Romelu Lukaku leads the fightback as Everton push past Barnsley 5-3
Home team scorersSam Winnall 22
Marley Watkins 28
Daniel Crowley 60
Away team scorersKevin Mirallas 51
Steven Naismith 59
Romelu Lukaku 78
Marc Roberts 96 o.g.
Romelu Lukaku 115
Gerard Deulofeu spared Everton the ignominy of another early exit in the League Cup but not John Stones from legitimate questions over his focus on an enthralling night in Barnsley. The Spanish winger produced three assists in a commanding substitutes’ appearance to transform a tie that appeared beyond Everton’s salvation at half-time. For Stones, however, back where it all began, it was a return to forget.
The England international was vulnerable throughout against the League One side, who led 2-0 and 3-2 only to succumb to Deulofeu deliveries from the right. The £4.2m summer signing from Barcelona crossed for Steven Naismith, Romelu Lukaku and Marc Roberts to score, the defender’s unfortunate own-goal handing Everton the advantage in extra-time before Lukaku sealed matters with his second of the game.
Conor Hourihane and Ben Pearson both struck the woodwork in extra time as Lee Johnson’s men made the visitors fight all the way for a trip to Reading in round three.
There was no faulting the Premier League team’s character under pressure but it was the wrong time and place for Stones to produce his first poor performance of an already demanding season. .
Martínez gave no indication that his determination to keep Stones had been weakened by the defender’s transfer request – still not confirmed by Everton before kick-off – by naming the 21-year-old in his starting line-up. The player himself appeared extremely composed before his first appearance at Oakwell since leaving his boyhood club for an initial £2m in 2013, laughing and joking with the Barnsley groundstaff, but his performance thereafter undermined the manager’s selection policy. Not that Martínez is blessed with alternatives in central defence.
Stones and Phil Jagielka were Everton’s supposed insurance against the League One side, the trusted partnership retained in a team fielding seven changes to Sunday’s Premier League defeat by Manchester City. Yet they and the goalkeeper Joel Robles were responsible for a weak, chaotic defensive display that crumbled under the slightest pressure and left the Premier League club two goals down and staring at a humiliating exit inside 28 minutes.
Everton have never won the League Cup and had lost their last five away matches in the competition. It was not difficult to see why, at least on their first-half offering.
The game started as expected with Lee Johnson’s side struggling against the power of Lukaku and fortunate not to fall behind when Adam Davies parried a Kevin Mirallas drive straight to Aidan McGeady, who sidefooted a glorious chance straight at the Barnsley goalkeeper. A Sam Winnall header aside, Everton had not been stretched. Then their defenders switched off and Barnsley struck twice in six remarkable minutes.
Winnall was first to capitalise when a routine cross into the area from Marley Watkins sparked chaos. Stones failed to clear at the first attempt, Jagielka and Matthew Pennington, making his full Everton debut at right-back, got in each other’s way when trying to deal with the second ball and it broke loose for the Barnsley centre-forward. Winnall’s shot lacked power but rolled under the leaping Stones and nestled in the bottom corner with Robles stranded.
Oakwell’s delirium increased with Barnsley’s next attack. Marc Roberts crossed deep to the far post after his initial throw-in to the six-yard area was cleared back to his feet. Josh Scowen beat Bryan Oviedo to the delivery and when his header dropped in front of goal, Watkins was unmarked to force the ball past Robles’s pathetic guard from close range.
Stones had switched off and allowed Watkins to score his first goal for Barnsley since arriving on a free transfer from Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Everton were booed off at half-time, greeted by banners calling for the chairman Bill Kenwright and chief executive Robert Elstone to go when they reappeared for the second half, and given fresh hope when Mirallas reduced the arrears soon after the restart. The Belgian sent an unstoppable finish into the top corner when Lewin Nyatanga inadvertently headed Oviedo’s cross his way on the penalty spot.
The introduction of Ross Barkley and particularly Deulofeu at half-time energised the visitors and they levelled when Steven Naismith met the Spaniard’s inviting right-wing cross with a fine header. But parity lasted barely 60 seconds. Barnsley refused to be cowed and Reece Wabara broke into the area before squaring for Dan Crowley, left unmarked by Stones, to steer his finish into the bottom corner.
Another perfect Deulofeu cross invited Lukaku to sweep home from six yards out with 12 minutes remaining and the Belgium striker, Naismith, Barkley and Mirallas all went close to sealing Everton’s passage in normal time.
Guardian