Everton’s recent loss is a painful reminder of their lack of trophies.

Numerous managers of Everton have attempted to put an end to their 30-year wait for a trophy. However, even the most pessimistic fans at Goodison Park had a glimmer of hope that this might be their year. Unfortunately, former Everton manager Marco Silva’s victory over them has extended their drought. Fulham, under Silva’s leadership, secured their third win at Goodison this season and advanced to the League Cup semi-finals for the first time in their history. Despite a promising run of 10 wins in 14 games, this was a disappointing night for Everton, as they were unable to capitalize on a potentially favorable draw.

Everton’s 1995 FA Cup victory has been followed by a string of missed opportunities, with their latest being a penalty that could have won them the shootout against Arsenal. Despite trailing for 41 minutes, Everton managed to equalize but ultimately fell short as Amadou Onana’s weak penalty was easily saved by Bernd Leno. Both teams had exhausted their preferred penalty takers and were tied at 6-6, but it was Tosin Adarabioyo who secured a semi-final spot for Arsenal after Idrissa Gueye hit the post with Everton’s eighth attempt.

While Silva’s side were nowhere near as fluent as they were in their five-goal demolitions of Nottingham Forest and West Ham, this was a landmark result for them nonetheless. A first major semi-final beckons since Roy Hodgson led them to the last four – and then the final – of the Uefa Cup in 2010.

Sometimes it does not matter how a team progresses; simply that they do. For 27 minutes, Fulham led without even having registered a shot on target. Then Alex Iwobi, making his first return to Goodison since his summer sale, had a shot pushed past the post by Jordan Pickford. It was the only time the England goalkeeper had to make a save in the first 90 minutes. When he denied Bobby Decordova-Reid in the shootout, it ought to have allowed Onana to win the tie.

It wasn’t just Everton who had trouble controlling the ball. Although it’s been five games since an opponent has scored against them (excluding the shootout), they did have one unfortunate own goal. Michael Keane returned to the team at Turf Moor and scored a goal, but then an own goal followed. Fulham may have been wondering who would score in the absence of the suspended Raul Jimenez, but they got an unexpected answer.

Fulham had netted 16 times in four matches leading up to their game against Newcastle on Saturday. However, following Jimenez’s controversial ejection at St James’ Park, it appeared that their ability to score had been diminished. Rodrigo Muniz was given the opportunity to replace the Mexican player, but the team’s most dynamic attacker happened to be the oldest one as well. Willian initially missed a free kick by a narrow margin, but then set up Robinson whose cross was unintentionally redirected by Keane into the net. Despite this mishap, Keane managed to redeem himself by scoring a powerful penalty during the shootout.

However, Robinson, who was previously a part of Everton’s academy, played a role in each goal. As his old team increased the pressure, he was unable to clear the ball twice and on one occasion, Garner’s shot deflected off of him before Beto headed it in, resulting in the game going to penalties.

The striker scored his first goal for Everton during the initial match, which they were losing against League Two team Doncaster. Four months later, he scored his second goal in the competition, giving them a temporary chance to come back, even if it was only for a short while.

Due to Everton’s limited team and injury concerns, manager Sean Dyche had limited options. However, he made strategic substitutions that had a significant impact. Beto replaced Dominic Calvert-Lewin, likely to prevent overworking the team’s main forward. Meanwhile, Garner remained on the field in place of the injured Abdoulaye Doucoure, fulfilling the role of the No. 10 player. In the final moments of the game, Arnaut Danjuma’s entrance injected energy and he narrowly missed a goal with a volley. During the shootout, both Danjuma and Beto scored, but Dyche did not have any designated penalty takers to substitute in.

They may regret their slow start in the end. It’s not surprising if they didn’t have the same level of motivation that has defined their recent winning streak in the league. It could be a result of their tremendous effort to overcome a 10-point deduction in just four league games. Without a similar mindset or a unifying goal to overcome, they may have struggled in this competition where there were no obstacles to face. They managed to equalize, but ultimately lost due to two missed penalties, prolonging their search for a trophy. On nights like this, it can feel like the wait will never end.

Source: independent.co.uk