Walcott’s rescue act falls flat amid shoot-out misery
While Everton paid some £60million to bring Richarlison and Theo Walcott to Goodison Park, they were left counting the cost of their ambitious recruitment. The two wingers missed penalties to condemn them to an early exit from a competition they have never won.
If there were mitigating factors for Walcott, who had scored a late equaliser to set up the shoot-out and who was denied by Angus Gunn’s fine save, there were none for Richarlison. The £40 million man skied his penalty into the Gwladys Street End, just as Everton squandered their opportunity to progress.
“It wasn’t the first moment when a good player misses a penalty,” said Marco Silva, his manager. But Everton’s last trophy came in 1995, two years before the Brazilian’s birth and when Silva was just 17.
If the appointment of the Portuguese was supposed to herald a new era at Goodison Park, it was the same old story last night.
Southampton advance to meet Leicester City in the fourth round and Everton’s irritation may be increased by the identity of their tormentor, Danny Ings, borrowed from Anfield.
Ings’s first Southampton goal had come at Goodison Park in August. He savoured a return to a favourite venue, steering in the opener and scoring his side’s first penalty in the shoot-out.
“They showed more confidence than us,” admitted Silva. “It is not just lucky and unlucky.” Steven Davis, Pierre-emile Hojbjerg and Cedric Soares also converted for Southampton, meaning it was irrelevant that Maarten Stekelenburg saved from Matt Targett and that Mark Hughes opted not to bring on penalty specialists Charlie Austin and James Ward-prowse.
“I was umming and ahhing and it turned out OK,” said the Southampagainst ton manager and former Everton player. Instead, it was a game decided, in different ways, by the substitutions Silva did make, with Oumar Niasse setting up Walcott for a well-taken equaliser.
Richarlison’s involvement meant the video assistant referee was invoked, though the forward was denied first a penalty and then a free-kick after he fell to ground.
He and Walcott had been benched as Silva made seven of the 13 changes to the respective sides. The two wingers he brought in, Bernard and Ademola Lookman, had threatened before Ings struck.
A minute after Nathan Redmond had hit a post, he teed up Ings who angled a shot into the far corner. “He is making a huge impact,” added Hughes. “He has that knack of being in the right place at the right time.”
Hughes was rewarded both for sticking with his top scorer and
changing his goalkeeper. Gunn deputised for Alex Mccarthy as Fraser Forster was demoted to fourth choice. Watched by his father, the former Norwich and Scotland keeper Bryan, Gunn excelled on his second Southampton appearance.
“He is an outstanding young goalkeeper,” said Hughes. “He has given us a calmness.” Everton lost theirs from 12 yards and, with it, their place in the Carabao Cup.
Everton (4-2-3-1) Stekelenburg; Kenny, Keane, Zouma, Baines; Schneiderlin (Walcott 79), Davies; Lookman (Richarlison 60), Dowell (Niasse 46), Bernard; Tosun. Subs Virginia (g), Holgate, Digne, Gueye. Booked Schneiderlin. Southampton (3-4-2-1): Gunn; Stephens, Yoshida, Bednarek; Soares, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Targett; Gabbiadini (Davis 73), Redmond; Ings. Booked Bednarek. Subs Lewis (g), Hoedt, Austin, Romeu, Ward-prowse, Armstrong.
Referee Chris Kavanagh (Lancashire).