Everton secured their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a victory over Newcastle United, as James Garner scored his first goal of the season and Hayden Hackney contributed a goal and an assist.
Hackney makes his mark
Hayden Hackney, a summer arrival from Middlesbrough in a deal worth £16.5million rising to £25million, had started just once in the Premier League this season, on the opening day against Crystal Palace. Against Newcastle, he played a role in Everton's opening goal and scored 11 minutes later, showing why David Moyes was keen to sign him.
Hackney gave away at least five free-kicks and was booked just after the hour mark, prompting Moyes to replace him with Harrison Armstrong after 65 minutes to avoid the risk of going down to 10 men.
Garner's confidence booster
James Garner opened his account for the season with a tidy finish into the far corner after 34 minutes. He had undergone surgery on his groin during the summer and was expected to miss the start of the season, but returned in time to come off the bench against Crystal Palace on the opening day.
Speaking last month, Garner admitted: "I'm not 100 per cent but I'll get there. I want to play, regardless. [The injury] was something I didn't know I had until I came back in for pre-season. The operation was needed and I'm glad it got done, even though it meant me missing pretty much all of our pre-season."
Tarkowski's crucial block
James Tarkowski received a booking for a tussle with Joelinton after Dan Burn headed in a consolation goal for Newcastle. Earlier, with just under 30 minutes on the clock, Tarkowski produced a goal-saving block to deny William Osula, who had broken clear and looked set to give the Magpies the lead.
The booking should not detract from another fine performance from the centre-back, who has become one of Everton's most important players in recent weeks.
Prime Minister's wish granted
Prime Minister Andy Burnham watched the Blues in action and would have been delighted that David Moyes listened to his message about wanting a good cup run this season. Speaking to the ECHO earlier this month, Burnham urged: "We've got the best stadium in the country, I believe we've got the best manager in the country in David Moyes and we've got a strong squad, although light in a few areas - we were unbeaten until last weekend. We've got a difficult game this weekend. I keep saying to David, I hope he is listening to this, I know he does read the ECHO. I keep saying let's have a cup run. It is my view that the League Cup can be the catalyst sometimes for clubs in terms of getting that positivity and that momentum going. So no pressure David I'm hoping that is what we can do."
Everton now face a quarter-final tie against League Two Fleetwood Town, with a very good chance they could still be in the League Cup post-Christmas.
