Everton safely booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup this afternoon courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Carlisle United at Brunton Park.
The Toffees raced into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes to take complete control of the contest, with Aaron Lennon setting up Arouna Kone for the opener before getting his own name on the scoresheet.
A third goal arrived through Ross Barkley in the second half to well and truly kill the League Two hosts off as Everton progressed into the last 16.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
12.30pmGood afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for the first of Sunday's FA Cup matches as Carlisle United host Everton in the fourth round. There weren't many shocks yesterday, with Shrewsbury stealing the headlines by striking late to beat Sheffield Wednesday and Peterborough holding West Bromwich Albion to a draw, but Carlisle will hope to come up with arguably the biggest giant-killing of this year's competition so far today. Let's start with a look at the two teams...
12.32pmCARLISLE STARTING XI: Gillespie; Atkinson, Ellis, Raynes; Miller, Kennedy, Dicker, Sweeney, Gillesphey, Comley; Asamoah
12.32pmCARLISLE SUBS: Hanford, Wyke, Ibehre, Gilliead, Thompson, Hope, McQueen
12.34pmAs we wait for Everton's team news to filter, through, let's first take a look at that Carlisle side, and manager Keith Curle has sprung something of a surprise up front. Ibehre has been Carlisle's danger man this season, scoring an impressive 12 goals in 17 League Two outings, yet he is only left on the bench today. That is perhaps an indication as to where Carlisle's priorities lie this season, but Ibehre would have to right to be a little peeved at missing Carlisle's biggest game of the season!
12.36pmHis strike partner from the weekend Asamoah does play this afternoon, and he will be joined by Brandon Comley, who makes his debut for the club. He has big shoes to fill if he is expected to make up for the absence of Ibehre, but it is a special occasion for 20-year-old. Talk about being thrown in at the deep end!
12.38pmThe hosts are still without captain Grainger due to an ankle injury, while Joyce once again misses out through suspension. There is a place in the side once more for on-loan Gillesphey, however, and the initial teamsheet that has been provided by the club suggests that he may be playing a little more advanced than at the weekend. We will wait to see whether that is the case, or whether he fills in at left-back as usual.
12.40pmIn all, Keith Curle has made just two changes to the side that drew with York last time out, with one of those being Ibehre dropping to the bench and Comley coming in. The other change comes in midfield, where Sweeney starts in place of Hery. Sweeney did come on for Hery in the latter stages of the weekend draw, but is handed a go from the start this afternoon.
12.42pmEVERTON STARTING XI: Joel; Coleman, Funes Mori, Jagielka, Oviedo; McCarthy, Cleverley, Lennon, Pienaar, Barkley; Kone
12.42pmEVERTON SUBS: Howard, Gibson, Stones, Lukaku, Deulofeu, Osman, Galloway
12.44pmEverton have finally deigned to give us their team news, and there are a few interesting notes from Martinez's selection. Perhaps most conspicuous by his absence is John Stones, who has been criticised by many for a series of mistakes in recent weeks. There is no doubt that the youngster has quality, but his habit of playing out from the back can often bring more pressure on his own team, which is certainly something they don't need in their current situation. Whether his form is a reason behind him dropping to the bench, only Martinez knows, but Seamus Coleman replaces him in the starting XI today.
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12.46pmThere is another big-name absentee at the other end of the field, with Martinez opting to rest Romelu Lukaku and give Arouna Kone the task of leading the line. Lukaku has scored in all three of this FA Cup games for Everton, but it was always likely that he would be handed a rest this afternoon considering they were in action just last Wednesday, and have another midweek Premier League game coming up.
12.48pmBesides Stones and Lukaku dropping out, Everton have made four further changes to the side that was beaten by Manchester City on Wednesday, although one of those does not come in goal, as Joel Robles keeps his place as the cup keeper for Martinez's side. Funes Mori and Jagielka remain as the centre-back partnership, but there is a change on the left side of defence as Oviedo replaces Baines, who is left out of the squad entirely.
12.50pmGood news comes in the form of James McCarthy making his first start since his return from injury, and he is one of three changes in midfield as Darry, Deulofeu and Osman all drop out of the starting XI. Barkley keeps his place, perhaps a little surprisingly considering his importance to the team this season, and he is joined by Aaron Lennon and Steven Pienaar in that trio behind Kone. Cleverley keeps his place in the middle of the park alongside the fit-again McCarthy.
12.52pmThere is no doubt that Everton will go into this match as heavy favourites to progress, but the Toffees' struggles of late will hand some encouragement to a Carlisle side who have had troubles of their own recently. Those have mostly come off the field, however, and were completely out of their control as Storm Desmond ripped through the town and wreaked havoc in its wake. Brunton Park was submerged in water, and it was only a week ago that Carlisle were able to return to their home ground.
