Substitute Cauley Woodrow scored in additional time to seal a dramatic victory for Luton at Everton in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Everton defender Vitaliy Mykolenko put through his own net late in the opening 45 minutes, unable to get out of the way as Alfie Doughty’s delivery from a corner arrived at the near post, to round off a turgid first half of football in which both sides struggled to create openings.
Despite getting back in the tie, Everton were unable to shift the momentum in their favour as Luton carved out the better opportunities, with Elijah Adebayo forcing a fine save out of goalkeeper Joao Virginia and Carlton Morris seeing a shot cleared off the line by Nathan Patterson.
With the minutes ticking on and Premier League relegation rivals Everton and Luton both keen to avoid a replay, spaces started to appear with greater regularity but, as was the story of the first half, both sides were wasteful.
That was until the 96th minute, when Woodrow volleyed in from close range after a goalmouth scramble when Everton failed to clear their lines from a corner.
It is just the second time Luton have reached the fifth round of the FA Cup since 2012-13, when they were in the Conference Premier – now known as the National League.
Everton off-target once again
Everton’s struggles in front of goal continue to be a major problem and they now only have Premier League survival to focus on for the rest of the season.
They are the joint-fourth lowest scorers in the top flight this campaign, along with Luton and Manchester United, with only Crystal Palace (22), Burnley (21) and Sheffield United (17) having found the back of the net on fewer occasions.
The Toffees were not short on chances against the Hatters, ending the match with 14 shots, but only two were on target and the goal they did score was straight at goalkeeper Krul and would more often than not have been comfortably saved.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s barren run persists with the striker now without a goal in 15 games across all competitions, while midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, who missed out through injury, is their top scorer this season with six.
Exiting the FA Cup might prove to be a blessing in disguise for a club fighting to avoid relegation but the overall performance will not please boss Dyche, who said in his programme notes before the match: “If you can’t find a way to win a game, then don’t lose it.”
