Mason Holgate was Everton’s unlikely hero as his first goal for the club released some of the pressure on Marco Silva.
This fourth round tie was undoubtedly the biggest game of Everton’s campaign and they managed to sneak through to the quarter-finals for the first time December 2015 when Holgate, the young defender, arrived like an express train to bury Theo Walcott’s cross.
It would be wrong to suggest, however, this performance has shown Everton have turned a corner and Watford should feel embarrassed that they did not pose more questions of a side whose confidence has drained over the last month.
The first 45 minutes was an affront to everything knockout football should be – rather than attack the opportunity in front of them, Everton and Watford contrived to produce unrelenting tedium with the competition appearing to be whose passing could be worse. It was dreadful.
Inevitably, a chorus of boos greeted the half-time whistle.
By that point, both teams had made enforced changes – Michael Keane had replaced Yerry Mina for Everton, Watford’s switch was Abdoulaye Docoure for Domingos Quina – and there was another switch at the interval.
Moise Kean, the striker whom Everton paid £30million to sign in August, was hauled off for Walcott.
It has been an unhappy introduction to English football for the young Italian and this experience will not have helped his confidence.
Walcott’s pace immediately gave Everton a lift and, belatedly, they improved; the first real sight of goal arrived in the 61st minute when Keane wriggled free at the back post but tamely headed Lucas Digne’s free-kick into the arms of Heurelho Gomes.
It started a concerted spell of pressure and Watford’s keeper needed to be at his best to beat away a thumping drive from his namesake Andre Gomes (64 minutes); the woodwork came to his rescue twice, meanwhile, following shots from Alex Iwobi and a Digne free-kick.
With Watford showing no ambition, the way was clear for Everton and Holgate made the pressure count when planting his header in the Gwladys Street net.
The gloss was put on the triumph in injury time when Richarlison streaked on to Cenk Tosun’s pass to score against his old club.
Interestingly, there were no smiles from Silva at the final whistle. He knows, clearly, that improvement is still needed.
