JAMES IS DRIVING CARLO CUP DREAM
ON THE touchline, as the temperature dropped, Carlo Ancelotti became more animated than at any point in the previous 62 minutes. A little passage of keep-ball from Everton led to space opening up in their own half and, in a flash, they began motoring up the field. James Rodriguez was in possession and Ancelotti, suddenly excited, turned his volume up, bellowing: ‘Allez! Allez! Allez!’
This was a straightforward victory for Everton — Sheffield Wednesday brushed aside with the minimum of fuss — but that did not mean it was a tie devoid of enjoyment. Far from it. The dancing feet of Rodriguez, the impish No 19, saw to that.
Rodriguez has illuminated far bigger games than a behind-closed-doors FA Cup tie but, still, it was a treat to watch this onetime World Cup Golden Boot winner go through his passing repertoire. It meant Everton moved serenely into the last 16, where Tottenham or Wycombe await.
His two assists in this 3-0 triumph came from inch-perfect corners in the second half that were dispatched by headers from Richarlison and Yerry Mina but that doesn’t accurately tell you the artistic stamp which Rodriguez put on things.
What a pity Goodison Park remains empty. He would normally have been cheered to the rafters as he departed to be replaced by Thierry Small who, at 16 years and 176 days, became Everton’s youngest player. Instead, Rodriguez had to make do with the recognition of the management.
‘He was sensational, wasn’t he?’ said Duncan Ferguson, Ancelotti’s assistant. ‘The wee man plays the gameme at his own pace. Even when he giveses the ball away, he’s making a positive itive pass. We were dominant from om the start and he was s excellent.’
Although Ancelotti made five changes to his team, there was no dilution of quality. Wednesday might have had the first shot of the match, when Adam Reach attempted to catch out Robin olsen, but they y forlornly chased shadows for or the most part. Everton had made heavy eavy weather of dispatching Rotheri
Rotherham in round three, cominggffromo a goal down and needing extra time, but the lethargy that pockmarked that performance was nowhere to be seen last night.
Richarlison was first to try his luck, arriving at the back post in the eighth minute to meet a fine Seamus Coleman cross. But Wednesday keeper Joe Wildsmith was equal to the task and palmed the Brazilian’s header on to the bar. With Richarlison, Rodriguez
and GylfGylfi Sigurdsson operating behind DoDominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton were never going to lack for creativity.
And they thought they had taken the lead in the 17th minute when a glorious pass from Colombian Rodriguez split Wednesday’s defence in two.
‘You’ve got to have eyes in the back of your head when you play against this movement,’ said Wednesday’s interim manager Neil Thompson.
Much to Richarlison’s frustration, though, a flag curtailed his celebrations after it had been spotted that he made his run too early. No matter. In the next attack, Everton took the lead and Calvert-Lewin gleefully took the chance to provide it.
His opportunity was engineered by Andre Gomes, who worked some space on the left side of Wednesday’s penalty area before firing a precise ball to the back post where the England international was lurking.
‘I know when the ball is in those areas, I need to be aware and I am glad I was there to put it in,’ said Calvert-Lewin, who looked invigorated on his first start since New Year’s Day. This was his first goal since December 5 and as a boyhood Sheffield united fan, it perhaps carried even more satisfaction.
To Wednesday’s credit, they refused to collapse and fought to half-time without conceding again — but the scale of their challenge was obvious. Having not played since January 9, they were a yard slower than the hosts and it gave Rodriguez the chance to put his stamp on the contest.
Some of his passing was quite beautiful. one ball in the first half that invited Coleman to scamper forward rolled as smoothly and unerringly as a crown green bowl. He might not offer much tracking back to his own goal, but Rodriguez’s ability in the danger areas is beyond question.
How he showed it after the break. His best pass — a stabbed ball with the outside of his left foot — should have created a goal for Richarlison but Wildsmith was equal to the effort, flinging himself to his left to push the ball away in the 57th minute. From the resulting corner kick, Rodriguez pinged in a ball and Richarlison headed Everton into a two-goal lead. In the next attack, they increased their advantage. Again, the goal came from a Rodriguez corner but on this occasion Mina powered through a sea of grey shirts and guided his header into the Gwladys Street net.
Mina made a beeline to the man who had made his goal possible. He was not the only one to be thankful to Rodriguez.
Graham Scott 6.