Everton beat Newcastle United 3-1 at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Thursday night, October 29, to reach the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and complete the fourth round of the competition. James Garner scored in the 34th minute, Hayden Hackney doubled the lead in the 45th minute with his first goal for the club, and Thierno Barry made it 3-0 in the 69th minute before Dan Burn headed a late consolation for Newcastle in the 88th minute.
Everton did it without Jack Grealish, who was left out of the squad entirely after the club said he was unavailable for selection due to a breach of club discipline. Manager David Moyes refused to add detail after the game and backed the decision in public, and his players backed it on the pitch, producing one of the most complete cup performances of Everton’s season against Premier League opposition.
Garner And Hackney Take The Tie Away
The opener came from nothing in the 34th minute. Tyrique George pressed Newcastle defender Amar Dedic into losing the ball near the sideline, Hackney flicked the loose ball into Garner’s path, and Garner curled a finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. Newcastle had threatened first, with Jordan Pickford saving from Harvey Barnes early, but from the moment Garner scored, the tie tilted one way.
The second goal, on the stroke of half time, was a counterattack that started at the other end. Barnes saw an effort deflect and Pickford gathered before starting the move forward, Barry carried the ball wide and dug out a cross, and Hackney guided it home first time for his first Everton goal since joining from Middlesbrough in the summer. Hackney had set up the first goal and scored the second, the best performance of his young Everton career, even as Moyes warned afterwards that the 24 year old still has more to learn before he becomes a regular starter.
It was a great ball from Barry, and I managed to put it in the corner. It was a great feeling to get my first goal for this amazing club and hopefully there’s many more to come.
That was Hackney after the game, and Barry completed the scoring himself in the 69th minute. Garner carried the ball forward and fed Dewsbury-Hall down the left, the cross came back across the area, and Barry had time to control the ball and fire into the top corner. Burn’s header eight minutes from the end gave Newcastle a goal their play had not really threatened, and a late scuffle that brought yellow cards was the only edge Newcastle showed all night.
Moyes Backs The Club Over Grealish
The Grealish story ran alongside the football all evening. Everton announced before kickoff that the winger, back at the club on loan from Manchester City for a second season, was out for disciplinary reasons, reportedly an unauthorised absence from training. Moyes kept his answers short when asked about it, calling it a club decision that he supports and one he did not want to speak much about.
What Moyes did praise was the response around it. He pointed to the values inside the squad, saying the players stand behind what the club asks of them on the pitch and off it, and that the group had done a brilliant job on a night when the situation could easily have become a distraction. For a small squad already stretched thin, a 3-1 win over Newcastle with two midfielders on the scoresheet was the strongest answer available, and it keeps Everton challenging on a second front while their league form settles.
A Trip To Fleetwood Waits In December
The reward is one of the ties of the season. Everton travel to Fleetwood Town in the quarter-finals in the week commencing December 14, after the fourth tier side produced the result of the fourth round on Tuesday, knocking out Premier League champions Arsenal on penalties. Arsenal’s appeal against the red card shown to 16 year old Max Dowman in that defeat was rejected on Thursday, upholding a three match domestic ban and underlining how costly Fleetwood’s night was for the champions.
I think the minute you hear quarter-finals, you think this is sounding quite nice and quite good. Fleetwood beat one of the biggest, if not the biggest team, so we have to respect that when it comes to that game. But overall, the job to beat Newcastle tonight was a big task and we did well.
That was Moyes, who has never won this competition with Everton, and the draw has opened a genuine path. The other quarter-finals pair Liverpool with Bournemouth, Manchester City with Bradford City and Crystal Palace with Sunderland, after Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties and holders Manchester City beat Brighton on penalties in Wednesday’s ties. Everton face Newcastle again on Monday, this time in the Premier League at St James’ Park, and they will make that trip with a cup quarter-final booked and a squad that just proved it can win a big night without one of its biggest names.
