Everton progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals after a hard-fought 2-0 win over National League side Boreham Wood on Thursday.
Salomon Rondon scored twice as Everton cruised to a 2-0 fifth-round victory over non-League Boreham Wood to book a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Crystal Palace. It was an act of solidarity by Everton to hand Ukraine international Vitaliy Mykolenko the captaincy.
As expected, a heavily rotated side dominated a big chunk of possession, having around 80% of the ball throughout the game. Still, the underdog visitors defended bravely, remained competitive and admirably kept the scoreline 0-0 at half-time. Efforts from Mykolenko and Anthony Gordon forced Taye Ashby-Hammond into action, but that was it in terms of goal-scoring threat from Everton.
The hosts remained frustrated until the 57th minute when they finally broke the deadlock with Jonjoe Kenny sliding in a low drive for Rondon to score at the near post with an instinctive finish. And the Venezuelan doubled the advantage late on with a towering header.
There were some bright spots in an otherwise turgid performance from the Toffees, and it would not be a stretch to say it was an uninspiring showing against a resolute non-league side. Clearly, they will need to do much better to sustain their long-running top-flight status in their upcoming Premier League games. For now, The Hard Tackle take a look at how Frank Lampard’s men fared on the night.
Their #EmiratesFACup journey might be over for this year, but what a journey it’s been.@BOREHAM_WOODFC you’ve been fantastic ? pic.twitter.com/KwR0eFVyve
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 3, 2022
Asmir Begovic: 6/10
Begovic had very little to do between the sticks for the Toffees all evening as Boreham Wood never tested him., but his distribution was a bit hesitant and unsure at times. He displayed why he is the understudy to Pickford.
Jonjoe Kenny: 7/10
Kenny showcased his versatility by operating in three different positions in a single game. He joined Patterson on the flank whenever possible in the first half but was largely wasteful. However, he fared much better in the second half after being shifted to a more familiar full-back role. He made room for himself with a give-and-go before slipping Rondon in for the first goal.
??????? Jonjoe Kenny vs. Boreham Wood
• 1 assist
• 1 big chance created
• 2 accurate crosses
• 3 tackles
• 6 key passes
• 75% ground duels won (3/4)
• 80% aerial duels won (4/5)
• Clean sheet ✅
• MOTM (SofaScore) ?Confidence builder. pic.twitter.com/Zz2LuMnIGE
— Matchday365 (@Matchday365) March 3, 2022
Not only that, the Everton academy product was very effective in other departments and finished the game with more tackles (three), aerial duels won (four) and key passes (five), while he had the second-most touches in the match (110).
Michael Keane: 6/10
Keane defended well and had a relatively comfortable game as he stood up to the tough physical battle and always looked in control at the back. That said, he took a few too many touches in possession and failed to make use of his distribution to kick off attacks of his own or help break down the opposition’s defence.
Jarrad Branthwaite: 6.5/10
A quiet evening for the youngster as he was barely troubled by the Boreham Wood forwards. While he was reliable in both phases, some of his back passes were a tad sloppy, notably one ball straight at Tyrone Marsh. Otherwise, he left a good impression of himself and also had a decent chance to get on the scoresheet.
Nathan Patterson: 7/10
On his long-awaited debut, Patterson operated as a right wing-back and gave a good account of himself. He had some crisp touches and showed great athleticism to maraud forward to good effect, but his crossing let him down several times as he could not pick out his teammates with deliveries.
Lampard took an inexplicable decision to hook the youngster off at half-time as he was one of the better players on the pitch in the first half. But maybe it is an indication that he will get some minutes on the weekend.
Allan: 6/10
Allan tried to keep things ticking along and offered a calming presence in the middle of the park and was decent at breaking up the play and sustaining attacks. But he ran out of steam later on in the game and was second-best in plenty of key duels. At the same time, his accuracy with long balls was also poor.
Abdoulaye Doucoure: 6/10
Doucoure had some good moments when he looked dangerous in the final third but appeared a tad rusty and leggy in his second game back after a significant injury layoff. There was plenty of running, and he progressed the ball forward to create some chances, but his passing was wayward and sloppy.
Vitaliy Mykolenko: 7/10
Handed the captain’s armband for the evening, the Ukrainian had a decent showing as he put in a good shift. Mykolenko started as a left wing-back in the first half and tested Taye Ashby-Hammond with an early shot. He switched to a more orthodox full-back role in the second half and started with some good intensity, trying to get forward as much as possible, but his crossing was a bit inconsistent.
Andros Townsend: 5/10
Townsend got the assist to his name for the second goal but barring that, he had an absolute stinker as he wasted a big chance to show Lampard what he is all about. Poor decision making, crossing, and non-existent penetration in the final third exemplified his performance. He never got to the grips of the game and almost disappeared completely later on.
Salomon Rondon: 8/10
✌?ictory & ✌? goals.
?⚔️?
✌?ictoria & ✌? goles. #EFC #UTT pic.twitter.com/1O3LUHYEmc— Salomón Rondón (@salorondon23) March 3, 2022
The Venezuelan international has often come under scrutiny from Everton’s fanbase, but Rondon has always been a grafter. He started brightly but then dropped deep to get involved to variable success in the first half. Many feared it was going to be another rough night at the office for Rondon when he missed a sitter early in the second half. Still, he stuck at it, looked lively after the introduction of Richarlison and got rewarded with two well-taken poacher’s goals.
Anthony Gordon: 7.5/10
Gordon was unquestionably Everton’s brightest player over the course of the game. While the end-product was not always there, he posed a constant danger with his inventiveness, strong running and neat footwork. He drew some good saves out of the Boreham Wood keeper on several occasions and tried to take matters into his own hands with powerful drives up the pitch.
SUBSTITUTES
Richarlison: 7/10
The Brazilian added an extra dimension to Everton’s attack with some much-needed energy and directness and was unlucky to have a goal ruled out in the end.
Seamus Coleman: 6/10
The Everton skipper delivered a usual solid display as he kept things simple to help Everton sustain their tempo. He did not do much defensively or offensively but never put a foot wrong either.
Lewis Dobbin: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Reece Welch: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Isaac Price: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
