Royal Blue Mersey - Everton vs Chelsea: FA Cup 2016 Quarter Final MatchdayIt's a grand old team to supporthttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52544/royal_fav.png2016-03-15T11:36:44+00:00http://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/rss/stream/109734352016-03-15T11:36:44+00:002016-03-15T11:36:44+00:00Everton's Moshiri speaks after the win
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<p>Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright talked to EvertonTV following the big win.</p> <p><a href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Everton's</a> brand new shareholder, Farhad Moshiri, attended Saturday's 2-0 win over <a href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Chelsea</a> and was treated to what was, by most accounts, an electric atmosphere at Goodison Park. Following the win, EvertonTV got a chance to speak with Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright.</p>
<p>It was a talk in which Kenwright dominated most of the conversation. It was obvious how delighted the chairman was with the team's performance on the pitch and Moshiri's presence off of it.</p>
<p>"To have Farhad next to me is like, I met him 18 months ago and, you know, it's been a period where there have been quite a lot of people talking about taking over Premier League clubs," Kenwright said. "And I have thought since November 2014 'Come to me! Come to me! Come back to me! Come to me!'"</p>
<p>Earlier on, Kenwright acknowledged the performance of <span>Aaron Lennon</span> and <span>James McCarthy</span>, but was especially impressed with the star of the evening, <span>Romelu Lukaku</span></p>
<p>"I think we have got to acknowledge Rom's goal though, because it was an unbelievable goal, wasn't it?," Kenwright said. "I mean, you know, half of the stadium, three quarters of the stadium, is saying 'Pass it! Pass it!' I mean, the strength of the man! But I thought his second goal was great too, ya know, so I thought they were all great today."</p>
<p>Moshiri was a man of few words in this moment. He stood with Kenwright's arm around his back and gave a slight smile at certain moments while the chariman spoke of the evening's events, but left Toffee supportors with several clips that will certainly give them hope for the future."</p>
<p>"What am I to say?," Moshiri said. "I bought into a great club. I felt it today. It is a great club"</p>
<p>The new investor has the appearance of a steady hand. One that won't get too high nor too low. There is a job to be done and he intends to make it happen.</p>
<p>"I think you can never take over a club," Moshiri said. "You can be part of a club, and I think that's what I'm hoping; to become park of a club...I bought into a family, a new family. I think that's what's special for me. And I give them whatever I have"</p>
<p>To hear and see the entire interview, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.evertonfc.com/news/2016/03/13/exclusive-interview">head over to Everton's website</a>. For more from the blog, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/rbmersey">follow @RBMersey on Twitter</a> or <a target="_blank" href="https://facebook.com/rbmersey">"Like" Royal Blue Mersey on Facebook</a>.</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/15/11225750/farhad-moshiri-bill-kenwright-everton-chelsea-lukaku_TyYoung2016-03-13T16:14:27+00:002016-03-13T16:14:27+00:00Barry, Cleverley, Usual Tactics Return, Spark Win
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<figcaption>Clive Brunskill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Everton needed a moment of magic from Romelu Lukaku to book their ticket to Wembley, but overall, Roberto Martinez's men played a comfortable, simple game to beat Chelsea on Saturday.</p> <p>When Everton took the pitch on Saturday, the club entered the match with one final chance to make something of what many will view as a wasted season.</p>
<p>The Toffees' Premier League season has been something between an abject failure and moderately underwhelming, depending on who you ask, and the club's encouraging run in the League Cup came to an end in the semi-finals. Still, an FA Cup victory would no doubt turn this season from a failure to a success, a weight which <span>Roberto Martinez</span> and the players had to be carrying at Goodison Park.</p>
<p>If the players and manager were feeling nerves or pressure coming into the match, they certainly didn't show it. Martinez sent his players out with the simple gameplan that has served to improve the team's results over the last two months, and it worked to perfection.</p>
