FA Cup: Frank Lampard and Everton start with thumping win
Everton started life under Frank Lampard by thrashing Brentford 4-1 in the FA Cup fourth round. There were also wins for Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Norwich, while Southampton scraped through.
Lampard got off to the best possible start as a header from Yerry Mina – only on the field because of an early injury to Ben Godfrey – was the first time the Toffees had taken the lead in a match since October.
But after Richarlison had doubled their advantage shortly after half-time, the former Chelsea boss saw his side put themselves under unnecessary pressure by conceding a second-half Ivan Toney penalty.
However, Mason Holgate’s first goal since December 2020 made sure of progress to the last 16 to prompt chants of “Super Frankie Lampard” from all four sides of Goodison Park – and the mood was lifted further by substitute Andros Townsend’s added-time strike.
The change in atmosphere from the final days of Rafael Benitez – and even Duncan Ferguson’s one match as caretaker last month, when there were protests against the board – could not have been more stark.
City, Palace and Norwich all through
Riyad Mahrez struck twice as Premier League leaders Manchester City came from behind to sweep Championship pace-setters Fulham aside 4-1.
City were stunned as Fabio Carvalho opened the scoring after just four minutes on a drizzly afternoon at the Etihad Stadium but soon levelled through Ilkay Gundogan.
John Stones then headed the hosts ahead as the frantic start continued and Mahrez put the result beyond doubt with two efforts – the first from the penalty spot – early in the second half.
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Crystal Palace eased into round five after first-half goals by Marc Guehi and Michael Olise downed Hartlepool at Selhurst Park.
Patrick Vieira’s side were 2-0 up inside 22 minutes and that was how it finished, despite their Sky Bet League Two opponents improving after the break.
The Eagles could still have triumphed by a greater margin but their manager, a five-time winner of the FA Cup as a player, would not have minded and will be keen for Palace to get a favourable last-16 draw on Sunday morning.
Norwich reached the fifth round for just the second time in a decade as Kenny McLean’s header was enough to see off Wolves in a drab affair at Molineux.
With potential fairytales and cup magic up for grabs elsewhere, this was a forgettable meeting between two top-tier outfits, with the 1-0 victory for the visitors putting them in the hat for Sunday’s draw.
Wolves are 18 points better off in the Premier League than Norwich but there was very little difference in quality here as Dean Smith’s side defended valiantly – and scrappily – at times to advance.
Kane stars for Spurs
Harry Kane scored twice for Tottenham as they booked an FA Cup fifth-round spot with a 3-1 win over Brighton.
The England captain struck in either half to move to 236 goals for Spurs, just 30 shy of Jimmy Greaves’ all-time record, with the hosts also benefitting from Solly March’s first-half own goal.
As much as individual honours matter to Kane, it is silverware that really drives him and he will be desperately hoping his boyhood club can progress in this competition and end a 13-year trophy drought.
It was a good night for Spurs, who introduced new signings Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, as Antonio Conte’s formula continues to take shape.
Brighton briefly threatened a comeback when Yves Bissouma made it 2-1 in the second half, but they bowed out of the competition, having contributed to their own downfall.
Saints pushed all the way by Coventry
Southampton are into the fifth round, but they were nearly upset by Sky Bet Championship side Coventry at St Mary's.
Viktor Gyokeres gave the visitors a half-time lead, and only a 25-yard strike from substitute Stuart Armstrong just after the hour restored parity.
The tie ended level after 90 minutes and looked to be drifting towards a shootout before right-back Kyle Walker-Peters provided an unlikely winning goal.