Everton 1 - 2 Luton Town

A pretty dreadful FA Cup tie with few redeeming moments saw Everton beaten by Luton right at the end of 5 minutes of added time when the visitors bundled home a corner to avoid a replay no-one wanted.

With injuries biting deep into Sean Dyche's squad, the Blues are without  Doucouré, Gomes, Coleman, Dele Alli, but the manager has finally decided to play Beto and Calvert-Lewin together up-front.

For the visitors, Ross Barkley returns to Goodison Park with Andros Townsend also in the Hatters' starting line-up.

Everton lined up attacking the Park-End with Luton kicking off, Beto soon pulling back Bell for an earl free-kick. Mykolenko was far too easily robbed and Doughty ended up lashing over. Barkley was next to have a pop from 30 yards. Then it was Morris hoofing it over, with Everton looking half-asleep!

Everton looked to build but they lost the ball again. Tarkowski to the rescue but, when released, Beto could only manhandle his marker again. Everton came a bit closer to Luton's penalty area but Beto looked very leggy. 

Finally, Calvert-Lewin teed up Beto to shoot – inches wide. Branthwaite then picked out Calvert-Lewin with a nice forward ball but he was only marginally offside. 

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Luton built well from the back but Virginia plucked the ball off his head. Everton then got forward with a lot more intent but Mykolenko's cross was just too high for Calvert-Lewin.

Onana was scythed down by Burke but, because the Luton defender cleared the ball, it was not deemed a foul… although it certainly looked for all the world like a very bad tackle, Onana needing treatment and 30 s off the pitch as Patterson's shot attempt was woeful. 

Onana was then tripped by Lokonga, setting up a deep free-kick for Garner wide left that was far too easily cleared. The quality of play was really poor at times and the crowd were beginning to get restless. After more scrappy stuff, McNeil was kicked on the shin by Lokonga. 

But Luton quickly produced an attack, with Adebayo heading just wide. More Luton attacks were stalled by Branthwaite but Harrison could not release Calvert-Lewin, hitting the defender for the second time with his through-ball.

The visitors won the first corner that was half-cleared but Everton were really struggling to play anything even approaching joined-up football and thankfully accepted a free-kick to clear upfield, where they struggled again. 

Beto was manhandled by Mengi, from inside the area, eventually getting a free kick after he went down outside the area, but Garner's effort was cleared again without reaching any of the big Everton players. 

Some rare quick-ball forward saw Beto fail to set up McNeil and the follow-up play failed to produce any threat. McNeil and Garner tried to one-two their way through the Luton defence but McNeil's return ball was overhit.

The physical grappling was getting completely ridiculous but Everton's quick free-kick found Mykolenko on the overlap with a great chance to either cross or score but he messed it up with a poor in-between ball. 

Onana drove a shot forward that seemed to fall nicely for Beto with only the keeper to beat but somehow Mengi got a boot to it before the Everton man, the ball screwing wide.   Mykloenkko swung in a cross that McNeil headed straight at Krul – the first shot on target.

Luton won a corner from a deflected shot and it was Burkeon the end of it to head home at the near post, with Everton protesting that Barkley had pushed Calvert-Lewin, who ducked under the ball and sprawled forward after he felt the contact. A scrappy bundled goal, credited to Mykolenko, befitting of an equally scrappy game, and a massive task now for a highly dysfunctional Everton side. 

Everton tried to respond but Garner's effort at forward play was poorly overhit behind. Beto was fouled again by Lokonga as 4 minutes were added. Garner curled his effort just over but well covered by Krul, totally lacking in required guile.  

A very shoddy first-half performance was serenaded by a chorus of boos at the break. Really, it was shockingly poor football on show. 

The same line-up started the second half with little sign that the game would be much different, Luton getting an early corner that kept away from the Everton goal. But the Blues still struggled to get forward with any effect as the niggly fouls continued. 

Another corner was headed powerfully goalward by Morris and saved very well by Virginia. Everton then seemed to have no idea how to penetrate the massed Luton defence. But eventually, Harrison saw a gap and drove forward, his shot squirming beneath Krul and dribbling over the line. Er... Game on!

But a rare slip by Branthwaite allowed Adebayo to run in on Virginia and try to curl it around him with Morris open for the passs, Virginia again covering his goal superbly to palm it behind. 

Harrison tried to feed the ball forward to Beto but he had no way around the confident defending of Mengi. Townsend then skipped through, drawing Virginia out and setting up Morris who could not get it past Paterson on the line. 

Adebayo got the better of Branthwaite again and won a very dangerous free-kick that Barkley overhit dreadfully, much to the amusement of the Goodison crowd. 

Luton then remarkably withdrew some of their best players. Everton won their first corner off a wayward backpass, a much better delivery from Garner, forcing a second corner, with Harrison unable to keep his shot down. 

At the other end, an equally wayward Barkley effort sailed over the Everton goal. Everton got forward and Beto finally seemed to have a clear shot only to hit a defender with his drive goalward.

Luton got forward in numbers but Barkley's shot was charged down, Barkley finally going off with cramp. A better move saw a good first-time cross by McNeil but it was a bit behind Harrison who could only fire over.

That was enough of the next-to-useless Calvert-Lewin and the insufficiently effective  McNeil, a double change for the last 15 minutes seeing Danjuma and Chermiti replace them. Beto then had a half-chance bouncing away from him and he could only welly it high over the goal. 

Beto continued to be outgunned in the physical battle stakes at this level, and was hustled off the ball all too easily. Beto looked like he'd set up Harrison but his looping cross was headed tamely back across goal by Chermiti.

A superb through-ball from Onana found Danjuma who carried the ball forward wanted a clear shot but it was easily blocked and the second phase didn't produce much, the third phase saw another Harrison volley blocked at close range.

A deep Everton cross was challenged as it was going out, Chermiti and Burke getting their handbags entangled and both getting booked. The Everton corner was not good enough to create a chance, but Everton kept pushing forward, Mengi superbly dispossessing Chermiti as he was about to shoot.   

It was the most determined spell Everton had managed in terms of attacking play but the lack of quality was painfully obvious. Everton tired a little in the 5 added minutes, allowing Luton to come forward and claim a very late corner, bundled into the Everton net at the third attempt by Woodrow. 

Probably a blessed relief to be honest. Everton showed no capacity whatsoever to mount anything approaching a cup run, and really must now focus on their perilous situation in the Premier League. 

Everton: Virginia, Patterson, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Harrison, Onana, Garner, McNeil (78' Danjuma), Calvert-Lewin (78' Chermiti), Beto.

Sub not Used: Pickford, Lonergan, Keane, Young, Godfrey, Hunt, Dobbin.

Luton Town: Krul, Mengi, Burke, Bell, Doughty (75' Johnson), Barkley (75' Berry), Sambi Lokonga (66' Mpanzu), Ogbene, Townsend (66' Chong), Adebayo (66' Woodrow), Morris.

Subs not Used: Shea, Potts, Kaminski, Nelson.

Referee: Simon Hooper

Attendance: 37,713


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