaves Chelsea, Everton should certainly be interested in speaking to him.

It was a really inexperienced side that Man City put out so I'd take at least 3 goals off of that scoreline but they were good value for a win.

It'll be a tough but competitive game, we both need to get the FA Cup to salvage a decent season.

Back to the league and reality.

Chelsea are very beatable if you go at them, Hiddink has organised their defence better but they aren't pulling any trees up.

Forget that result today – Man City where/are poor; we will have these.

For the sake of fairness and clarity it wasn't Lineker who quipped about the suit – it was the bloke who did the post-match interview.

And by the way, why do you see fit to give the horrible, dirty skank Johnny Giles such misguided reverence?

Surely we are owed a big performance!

A tough draw but I think we'll take them; it will be handy if they've got a Champions League match mid-week.

Hopefully Niasse will be firing by then and Besic will be back. COYB

The nostalgic optimist in me is predicting an Everton v Watford final in the season Howard Kendall departed with Everton winning their first trophy in a generation... fitting!!

Still, forever believing.

It's going to be tough but if we have aspirations to win the cup we have to beat a top club some time, why not now. They will come to play which suits us better then when teams have 10 or 11 behind the ball.

As we are talking about luck elsewhere, let's hope we get some in the shape of favourable officials' decisions and if we are very lucky maybe the odd strain that keeps a few of their more important players from playing.
Hope that doesn't sound too unsporting.

11/4 Chelsea
7/2 Arsenal
4/1 Man Utd
7/1 Everton
7/1 Crystal Palace
8/1 West Ham Utd
16/1 Watford
50/1 Others

I suppose it depends on what defence turns up on the day. And how much we want to win it.

Chelsea have improved no doubt about that. But they did beat a weak Man City team.

Everton to win.

If you're gonna win the cup, at some point, you have to beat some quality opposition, we shouldn't have anything to fear in Chelsea this season.

Interesting to read your description of John Giles as a dirty skank, surely a man who played at the top level for 20-odd years has an opinion at least worth listening to & not dismissed out of hand just because you don't like him?

Chelsea seem to have recovered a lot of form at the wrong time for us and we will need to be at our very best to get a result against them at Goodison.

We've played them off the park at their place already this season and then crumpled when it came to the crunch, as we've done on too many occasions down the years. We've got to shake this inferiority complex and get back to the team of the '80s who knew how good they could be.

This team needs to realise it's potential and this cup could be the start of something... That's my dream anyway.

I got 15/2 yesterday and it's gone out to 8/1 today for an outright win.

Anyway, likewise Chelsea at home is not a bad draw. The atmosphere will be electric and they won't fancy it. Hopefully Arsenal will be put out and I would fancy us against Man Utd in a semi-final.

I despised that Leeds side and he was the true leader. Forty years on of course and he's a grand old fellah!

Actually it's West Ham I'd be more nervous about - they seem up for the FA Cup and I wouldn't mind betting on them to get past Man U in a quarter-final (should Shrewsbury not come to the party).

As for Besic featuring against Chelsea. Yes... why not. Get him to man-mark Costa. Take Costa out of the game. Oh sorry, is that not the Everton way. Well it should be. Take the oppositions better players out of the game. Don't give them time to play. We go into this game still playing that tippy-tappy nonsense... and Chelsea will beat us.

But keep the faith. Martinez sometimes gets things right. Three wins.......and the FA cup is ours. COYBs

Giles is an old mellow man these days and not a bad TV analyst either. I do take your point though, he famously said he used to get his retaliation in first!

2009 I sat in the semi-final at Wembley surrounded and accompanied by Mancs. I took stick all day, but who had the last laugh?

Be positive, I would love to see RM on his bike, however, our season is on the turn... COYB

If ever the bearpit needed to find its voice again, slaying the classless from the Kings Road offers no better incentive.

Could even be a reunion with Elton John at Wembley.

We are one game from a semi at Wembley. We could easily get Crystal Palace, West Ham or Watford in a semi-final and I'd fancy our chances!

So If Hull can do Arsenal in their replay (quite possible) then you'd have to put Everton at third favorites with the direct chance to beat the theoretical first or second faves (Chelsea) at home.

And then, all of a sudden, you're looking at facing Man Utd and/or West Ham at Wembley. BRANG IT.

As I say though, it's West Ham, Watford and Palace who we should perhaps be more wary of. They are in much the same position as us – safe from Premier League relegation, while they will see the FA Cup as their last shot at glory / success this season.

Okay, not the final but a win is a win. Seem to think it ended with Baines scoring a free kick in the last minute of the game to equalise. May have been at the end of extra time. Then penalties!

For me a good draw.

Seemed to remember turning up, really up for the game, only to see Moyes had picked a lifeless Bilyaletdinov.

I remember the Stamford Bridge game really well, there was 6,000 Everton fans in the ground for a midday kick off. If anyone deserves to win a cup, it's the fans of Everton FC.

Chelsea apparently play PSG in the Champions League on the preceding Wednesday so it's unlikely to be on Friday night.

The Liverpool half marathon is on Sunday the 13th which could impact policing so Saturday are Monday are better bets. I like the sound of another late Saturday kick-off under the lights.

As you say, the RS were due to play Chelsea at 4PM on the Sunday, so they aren't playing so we can play then instead, that's one sorted.

Man Utd might be in the Europa League on the Thursday before, so they can also play on the Sunday Kick off around 12ish. There's no clash with a Man City game as they are away on the Saturday...

Tony (107) remember the Reading game? Beckford got stuck in the traffic and turned up late, Bilyaletdinov was substituted by Jose Baxter who did more in the few minutes he was on than the Russian had done all night.

So, if Man Utd go through in Europa, we will play on Saturday evening. If they go out, we will be 4pm on Sunday.