Everton made what was always going to be a tough and tricky trip to The Den to face Millwall in tonight’s evening kickoff in the FA Cup fourth round.
With poor form for Marco Silva’s side over the festive and New Year period so far, taking a break from the Premier League may not have been welcomed by all but Silva certainly stated his intentions for a good win by picking a very strong squad for the tie – whether that was for a Cup run per se, or simply to try and get some more confidence and belief into the group is open for debate.
FT. Millwall 3-2 Everton. Blues knocked out of the FA Cup after last-gasp goal. #EFCawayday
— Everton (@Everton) January 26, 2019
Chances were few and far between in the first half with both sides only registering one effort on target apiece – our effort was from Richarlison in the 43rd minute as he gave us the lead, but Millwall’s effort also resulted in a goal in first half stoppage-time as they drew level.
Second half was more lively with Cenk Tosun giving us the advantage, but the hosts hit back hard and levelled within minutes once more. They also nicked the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage-time to send us out of the competition.
The game only really had one topic of discussion though – handball.
Speaking to the Sky Sports following the fulltime whistle, Silva said of the game.
“It doesn’t make sense. If we have to be fair with all the clubs and the competition – we have to do it for all the games. We were winning 2-1 at that moment and it made a big impact on the pitch. We need to put VAR in all the stadiums. Seven or eight players saw the handball and it’s difficult for us about how the referee or his assistant cannot see. Then 1,000 people can see it on the big screen but the referee didn’t see – it’s really strange.”