Assistant coach Duncan Ferguson admitted that Everton’s set-piece vulnerability was a ‘wee bit of a worry’ during Wednesday’s 5-4 FA Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur, while speaking to the Toffees’ website.
Just 24 hours after Manchester United and West Ham tested the patience of the viewing public, two more Premier League giants proved that the magic of the cup is still very much alive.
Everton edged a nine-goal thriller thanks to Bernard’s extra-time winner, securing their place in the quarter-finals while piling more pressure on the increasingly embattled Jose Mourinho.
But while there was no shortage of top-class forward play on the night, with Gylfi Sigurdsson and Heung Min-Son each producing a trio of assists, it is fair to say neither defence was really at the races on the blue half of Merseyside.
Tottenham quintet Hugo Lloris, Toby Alderweireld, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Matt Doherty and Davinson Sanchez all made individual errors which led directly to goals.
Everton, meanwhile, conceded three times from corner kicks, leaving Sanchez as free as a bird as the Colombian netted an unlikely brace.
“Fair play to the players, they’ve dug in and showed a good fighting spirit. It was a bit nerve-wracking in the dugout as you can imagine!” Ferguson explained after a breathless encounter.
“Obviously the defences struggled tonight and we particularly struggled on set plays, which is a wee bit of a worry.
“We’re normally quite strong on them but tonight Tottenham did well and they were strong on the counter-attack as well.
“But we’re delighted and we obviously congratulated [the players]. They were fantastic tonight, fought right to the end, and to score five goals is brilliant, a great attacking performance.”
A stunning double from Richarlison, plus goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Bernard and Man of the Match Sigurdsson, ensured that Everton’s defensive lapses went unpunished in the end.
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