Merseyside: Bernard’s strike in the extra time settled the score in a FA Cup thriller as Everton beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-4 to book their place in the quarterfinals at Goodison Park in Merseyside on Wednesday(February 11).
Jose Mourinho’s men lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Toby Alderweireld being paired with Davinson Sanchez at the centre of the defence. Tanguy NDombele along with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg formed a double pivot in the middle of the park. Son Heung-Min led the forward-line alongside Steven Bergwijn and Erik Lamela with Lucas Moura playing as a no.10 behind them.
The hosts went behind just after the kick-off as Davinson Sanchez opened the scoring for Spurs heading it home from a corner. Everton didn’t lose their spirit in chasing the game. Dominic Calvert Lewin’s thumping equaliser on 37 minutes got themselves back before Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson put the Toffees in the driving seat in the span of seven minutes. Eric Lamela’s clinical finish before the first-half whistle gave a hint of what was being kept in the store.
The pendulum shifted towards Spurs in the second-half especially after Sanchez got another for his side again from a set-piece. But the match had surprised glittered within it. Richarlison’s slotted on from an acute angle giving hope to the hosts before Harry Kane arrived from the bench into the box with a thumping header late in the half stretching the match into the extra-time.
Bernard, in the 97th minute played a superb one-two with Sigurdsson before slotting it past Spurs skipper Lloris to conquer the FA Cup fifth-round sending Everton to the quarter-finals.
