Middlesbrough vs Everton. Carabao Cup Quarter-Final.
Riverside StadiumAttendance31,628.
Wednesday 2 December 2015 06:37, UK
Gerard Deulofeu scored one and made another as Everton progressed to the Capital One Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.
The Everton winger opened the scoring with a memorable solo strike on 20 minutes, before turning provider for Romelu Lukaku to head home eight minutes later.
Christian Stuani squandered Middlesbrough's best chance in the second half, heading over when unmarked with 70 minutes gone.
In front of their biggest crowd of the season, Boro were largely restricted to shots from distance, and Stewart Downing twice forced Joel Robles into saves with powerful efforts from outside the box.
Everton will discover their opponents when the Capital One Cup semi-final draw is made live on Sky Sports News HQ following the conclusion of Wednesday night's match between Southampton and Liverpool.
Roberto Martinez made three changes from the 3-3 draw against Bournemouth, but the most notable addition to the team sheet was the return of Leighton Baines to the squad after ankle surgery.
Aitor Karanka made six changes of his own as Boro came into the match with four clean sheets from their previous five games, but they were quickly on the back foot.
Karanka had earmarked Deulofeu for success after working with him as a Spanish national youth team coach, and the winger opened the scoring with a stunning piece of individual brilliance.
The warning signs had been there from the start for the home side as Lukaku headed narrowly wide inside the opening 10 minutes.
Just prior to the strike Downing forced Robles into action with a 25-yard free kick, and Stuani had the ball in the net, only for the goal to be correctly disallowed for a foul on the Everton 'keeper.
But those opportunities came against the run of play as Deulofeu put Everton ahead with 20 minutes gone.
The winger picked up the ball just inside Boro's half, and beat Adam Clayton and Ben Gibson before picking out the bottom corner of Tomas Mejias' net from the edge of the box.
He was giving Fernando Amorebieta a difficult evening, and shortly after scoring he was at it again, twisting the left-back into knots down the right flank and capping off a 28-pass move with the perfect cross for Lukaku.
Deulofeu beat the former Fulham man with six stepovers before finding the head of the Everton striker, who steered the ball over Mejias for his sixth goal in his last five games.
A piece of improvisation from striker Kike brought about Middlesbrough's clearest first-half chance, but he chipped his effort just wide of Robles' post after a strong run from Stuani.
Karanka made a change at the break, replacing the ineffective Carlos de Pena with former Everton trainee Adam Forshaw, and the home side improved without carving out clear-cut opportunities.
Referee Roger East turned down a half-hearted penalty appeal after the ball struck Ramiro Funes Mori just inside the area, and Downing forced Robles into another smart save with a stinging shot from distance.
Stuani headed over their most presentable chance 20 minutes from the end after Emilio Nsue's cross had taken Stones out of the game, but the forward could not keep his effort down.
Baines was introduced for his first appearance of the season with 17 minutes to play, and his return will be a big boost for the Toffees going into a busy period of fixtures, although the left-back picked up a booking for dissent following his introduction.
Karanka threw on Albert Adomah and George Friend as Middlesbrough chased the game late on, but it was Everton who looked the more likely to add to the scoreline. Mejias did well to keep out substitute Kevin Mirallas' low drive as the away side threatened, and in the end Everton's Premier League class was too much for their Championship opposition.
The result sends Everton into the last four for the first time in eight years, and moves them another step closer to ending their 20-year trophy wait.
