The manner of Everton's FA Cup win over brave Carlisle was not what returning captain Phil Neville wanted, but the end product was spot on.
A flattering 3-1 scoreline in the third-round tie at Goodison Park secured victory for the Toffees over a League One side who deserved a replay for their efforts.
Carlisle boss Greg Abbott was rightly proud of his side's display, fighting back to level through Kevan Hurst's scuffed equaliser after Adam Clayton's poor back-pass had gifted James Vaughan an early opener.
Had skipper Danny Livesey's hook against the bar with 19 minutes left been a fraction lower, the Cumbrians could have been heading for glory.
They held out until the final minutes when Tim Cahill grabbed his 50th goal for Everton and teenager Kieran Agard won a stoppage-time penalty which was gratefully converted by Leighton Baines.
Neville, starting his first game since September after a serious knee injury, is hoping now for another cup run just like last season when Everton went all the way to Wembley.
He said: "Carlisle were outstanding. It was hard work, but in the end it is about being in the hat for the next round.
"They gave us a fright, hitting the bar when it was level and 3-1 totally flattered us. Our performance was not up to what it has been recently.
"But we are still in the competition. And looking back at our unbelievable cup run last season, we struggled at Macclesfield in the third round but managed a win there.
"It was a similar type of game to this one, and last season we still ended up at Wembley.
"The aim is to get to the final again. Beforehand when we were warming up on the pitch we could see the re-runs on the big screens of last season's final and the semi-final at Wembley being shown.
"I just felt that we needed some more of that. Last season that cup run was truly inspiring and it galvanised the whole club.
"Now we want another run like that. We need to really kick on now. There are no excuses. We can see light at the end of the tunnel with injured players coming back and we just need to keep winning games.
"We have a big couple of months coming up in the league, cup and Europe, and if we can come out of that in good shape we can really attack the last half of the season."
Neville added: "As for me, I'm delighted to be back. I feel fine and really fresh. It is just a case now of hard training and building up my fitness.
"In the end it was a couple of the youngsters, Agard and Seamus Coleman, who came on and swung the game.
"I always tell our young players they are extremely lucky to be at a club that gives youth a chance. Our manager (David Moyes) is not scared to give young talent a go. And when they get that opportunity they have to take it.
"In the end there were three good young lads out on the pitch. Vaughan scored our first goal, Coleman ignited us when he came on down the right and Agard won the late penalty.
"That is three plus points for us and there are plenty more youngsters here waiting for their chances.
"As an experienced player it is great when there are young, fearless, players coming into the team. They just go out and perform as if they were still on the playground."
Brunton Park chief Abbott, the former Bradford defender, will now try to secure extended loans for Clayton and Tom Taiwo, from Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.
He said: "We will deal with their situations on Monday morning. Clayton, in particular, was outstanding.
"He made a mistake for their first goal, but these things happen. He then took on top-class players like Cahill, Neville and (Marouane) Fellaini, and more than coped with the pressure.
"As for us, if we can carry this sort of performance into a league form, we will climb the table."
A flattering 3-1 scoreline in the third-round tie at Goodison Park secured victory for the Toffees over a League One side who deserved a replay for their efforts.
Carlisle boss Greg Abbott was rightly proud of his side's display, fighting back to level through Kevan Hurst's scuffed equaliser after Adam Clayton's poor back-pass had gifted James Vaughan an early opener.
Had skipper Danny Livesey's hook against the bar with 19 minutes left been a fraction lower, the Cumbrians could have been heading for glory.
They held out until the final minutes when Tim Cahill grabbed his 50th goal for Everton and teenager Kieran Agard won a stoppage-time penalty which was gratefully converted by Leighton Baines.
Neville, starting his first game since September after a serious knee injury, is hoping now for another cup run just like last season when Everton went all the way to Wembley.
He said: "Carlisle were outstanding. It was hard work, but in the end it is about being in the hat for the next round.
"They gave us a fright, hitting the bar when it was level and 3-1 totally flattered us. Our performance was not up to what it has been recently.
"But we are still in the competition. And looking back at our unbelievable cup run last season, we struggled at Macclesfield in the third round but managed a win there.
"It was a similar type of game to this one, and last season we still ended up at Wembley.
"The aim is to get to the final again. Beforehand when we were warming up on the pitch we could see the re-runs on the big screens of last season's final and the semi-final at Wembley being shown.
"I just felt that we needed some more of that. Last season that cup run was truly inspiring and it galvanised the whole club.
"Now we want another run like that. We need to really kick on now. There are no excuses. We can see light at the end of the tunnel with injured players coming back and we just need to keep winning games.
"We have a big couple of months coming up in the league, cup and Europe, and if we can come out of that in good shape we can really attack the last half of the season."
Neville added: "As for me, I'm delighted to be back. I feel fine and really fresh. It is just a case now of hard training and building up my fitness.
"In the end it was a couple of the youngsters, Agard and Seamus Coleman, who came on and swung the game.
"I always tell our young players they are extremely lucky to be at a club that gives youth a chance. Our manager (David Moyes) is not scared to give young talent a go. And when they get that opportunity they have to take it.
"In the end there were three good young lads out on the pitch. Vaughan scored our first goal, Coleman ignited us when he came on down the right and Agard won the late penalty.
"That is three plus points for us and there are plenty more youngsters here waiting for their chances.
"As an experienced player it is great when there are young, fearless, players coming into the team. They just go out and perform as if they were still on the playground."
Brunton Park chief Abbott, the former Bradford defender, will now try to secure extended loans for Clayton and Tom Taiwo, from Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.
He said: "We will deal with their situations on Monday morning. Clayton, in particular, was outstanding.
"He made a mistake for their first goal, but these things happen. He then took on top-class players like Cahill, Neville and (Marouane) Fellaini, and more than coped with the pressure.
"As for us, if we can carry this sort of performance into a league form, we will climb the table."
Source:
http://www.sportinglife.com
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