Everton 1-2 Luton Town: post-match verdict
Will Rooney reports from Goodison Park as Everton exit the FA Cup.
Transcript
00:00 Full time here at Goodson Park and a disappointing one for Everton.
00:04 Out of the FA Cup after suffering a 2-1 defeat at the Handeluten Tarn,
00:08 really poor game and a poor performance from Everton you have to say.
00:12 It's not the fact that they're out of the cup and prioritised the league now as such,
00:16 you know, the relegation battle they're in, but it was just a disappointing display.
00:20 Everton really lacked any fluency going forwards,
00:23 they lacked any real creative ideas.
00:27 It was really disappointing, obviously the squad was stretched because of injuries at the minute,
00:31 but it created a dearth of clinical chances throughout the game.
00:36 And Luton punished them, just like they did when they won here at Goodson Park in September in the Premier League.
00:42 They punished them again and again, two set pieces.
00:45 They opened goal at the 39th minute.
00:47 Everton protested because the corner came in and they were adamant that Dominic Calvert-Lewin
00:53 was pushed by former Blues midfielder Ross Barkley and the ball ricocheted off Vitaly Mikhalenko.
00:59 The fans swang to the back of the net, but the goal stood.
01:02 Sean Dytus, baffled by VAR, but the goal stood.
01:06 So Everton struggled to create any real chance in the first half,
01:10 bet up, who started up front alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a 4-4-2 formation, put one wide.
01:17 Dwight McNeil had a header, saved, James Garner put a free kick over the bar,
01:21 apart from that, not a lot from Everton.
01:23 Second half, actually Luton made a decent start and Joe Virginia made a fine save from Carlton Morris.
01:28 Virginia in goal, as he has been in the FA Cup this season in place of Jordan Pickford,
01:33 made a fine save as I say.
01:34 And then Everton requires in the 55th minute, fairly fortunate, through Jack Harrison.
01:38 It's a pretty tamed shot, it was spilled by Tim Krul and rolled into the back of the net.
01:44 But it looked like if there was going to be another goal then it was going to be Luton
01:48 because they had two opportunities.
01:51 One was well saved by Virginia again and then Carlton Morris had an effort blocked off the line by Nathan Pass.
01:57 And Everton started getting on top a little bit, but they just didn't create anything.
02:01 They barely tested Tim Krul again in the Luton goal, didn't test him enough, lacked ideas.
02:06 And in the 96th minute, six minutes of stoppage time, Luton from a corner again.
02:11 Arnold Dandunian blocks on the line, but ball bounces around and there was Corley Woodrow to finish.
02:17 Really, really disappointing one for Everton.
02:20 And they've got to quit turning around, they face Luton.
02:23 They go to Luton full on, I beg your pardon, on Tuesday.
02:27 And the squad has stretched the minutes, Amadou Anana, Sean Dyche said that has a little bit of a knock.
02:33 He'll get assessed at Finch Farm on Sunday.
02:35 I'd like to call eight rules out of the game, James Coleman's a doubt.
02:39 So it's difficult for Everton in this moment.
02:42 They need to find a way to win.
02:44 They need to find a way to win and get back on track in the Premier League
02:48 because they've got a strap on their hands to stay open.
02:50 Luton, shown today again, a lot of people were writing off Luton at the start of the season, but they're fine.
02:55 And Everton need to start picking up results in the league.
02:58 They've got two games to come now against Fulham and Tottenham in the next week.
03:03 And Everton need to start picking up results.
03:06 End of the year, Everton 1, Luton 2.