BILL GATES, the world’s richest man with an estimated wealth of $88billion, visited Everton’s training ground earlier this week to promote Sport Relief.
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| Roberto Martinez's Everton missed out on their chance of a Wembley final with neighbours Liverpool |
If Roberto Martinez was anticipating some of that good fortune would rub off on him, his hopes were to be left bankrupt and bereft.
The controversy of Kevin De Bruyne’s goal which came after Raheem Sterling had run the ball out of play before cutting it back to the Belgian to put Manchester City ahead in the 70th minute will rightly rankle.
Yet all was not lost at that point for Everton, extra-time beckoned and the chance to continue trying to pick off their opponents on the break. Instead, the sight of Sergio Aguero dispatching a header beyond Joel Robles six minutes later merely stuck to the script that has dogged Martinez, left, all season.
For the memories it would have evoked of the glory days in the Eighties, an all-Merseyside cup final next month always felt like a rather dubious reward given the fear of losing to bitter foes at Wembley would have rivalled the joy of winning for both Everton and Liverpool.
But it would, at least, have represented progress for Martinez and without that the focus falls firmly on the present.
There is no more damning assessment of a manager than the one which claims he is unable to make the most of his resources at his disposal. Little that ultimately transpired last night will do anything to deflect the debate that will now engulf him.
Everton have become accustomed to letting leads slip – Bournemouth and Chelsea stand out in the Premier League – and their failure to build on Ross Barkley’s early goal which left them 3-1 up on aggregate will haunt Martinez.
The attacking verve is exemplified by Barkley, but the solidity remains absent. This was the seventh time this season they have shipped three goals.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini will have recognised the complaint of failing to get the best from his squad. But when he needed to he conjured a result that improves the prospect of him departing with his head held high rather than being shunted through the exit door.
Aguero was spotted shaking his fist at his team-mates soon after Barkley’s goal, his pleas no longer focusing on urging Manchester City’s fans but for his absent team-mates to turn up.
Belatedly they did so.
A Catalan manager may eventually push Pellegrini’s nose out of place, but here Martinez and his team could not oblige.
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