Toppling Toffees tastes extra sweet to outcast Barkley
HE didn’t score or even assist Luton’s first goal, but Ross Barkley still took great pleasure from his part in it.
He only underlined his standing as Everton’s bad boy as he appeared to push Dominic Calvert-lewin out of the way for Alfie Doughty’s corner to go in off Vitaliy Mykolenko.
Referee Simon Hooper let the goal stand, to the astonishment of Sean Dyche, and Barkley will have been delighted by their anger.
It was like watching a panto at times and Barkley was booed every time he touched the ball.
The bad blood dates back to Ronald Koeman’s time when the former Everton boss told Barkley in July 2017 he would axe him if he did not sign an extension to his contact, which was due to expire in under 12 months time.
The ill feeling only increased when Barkley turned down a lucrative move from Tottenham that summer.
And it was compounded by a hamstring injury to the midfielder, which meant he did not play again for Everton, before they offloaded him to Chelsea for a cut-price £15million in January 2018.
Evertonians were not happy the player they revered since making his debut for them at 17 in 2011 had short-changed them so badly.
They might have taken pleasure from seeing Barkley’s career nosedive at Chelsea and they loaned him to Aston Villa when he failed to sparkle at Stamford Bridge before releasing him in 2022.
He joined Nice on a free, but Ligue 1 did not work for him and he joined Luton, the home of waifs and strays, in August.
Hatters boss Rob
Edwards is certainly getting a tune out of him and at 30, he is looking more like the player who dazzled for Everton all those years ago.
He will always be the figure Evertonians love to hate and he would not have got a worse reception if he had run out in a red Liverpool shirt.
The boos started just before kick-off when Barkley’s name was read out as the PA announced the Luton team.
Barkley is well used to it on his third visit to his oncebeloved Goodison Park and that early chorus of boos set the tone for the afternoon.
The former England playmaker was not affected and nearly silenced them when he fired in a shot before another goalbound effort was headed clear by James Tarkowski.
There was a cheer from the home fans when Barkley was dispossessed, but he turned the tables when he helped Luton take the lead in this Cup tie.
Barkley is not one of those players who refuse to celebrate scoring against his old club and his smile summed up how he felt.
The home crowd were not happy and they cheered mercilessly when he hit a free-kick well over.
They made sure he knew it was very personal when former Blue Andros Townsend came off to applause on his first return to Goodison since being released in the summer.
He got the second biggest cheer of the afternoon from the home fans when he went off with 15 minutes remaining, but the boos for the Blues’ limp display at the end told him it was a job well done.