Everton 2 - Dagenham & Redbridge 0: Martinez sees his Blue half of Merseyside escape upset

SO at least one Merseyside club can beat a League Two team at the first time of asking.

 

Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles was distracted when a cat came on the field

 

While Liverpool were taken to a replay by Exeter, Everton saw off Dagenham & Redbridge. But it was scarcely emphatic.

Dagenham were dogged and much of the entertainment came from a cat, which invaded the pitch as Kevin Mirallas sealed the win. Until then, only Arouna Kone’s header separated teams 79 places apart in the league ladder.

There was no bigger gap anywhere in the Third Round. John Still’s team made a valiant attempt to bridge a gargantuan gulf. They kept men behind the ball. They defended with discipline. They emerged with plenty of credit.

“I am very proud,” said Still, whose third spell as Daggers boss began on New Year’s Eve. “I thought we were warriors. I am absolutely delighted.”

Everton boss Roberto Martinez also claimed he was “delighted with the performance.” But the real boost came from seeing fit-again favourites return. Steven Pienaar played his first game for nine months, Phil Jagielka his first since October.

 

As Martinez made eight changes, this was scarcely the Everton team that beat Manchester City. But it was still a side with nine internationals and which cost over £40 million.

Dagenham are threatened with relegation from the Football League, their record signing cost £15,000, and that was in 1998.

Everton were without their biggest buy, the injured £28 million man Romelu Lukaku. As chances went begging, they missed the clinical touch of the Premier League’s top scorer, but his deputy at least finished well once.

Kone’s last FA Cup game came in the 2013 final, when his Wigan team caused an upset by beating Manchester City. He ensured there was no shock on a belated return to the competition, ending his own nine-game goal drought in the process. Kone headed in Bryan Oviedo’s free kick.

But he could have had a hat-trick. Goalkeeper Mark Cousins kept out a fierce drive. Kone miscued his shot from Muhamed Besic’s inviting cross. He headed a corner just wide.

 

And Dagenham held on until Mirallas spun away from Nyron Nosworthy, who brought the Belgian down. Mirallas got up to convert the resulting penalty. Yet Goodison was distracted by the cat.

“He had great style and great movement,” smiled Martinez. “I hope we can keep him for every game.” But he had more serious concerns.

Ramiro Funes Mori almost scored with a 25-yard curler that Cousins kept out with a flying save, but went off after a clash of heads.

“He wasn’t concussed but it was a nasty cut,” said Martinez. Funes Mori had 10 stitches. Everton are waiting to see if he will be fit to face City on Wednesday.

There was no Aiden McGeady, who will be loaned out after Celtic and two Championship clubs made offers for him, to prepare him for Euro 2016.

MAN OF THE MATCH: BRYAN OVIEDO – stood in at right-back, set up a goal and was influential.

EVERTON: Robles, Oviedo, Jagielka, Funes Mori (Pennington 49), Galloway, Gibson, Besic, Lennon (Rodriguez 89), Mirallas, Pienaar (Osman 77), Kone.

DAG & RED: Cousins, Nosworthy, Dikamona, Worrall, Passley, Raymond, Labadie, Muldoon, Hemmings Booked (Connors 75), Chambers (Jones 62), Doidge (Cureton 66)

Ref: P Tierney