Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SCHMEICHEL+ VARDY = PARTY
Kasper saves and Jamie scores to send Foxes through
EVERTON might be delighted to have Carlo Ancelotti as new boss but it was Leicester who were in the pink last night.
The Foxes, playing in their rose-coloured away strip, squeezed through to the semi-final on penalties after Everton had battled back from 2-0 down.
Jamie Vardy netted the decisive spot-kick after Leighton Baines had gone from hero to villain for Everton in the space of a couple of minutes.
Baines sent the game to a shoot-out when he scored a sensational equaliser in the first minute of stoppage time.
But then the Toffees stalwart fluffed his spot-kick when he saw his weak effort saved by Kasper Schmeichel.
Cenk Tosun also missed as Goodison caretaker boss Duncan Ferguson suffered his first loss in charge.
Leicester’s bandwagon rolls on – Brendan Rodgers’ men have extended their unbeaten run to 11 games, including 10 wins, since their last defeat across Stanley Park against his old club.
Leicester looked set for victory when they scored twice in three first-half minutes through James Maddison and Jonny Evans before Everton hit back in the last 20 minutes through Tom Davies and Baines.
Goodison was subdued at the end but it will be bubbling once Ancelotti officially takes over after Saturday’s league game here against Arsenal.
That will be Ferguson’s last game as caretaker boss.
The Scot initially kept his jacket on last night but, despite bitter conditions, shunned a coat. Aside from jacket-watch on Ferguson, precious little happened before Leicester took the lead on 26 minutes through the game’s first moment of quality.
Ricardo Pereira raided down the right and picked out Maddison, who expertly finished from 12 yards out into the bottom corner.
Three minutes later Leicester doubled their lead with a goal which will give Ferguson – and Ancelotti – nightmares.
Vardy flicked on Maddison’s corner and centre-half Evans pulled off his marker Michael Keane far too easily for a simple tap-in from two yards out.
Everton should have halved the deficit when Bernard dinked a free-kick into the box for Yerry Mina to connect with a header, but his effort was too close to Schmeichel, who made the save. Some Evertonians booed at the half-time whistle and Ferguson’s response was to bring on Moise Kean. This time he lasted longer than 18 minutes, unlike on Sunday.
Everton keeper Jordan Pickford saved from Ayoze Perez and Dennis Praet as the Foxes threatened a third.
The Mersey men badly needed a spark and Davies provided it when he scored on 70 minutes with a cushioned right-foot volley from Richarlison’s cross to bring the home fans to life.
Finally Everton were firing and Dominic Calvertlewin headed over from Kean’s cross.
Off came Ferguson’s jacket for the final push and he was celebrating again when Baines cracked home the equaliser. But the celebrations did not last long