Fleetwood 2 Everton 5: Pickford errs in cup win

Everton claimed a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup with another five star display as they beat Fleetwood Town last night.

Overall this was a good win for Everton with several outstanding performances and another five goal haul as well.

Indeed a number of fringe players in the Toffees squad such as Alex Iwobi and Bernard were excellent and have given manager Carlo Ancelotti some food for thought as he considers his squad selection for the weekend.

Iwobi and Bernard both seem to be responding to the challenge and raising their game following the arrival of the Blues new high-profile signings.

I’ve always had mixed views about Iwobi, feeling their is a good, talented player in there, despite the fact that the evidence from his recent performances was so often to the contrary!

He has struggled to find his feet at Goodison Park since his expensive move from Arsenal last summer and his future was very much in doubt coming into this transfer window.

He didn’t seem to fit into the team, especially when playing in a wide position in a 4-4-2 formation. The ex-Arsenal man isn’t a winger and always seemed better suited to playing inside.

Too often Iwobi got lost in games and drifted in and out without making any impact. It looked as though Everton had bought another expensive flop.

Along with so many other players on the Blues books, it always seemed to me that Iwobi would be better off in a 4-3-3.  Then he could operate as one of three, either in midfield or up front and this suits his strengths, which are his ability to carry the ball and link up with the strikers.

Well he got that chance last night and did produce a strong performance, including scoring both a goal and getting an assist.

True it was against a League One team, so perhaps we shouldn’t read too much into it and we’ve seen him far too often fail to follow up the odd good game with any consistency.

Bernard also got a start again last night and he too responded with a fine effort. The little Brazilian enjoys playing in an advanced, central position and can be much more involved, while also finding more space to get on the ball and play the sort of incisive passes he excels at.

So perhaps both players still have a future at Goodison Park, if they can keep producing these sorts of performances.

Ancelotti picked a number of first-team players who didn’t play last Wednesday, including Jordan Pickford, Fabian Delph, Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Everton began well and quickly took control of the game with Richarlison opening the scoring and then adding a second after good work from Iwobi. The Blues were cruising.

Then after half-time Everton allowed Fleetwood Town back into the game though a classic defensive mix-up.

It’s difficult to know who exactly to blame for the goal. Most fingers will point at Pickford for his hashed clearance but Michael Keane’s back-pass was poor and put the England goalkeeper under unnecessary pressure.

Still Pickford could and should have just put his foot through it and cleared the danger. He didn’t and Fleetwood had scored a goal their first-half play didn’t deserve.

The Blues didn’t falter though and just a few minutes later had restored their two goal lead as Iwobi got the away team’s third.

But Fleetwood, buoyed by their goal, were playing much better now and they made a game of it as they then scored a second.

Again Pickford was at fault, this time he failed to deal with a shot straight at him and seemed to flap at the ball sending it spiraling into his own net.

I don’t know what to think about Pickford anymore. He looked better against Tottenham than he has for a long while and didn’t really do anything wrong against West Brom, although in truth he was comfortably beaten twice from long-range, a familiar issue.

I thought if he had a better defence and more consistency of personnel in front of him, then he might improve. But his concentration and confidence seem just as erratic and if he keeps turning in performances like this he’s again going to cost Everton some crucial points this season.

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It doesn’t look as though the Blues will be able to bring in another goalkeeper before the window closes now they have to prioritise central defence.

But if they don’t find a top class keeper, the team will not be able to compete consistently at the highest level, even with this much improved general play.

Anyway, the Toffees again responded well and added two more late goals through an excellent Bernard effort and substitute striker Moise Kean, who got his second goal in this competition in successive weeks.

There were also excellent performances, particularly from two young starlets who excelled last week as well: Niels Nkounkou and Anthony Gordon.

Both these players were again outstanding, especially Nkounkou who looks an absolute steal of a buy. He is surely making an increasingly strong case for some first-team opportunities soon.

So in the end, another very good victory and Everton are certainly playing some superb attacking football these days. But nagging defensive errors and inconsistencies are worrying and could potentially damage the team’s chances of achieving something memorable this season.