<p>Let's start by looking at the lineup Martinez went with.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://lineupbuilder.com/350x500/?p=11&a=1&t=&c=0700db&1=GK_Joel__388_174&2=DL_Baines__317_64&3=DCL_Funes%20Mori__327_138&4=DCR_Jagielka__327_211&5=DR_Coleman__317_284&6=DML_Barry__240_138&7=DMR_McCarthy__240_211&8=AL_Cleverley__158_78&9=AC_Barkley__151_174&10=AR_Lennon__158_268&11=FCA_Lukaku__80_174&c2=ffffff&c3=ffffff&output=embed" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" height="500" width="350"></iframe></p>
<p>In what has surprisingly become Martinez's preferred setup, <span>Aaron Lennon</span> and <span>Tom Cleverley</span> lined up on the right and left wings respectively, with <span>Romelu Lukaku</span> up front and <span>Ross Barkley</span> as the No. 10. The only change from Martinez's preferred lineup came at left-back, where the capable <span>Leighton Baines</span> stepped in for <span>Bryan Oviedo</span>, <a href="http://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/9/11185128/bryan-oviedo-rushed-to-hospital-chest-pains-breathing-difficulties">who missed out after being rushed to the hospital with chest pains this week</a>.</p>
<p>Martinez's goal with this lineup has consistently been to create a more solid defensive core, which gives his most dangerous attacking players the freedom to make plays with the confidence that other players will help the team keep its defensive shape.</p>
<p>Once again, this plan worked out as Martinez planned. A look at <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton's</a> average position map (courtesy of EvertonFC.com) makes this clear.</p>
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<p>Lennon and Cleverley spent much of the match almost even with <span>Gareth Barry</span> and <span>James McCarthy</span>, providing extensive defensive cover for the team. In the case of the left side, Cleverley's defensive awareness allowed Leighton Baines to get into the attack more regularly without compromising the side's defense.</p>
<p>I've spent a lot of time praising the contributions of Aaron Lennon, but Cleverley deserves a lot of credit for the work he has put in in the last two months as well. In the last six matches Cleverley has played in, the Toffees have conceded only one goal.</p>
<p>No one will be mistaking him for a true winger, and I don't think he's a solution at that position long-term, but he's good enough in attack to retain his starting position for the rest of the season, given all of the defensive work he does every week.</p>
<p>This week, the Toffees were happy to allow Chelsea to have possession for long spells, because the team had the necessary defensive players to limit <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea's</a> chances. Despite Chelsea's 57.3 percent possession, Guus Hiddink's side only took five shots, only one of which was on target. Chelsea only came close to scoring once, when <span>Diego Costa</span> narrowly missed from the tightest of angles around the 60th minute.</p>
<p>Chelsea struggled to create chances because its possession came largely away from the Everton goal, as the graphic below indicates.</p>
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<p>Chelsea had a significant possession advantage, but only 25.3 percent of the match was spent in Everton's defensive third, a low percentage given Chelsea's overall possession advantage.</p>
<p>Everton's willingness to allow Chelsea to have possession would likely have existed regardless of what team Hiddink utilized, but the Dutchman's lineup made that gameplan even more sustainable.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://lineupbuilder.com/350x500/?p=11&a=1&t=&c=0700db&1=GK_Courtois__388_174&2=DL_Kenedy__317_64&3=DCL_Ivanovic__327_138&4=DCR_Cahill__327_211&5=DR_Azpilicueta__317_284&6=DML_Matic__240_138&7=DMR_Mikel__240_211&8=AL_Pedro__158_78&9=AC_Fabregas__151_174&10=AR_WIllian__158_268&11=FCA_Costa__80_174&c2=ffffff&c3=ffffff&output=embed" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" height="500" width="350"></iframe></p>
<p>Hiddink elected to use two out-and-out holding midfielders in Nemanja Matic and <span>John Obi Mikel</span>, pushing Cesc Fabregas into the No. 10 role. Chelsea was also without star winger <span>Eden Hazard</span>.</p>
<p>Against a team with two solid holding midfielders, two wingers capable of defending, and a mentality of minimizing chances, Chelsea simply didn't have enough attack-minded players to break down a relatively compact Everton side.</p>
<p>In short, Everton sent out a defensively-capable lineup out against an offensively-challenged Chelsea side. Martinez, as has been the case in multiple successful matches in the second half of the season, trusted that the eight or nine men behind the ball at a time would be able to get the job done defensively, while Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku could create moments of magic in the attack to propel the team to victory.</p>
<p>Lukaku and Barkley came through for the Spanish manager, with the former creating his own chance on the first goal and putting away a second chance created by the latter to put the match out of reach.</p>
