Everton 3 Swansea 1 match report: Lacina Traore scores on debut to help put Toffees 90 minutes from Wembley
Steven Naismith and Leighton Baines were on target in the second half for the home team
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Your support makes all the difference.There are not many unique records left in football. Seven managers have retained the FA Cup but none has done so with different clubs. Roberto Martinez is on course to be the first.
When Martinez, one of three different men called Roberto to have won the trophy in the last three years, walked into the press room at Goodison Park, he did not know whether he would be facing Liverpool or Arsenal in the quarter-finals. “All I know is that it will be a team in red,” he smiled. He would also have understood instinctively that Everton would have to perform rather better than they did here.
By rights this should have been a straightforward passage into the latter stages of the competition. Not only had Swansea never beaten Everton in 18 previous attempts, their caretaker manager, Garry Monk, facing a Europa League tie against Napoli on Thursday, had made eight changes to the side that had drawn at Stoke in midweek. Some were making their first appearance for the club this season.
Monk, who was Martinez’s first captain when he began building his managerial reputation at Swansea, seemed to have selected a side designed to be beaten. If so, Swansea achieved their aim, although not without something of a struggle.
For half an hour, Everton were as insipid and directionless as they were when Martinez’s Wigan overwhelmed them in the quarter-final at Goodison last year. “We were too anxious,” Martinez said. “We seemed to be suffering from the expectation that we would be going through to the next round.”
The more cynical of Everton’s fans – and after nearly two decades without a trophy there are a few – would have recalled that the last time they were this confident of victory was on Boxing Day against Sunderland, who were not only bottom of the Premier League but had a phobia about playing at Goodison. Gus Poyet’s side duly became the only visiting side to win a league game here last year.
Everton appeared to believe their passage to the quarter-finals had been assured once the team-sheets had been handed in. Some of the passing was almost wilfully casual and among the reserves and recalled loan players Monk had thrown on were some footballers hungry enough to want to take their chance.
It was, however, one of Swansea’s few regulars, Jonathan de Guzman, who scored their equaliser after a quarter of an hour.
It was not as if Everton had not been warned. In the opening minute Alvaro Vazquez had found himself clear on goal before being forced wide by goalkeeper Joel Robles.
Now it was Neil Taylor, driving forward from left back, who put in the cross and De Guzman who finished it. Those few who had journeyed up from Wales began a chorus of: “We love our B team.” Sadly for them, it was not to be the last goal Taylor would lay on. Admittedly, when De Guzman struck, the B team were by then already a goal behind. Kevin Mirallas’s free-kick had been flicked on by Sylvain Distin. Kyle Bartley failed to clear and Distin played the ball back in. Lacina Traoré, 6ft 8in tall, back-heeled the ball home from close range with surprising elegance. This was his first start since arriving on loan from Monaco and the tie was four minutes old.
The Traorés have not exactly shone on Merseyside. The greatest contribution to Liverpool in the FA Cup by Djimi (no relation) was to put through his own net at Burnley for the only goal of the game back in 2005. Lacina last began a game in October, playing for Anzhi Makhachkala against a Spartak Moscow side featuring his new team-mate, Aiden McGeady. Had he been fully fit, Traoré might have headed home the rebound after Steven Pienaar had struck the post, instead of guiding it towards Gerhard Tremmel.
He lasted an hour before being replaced by Steven Naismith, who was to turn the game. Before winning the penalty that Leighton Baines converted without a scintilla of doubt, he had put away the goal that effectively finished Swansea’s FA Cup hopes for this season.
Naismith is often depicted as a makeweight brought in by David Moyes but he is a far better footballer than he is given credit for – this was his fourth goal in half-a-dozen matches. Admittedly, it was presented to him via the slackest of back passes by Taylor although his finish at the Gwladys End was supremely well taken.
It was the signal for Welsh resistance to fizzle away, although Naismith did not finish the match. He collided with Jordi Amat, tried to carry on, suffered delayed concussion and had to be taken off.
Martinez said that his player could not recall scoring or much of the match. The first was a pity, the second was something of a mercy.
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