Everton vs Sheffield Wednesday. The FA Cup Fourth Round.
Goodison Park.
Match report as Carlo Ancelotti sets his stall out in this competition by naming a strong side; Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Yerry Mina score on a comfortable evening for the Toffees
Sunday 24 January 2021 23:57, UK
Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored his first goal since early December as Everton breezed past Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 to reach the last 16 of the FA Cup.
Carlo Ancelotti showed how seriously he is taking the competition by naming a strong side against the Sky Bet Championship strugglers and Calvert-Lewin ended his six-game goal drought with a poacher's finish (29) to put Everton on their way.
Championship side Wednesday belied their relegation status with a lively opening 45 minutes but faded badly after the break with Richarlison (59) and Yerry Mina (62) both heading home James Rodriguez corners as Everton showed their class.
Ancelotti's side will now face one of Wycombe or Tottenham, who play on Monday night, in the last 16.
In their 26th year without a trophy, Everton showed no nerves in a potential banana skin of a fixture as Richarlison had a header tipped onto the crossbar and a goal ruled out for offside after a lovely ball from Rodriguez.
With Wednesday pushing men forward on the counter when possible it made for an entertaining watch. Adam Reach and Barry Bannan carried the main threat from the visitors but it was the Premier League side that grabbed the all-important opening goal.
Calvert-Lewin was sharpest when it came to reacting to Andre Gomes' cross, sliding in at the far post to divert home his 15th goal of the season just before the half-hour mark.
Wednesday did not carry the same adventure after the break as Calvert-Lewin was denied again when goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith turned his shot behind but the game was wrapped up around the hour mark.
Both goals came from almost identical corners from Rodriguez, the first flicked in by Richarlison with the second powered home by Mina, showcasing once again the power Everton possess from set-pieces.
With the job done - and Leicester to come on Wednesday - Ancelotti withdrew both his senior forwards and late on handed debuts to academy graduates Tyler Onyango, 17, and Thierry Small, who at 16 years and 176 days took the record for being Everton's youngest away from Jose Baxter, who was 15 days older when he made his bow in 2008.
This would have tasted sweet for the born and bred Sheffield United fan. When Everton play with this freedom and fluidity in midfield, Calvert-Lewin must lick his lips. That attacking approach has not been seen recently due to injuries and some smart tactical manoeuvres from Ancelotti, therefore, the goals had dried up for the striker. But his first goal in 595 minutes of action since opening the scoring at Burnley gave a reminder of his frightening potential, making the finish look easy in a goal that was all about his ability to instinctively react in the box. There are fewer strikers with such clever movement in the Premier League.
Harry Kane (28) remains the only top-flight English player with more goals in all competitions than Calvert-Lewin (23) since Ancelotti's first game in charge of Everton in December 2019.
The FA Cup schedule has been confirmed, with the final set to take place at Wembley on Saturday May 15.
There will be no replays this season to help ease fixture congestion.