<p>The Toffees have strong enough attacking players to consistently create and convert attacking chances in this way against most opposition. With only <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/epl/teams/crystal-palace">Crystal Palace</a>, Watford, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://thebusbybabe.sbnation.com/">Manchester United</a>/<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://bracethehammer.sbnation.com/">West Ham United</a> left in the FA Cup, this is a strategy we will likely see Martinez continue to utilize, provided the proper players are available.</p>
<p>Last week, we saw what can happen when Everton's important players are missing. But, with a full complement of players, there is no reason why the Toffees cannot win the FA Cup playing the way they did Saturday against Chelsea.</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/13/11214154/everton-chelsea-fa-cup-quarterfinal-tactical-analysis-roberto-martinez-tom-cleverleyAdam.Braun2016-03-13T15:22:44+00:002016-03-13T15:22:44+00:00Everton fans from the Gwladys Street Stand
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<p>Here's a selection of songs from yesterday's win over Chelsea</p> <p>The fans at Goodison Park were in full throat yesterday, especially late on. Once Romelu Lukaku's brace had put <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a> ahead for good against <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> in the FA Cup quarterfinal fixture, the vocal support just increased in volume.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The sound levels in front of the Gwladys St reached 117dB today. Apparently pain begins at 125dB. Great support! <a href="https://t.co/eSfcLvdZSh">pic.twitter.com/eSfcLvdZSh</a></p>
— Everton (@Everton) <a href="https://twitter.com/Everton/status/708757579548258305">March 12, 2016</a>
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<p>Watch this video here from the Glwadys Street end as the fans give you a wonderful rendition of <i>"We've got a diamond called <span>Ross Barkley</span>"</i>, <i>"We're going to me Wembley twice"</i>, and other songs from the Toffees repertoire.</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rZgiqZr1g_s" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>What a wonderful day to be a Blue, and <a href="http://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/11/11200910/new-owner-farhad-moshiri-everton-matchday-programme">new owner Farhad Moshiri</a> will surely have left the stadium in good cheer regarding his new purchase.</p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/13/11214288/everton-fans-raising-the-roof-goodison-gwladys-street-chelseaCalvin2016-03-13T13:46:17+00:002016-03-13T13:46:17+00:00Everton fans singing in the Gwladys Street stand<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://youtu.be/rZgiqZr1g_s">Everton fans singing in the Gwladys Street&nbsp;stand</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>Goodison Park was rocking last night as Everton beat Chelsea to book a semifinal spot at Wembley in the FA Cup.</p></p></div>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/13/11214006/everton-fans-singing-in-the-gwladys-street-standCalvin2016-03-12T21:55:55+00:002016-03-12T21:55:55+00:00Martinez: Lukaku’s goals made it all worth it
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<figcaption>Chris Brunskill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Everton manager's comments after the win</p> <p>Everton manager Roberto Martinez was understandably thrilled after today's 2-0 win against Chelsea, as the win took his side to a Wembley FA Cup semi-final.</p>
<p>It was former Stamford Bridge striker Romelu Lukaku who came back to haunt his previous employer with a well-taken brace.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"I thought it was a really good cup game and Chelsea played really well. Eventually, the game got to a point where it needed a bit of magic.</p>
<p>"Sometimes these games are decided by a dead-ball situation or a mistake - and that is a real shame.</p>
<p>"But the memory of Romelu Lukaku's goals made that disciplined performance all worth it today. His first goal is one of the best goals you will see scored in the FA Cup.</p>
<p>"He has created a great memory for every Evertonian, especially those inside Goodison Park - and it was well worthy of getting us to Wembley."</p>
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<p>Martinez also applauded the unwavering support today from the Goodison Park faithful that strengthened the team's resolve.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Our fans deserve this feeling. We have been outstanding in many games away from home this season, but haven't been able to replicate that at Goodison.</p>
