Andre Gomes FINALLY Breaks the Deadlock after 132 Minutes of FA Cup Tie with a Stunning Free-Kick
- 4 months ago
Five managers, two charges for breaching financial rules, and 1,602 days later, Everton finally ended a four-year wait to score from a free-kick. At most points in this rather tedious tie, across two matches, it felt like it would take a similar amount of days for either team to score a goal.
But after a drab 90 minutes in south London and half a game in Liverpool, a touch of class from Andre Gomes finally brought a spark to this snoozefest to give Everton their first win of 2024 and send Sean Dyche’s men into a fourth-round meeting with relegation rivals Luton.
Even Toffees trivia nuts might struggle to recall that last free-kick goal, a sweet strike from Lucas Digne at Lincoln’s Sincil Bank in August 2019. But Portuguese midfielder Gomes provided a strike that even a certain compatriot of his would be proud of.
That topped off a stellar display from the once-forgotten Gomes, 30, who was out on loan at Lille last season and looked like his Everton days were numbered. But he was slick on the ball and constantly popped up in dangerous half-spaces to prove he is still a valuable asset.
He was closely rivaled for the player-of-the-match award, and perhaps just tipped in stoppage time, by fellow Portuguese player Joao Virginia. The Everton backup goalkeeper made a string of big stops as Crystal Palace knocked on the door for a late equalizer.
Everton have, after all, the only Premier League side to not win a spot-kick this season.
But despite that fact, it felt like this tight match was going to be one which was decided by a set-piece. And so it was, with Gomes unleashing a powerful free-kick from around 25 yards out that bounced in off the post. After a tough week off the pitch, reasons to be cheerful on it.
‘I’m pleased with the result,’ added Dyche. ‘We have played better and lost (this season). We never found the fluidity but a fantastic goal seals it in the end. We did look solid, though, and that’s a good base for us to build on. Three clean sheets in a row and three unbeaten now.’
But after a drab 90 minutes in south London and half a game in Liverpool, a touch of class from Andre Gomes finally brought a spark to this snoozefest to give Everton their first win of 2024 and send Sean Dyche’s men into a fourth-round meeting with relegation rivals Luton.
Even Toffees trivia nuts might struggle to recall that last free-kick goal, a sweet strike from Lucas Digne at Lincoln’s Sincil Bank in August 2019. But Portuguese midfielder Gomes provided a strike that even a certain compatriot of his would be proud of.
That topped off a stellar display from the once-forgotten Gomes, 30, who was out on loan at Lille last season and looked like his Everton days were numbered. But he was slick on the ball and constantly popped up in dangerous half-spaces to prove he is still a valuable asset.
He was closely rivaled for the player-of-the-match award, and perhaps just tipped in stoppage time, by fellow Portuguese player Joao Virginia. The Everton backup goalkeeper made a string of big stops as Crystal Palace knocked on the door for a late equalizer.
Everton have, after all, the only Premier League side to not win a spot-kick this season.
But despite that fact, it felt like this tight match was going to be one which was decided by a set-piece. And so it was, with Gomes unleashing a powerful free-kick from around 25 yards out that bounced in off the post. After a tough week off the pitch, reasons to be cheerful on it.
‘I’m pleased with the result,’ added Dyche. ‘We have played better and lost (this season). We never found the fluidity but a fantastic goal seals it in the end. We did look solid, though, and that’s a good base for us to build on. Three clean sheets in a row and three unbeaten now.’