Match report as Luton snatch late victory at Everton in FA Cup fourth round; Vitali Mykolenko own goal puts visitors in front before half-time; Jack Harrison equalises in second half for Everton; Cauley Woodrow scores injury-time winner to send Hatters through
Saturday 27 January 2024 21:33, UK
Cauley Woodrow scored a 96th-minute winner to send Luton into the FA Cup fifth round for only the second time in 11 years with a 2-1 victory at Everton.
The additional five minutes indicated had already passed when a goalmouth scramble at a corner saw Woodrow convert from close range after Arnaut Danjuma's clearance had rebounded off him.
It spared the blushes of Hatters goalkeeper Tim Krul, whose error looked like allowing the hosts to escape with a replay in a tie distinctly lacking in magic for the majority.
The Netherlands international let Jack Harrison's long-range shot squirm from his grasp and trickle over the line to cancel out Vitalii Mykolenko's contentious first-half own goal.
Everton's backup goalkeeper Joao Virginia, man of the match in their third-round replay victory over Crystal Palace 10 days ago, had kept them in the game with two crucial saves while Nathan Patterson also cleared a shot off the line.
Everton started Beto in place of the injured Andre Gomes, their match-winner against Palace, for only his sixth start of the season in a switch to 4-4-2.
While the frontman was full of enthusiasm, any hope he could quickly dovetail with Dominic Calvert-Lewin was soon dispelled as the pair barely linked up with each other and frequently found themselves in the same area challenging for the same ball.
In the one time they did manage to pick each other out, Beto placed a low shot wide from the edge of the penalty area when Calvert-Lewin should probably have slipped in Harrison.
Luton were better, but not hugely, with Elijah Adebayo heading wide Carlton Morris' hanging cross and former Toffees midfielder Ross Barkley's shot was headed away by James Tarkowski.
When they eventually took the lead five minutes before half-time it was not without a whiff of controversy because Calvert-Lewin overcommitted trying to attack Alfie Doughty's inswinging ball and Barkley's helping hand ensured momentum carried him to the ground.
The ball dropped into the space behind him where Mykolenko, under pressure from Reece Burke, deflected it down inside the near post and there was no VAR ruling over Barkley's intervention.
Everton's equaliser came 10 minutes after the break from their one real moment of attacking quality as Beto's cross-field pass picked out Harrison, who showed a deftness of touch he lacked for most of the game to trap and cut inside, and Krul's weak save contributed the assist.
Virginia displayed his growing confidence deputising for the rested Jordan Pickford, denying Morris' header and then getting the faintest of fingertips to Adebayo's shot across him after the Luton forward had taken advantage of Jarrad Branthwaite's slip to create a two-on-one.
However, team-mate Andros Townsend, to his right, had good justification for wondering why he did not receive the pass but when the former Everton winger took matters into his own hands to skip past Tarkowski and Virginia, Patterson cleared Morris' shot off the line.
Beto's shot was deflected wide by Burke but with the seconds running out Woodrow pounced.
Everton manager Sean Dyche: "I don't think I was any more frustrated than I normally am. I was more frustrated with the first goal and two hands in Dominic Calvert-Lewin's back.
"You can say he's gone down light, which he probably did, but I've seen penalties given for treading on someone's toe.
"The game was a scrappy, awkward, ugly affair. They got the best side of it with two set pieces - it felt like that type of game.
"When we scored to get equal we had 15 minutes when we looked the side more likely but we conceded a soft corner at the end and conceded a goal from a bit of a ricochet.
"Fair play to them, they found their way through it and got the win."
Luton boss Rob Edwards: "It is a competition we value and want to go as far as possible. I'm so pleased for the lads.
"It will give us belief and confidence, you can see there is belief in this group of players. We are getting better."
Everton travel to Craven Cottage on Tuesday January 30 to face Fulham in the Premier League. Kick-off 7.45pm.
Luton are set to host Brighton, also on Tuesday in the Premier League. Kick-off 7.45pm.