<p>"We've not been poor at home, but we've not been able to get the results our performances have deserved.</p>
<p>"Today we have the satisfaction of giving our fans, who created a really, really impressive environment to help us, a trip to Wembley to look forward to."</p>
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<p>With new owner Farhad Moshiri attending his first game at Goodison Park, Martinez acquitted himself well in his presence.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Romelu Lukaku's goal was one of the great goals we will see in the FA Cup.</p>
<p>"We played a great team in Chelsea but we looked a team that was hurting from the weekend loss to West Ham.</p>
<p>"We had the responsibility to relieve the pain and did that in the last 12 minutes. Today was the complete feeling.</p>
<p>"It is a fantastic feeling, more than anything the atmosphere that was created. every one of us will take it away.</p>
<p>"I am the one bringing expectation and every single player at the club has the right mental character. We wanted to get to Wembley and our chairman deserves that for what he has achieved."</p>
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<p>On what looked like an apparent bite on Gareth Barry by controversial forward Diego Costa -</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"Diego Costa has a fighting spirit. I don't think it was much. Whatever happens with Diego Costa, I think we should see it as what we want to see in a cup game, real emotions. And I'm sure the players will have shaken it off at the end of the game and there is nothing to look back at."</p>
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https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/12/11212450/martinez-lukaku-s-goals-made-it-all-worth-itCalvin2016-03-12T21:25:00+00:002016-03-12T21:25:00+00:00Extended Highlights as Everton beat Chelsea 2:0
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<figcaption>Chris Brunskill/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>All chances, saves and goals from the 2-0 win. </p> <p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a> beat <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/">Chelsea</a> 2-0 in an FA Cup quarter final game at Goodison Park. Striker <span>Romelu Lukaku</span> came back to haunt his old club and their fans as two moments of magic in five minutes put paid to their pathetic season. In a cagey match with few chances, the hosts were pegged back for long periods of the first half.</p>
<p>However, an energetic second half performance triggered a revival leading to the two goals. First, an epic dribble by Lukaku through half of the Stamford Bridge collective led to the first goal, and then a smart finish from the opposite side put the result beyond doubt.</p>
<p>Toffees in the stadium and the world over will have then held their collective breaths as they awaited to see if Everton would proceed to fold as they have done multiple times this season. Kudos to the Blues today though, as they stood firm and repelled an impotent Chelsea outfit.</p>
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<p style="text-align: right;">Video courtesy of <a href="http://www.fullmatchesandshows.com/2016/03/12/everton-vs-chelsea-highlights-full-match-2/">Full Matches & Shows</a></p>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/12/11212354/everton-vs-chelsea-fa-cup-quarter-finals-extended-highlightsCalvin2016-03-12T20:26:03+00:002016-03-12T20:26:03+00:00Lukaku scores a wonder-goal for the ages against Chelsea<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/FOXSoccer/status/708731502620639232">Lukaku scores a wonder-goal for the ages against&nbsp;Chelsea</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>Romelu Lukaku's first goal of the game was one of the best you would have ever seen at Goodison Park ever. </p>
<p>The Belgian striker scored twice to lead Everton to an FA Cup quarter final win over Chelsea. </p>
<p>(Content can only be viewed in certain territories)</p></p></div>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/12/11212240/lukaku-scores-a-wonder-goal-for-the-ages-against-chelseaCalvin2016-03-12T19:36:38+00:002016-03-12T19:36:38+00:00Diego Costa bites Gareth Barry in FA Cup game<h3 class="link-title"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/Jordan9ja/status/708739119640346624">Diego Costa bites Gareth Barry in FA Cup&nbsp;game</a></h3>
<div class="description"><p><p>The dirtiest player in the game enhanced his reputation by following in the steps of the dirtiest ever, Luis Suarez. </p>
<p>Diego Costa bites Gareth Barry in Chelsea's 2-0 loss to Everton in the FA Cup quarter final.</p></p></div>
https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2016/3/12/11212070/diego-costa-bites-gareth-barry-in-fa-cup-gameCalvin