12.54pmDuring the time that Brunton Park was under water, Carlisle played their 'home' matches at Deepdale, Ewood Park and Bloomfield Road, the latter of which housed their FA Cup contest with Yeovil in the last round. It was almost a 100-mile trip to Bloomfield Road for that 'home' game, and it then went to a replay to force even more travelling for the club. Indeed, they have travelled further in this season's FA Cup than any other team.
12.56pmIt has all been worth it to reach this point, however, and they wouldn't mind going anywhere in the country if they make it past Everton today too. They can't go much further than Plymouth, however, which is where they began their FA Cup journey this season, beating the League Two high-flyers 2-0 in the first round. They then thrashed non-league Welling United 5-0 to reach the third round, where they drew with Yeovil twice before coming through on penalties to set up this showdown with the Toffees.
12.58pmTheir 2-2 draw with Yeovil in the original third-round match is the only one of those which has come at home, if you count Bloomfield Road as their home on that occasion, but their recent FA Cup record in front of their own fans should certainly give them a bit of confidence today. They have lost just one of their last nine home FA Cup games in a run that stretches back to December 2008 and includes six victories. Of course, Everton pose comfortably the biggest test in that period, but they aren't too easy to beat here.
1pmIndeed, they haven't lost at Brunton Park since a 3-2 defeat to Morecambe back in October, going five matches unbeaten at home since then. They did lose to Plymouth while playing at Ewood Park in their first match of 2016, but even if you count that one as a home game, Carlisle have only lost one of their last eight outings in front of their own fans. They are, however, winless at home in their three games in 2016 so far.
1.02pmExcluding penalties, they are actually winless home and away in 2016 so far, drawing four and losing one of their five outings. The most recent of those games saw them return to Brunton Park for the first time since the floods, but it was a disappointing result as York City, who are bottom of the Football League, scored late to rescue a point last week. Defeats have been few and far between in that run as well, though - they lost just one of their last 10 games in 2015 and have only been beaten twice in their last 15 outings in all competitions.
1.04pmYesterday's results saw Carlisle drop into the bottom half of League Two, but they won't be too concerned with their position at the moment. They have only been beaten six times all season - only three teams have lost fewer games - and are only five points off the playoffs, with at least two games in hand over the majority of the other teams in the division and as many as four games in hand over some.
1.06pmIn many ways, similarities can be drawn between the current positions of Carlisle and Everton. Both reside in the bottom half of their respective leagues, but both will be confident of climbing the table before the end of the season and, perhaps (in the case of Everton), pushing for the top six. The difference lies in the fact that Everton do not have the luxury of games in hand and have been guilty of underachieving throughout the campaign up to this point.
1.08pmThe squad at Roberto Martinez's disposal is one of the most exciting ones Everton have had in recent years, with youthful and attacking players galore. However, the results have not mirrored that, and in particular defensively they have been heavily criticised this season. They have actually only lost six games this term, which is the same amount as Manchester United and only one more than both Arsenal and Manchester City, but they have also only won six times too, which is not good enough.
1.10pmIt is their 11 draws from 23 games that have really hurt Everton this season and prevented them from joining the race for the top four, which this squad is surely capable of. They are among the top scorers in the league, but no team outside the bottom five has conceded more, and naturally that has led to questions over the managerial style of Roberto Martinez. Attacking, exciting football is, of course, what we all want to see, but Everton fans are growing increasingly exasperated at that not being reflected in results.
1.12pmMartinez comes into this game under huge pressure, and there has even been talk that a defeat could spell the end of his tenure at the club. Bill Kenwright is not a sacking chairman by any means - he has only had two managers in his 12-year stint as chairman, and the first of those, David Moyes, left of his own accord to join Manchester United - but the fans are reportedly calling for Martinez's head and Kenwright will not be able to ignore that forever. It would be very interesting to see what happens should Everton not progress this afternoon.
1.14pmA defeat this afternoon would see them fall to three losses in a row for the first time in more than a year, while they have not won a game since their 2-0 defeat over Dagenham & Redbridge in the third round of this competition. The FA Cup may well be a welcome relief for Everton once again should they win today, as victories have been especially hard to come by in the Premier League. They have won just one of their last 10 outings in the top flight, and have not beaten a team outside the relegation zone since September.
1.16pmOf course, the opposition at that level is more challenging that what Carlisle are expected to put up today, but Everton will also need to pick themselves up following their League Cup exit in midweek. The Toffees led Manchester City 2-1 after the first leg and took the lead in the second to build a two-goal aggregate advantage. However, City came back and, with the help of a highly controversial second goal, ended up winning 3-1 to book their place in the final against Liverpool. Everton were left bemoaning their luck, but City did also hit the post twice and deserved their victory in the end.
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1.18pmThat was only Everton's second away defeat in any competition this season, however, and their first in eight matches since October. The majority of their away games have ended in draws, which would not be enough to appease the fans this afternoon, but they have also only been beaten at the Etihad and the Emirates - arguably the two toughest places to go in the country. They have picked up more points and conceded significantly fewer goals away from home as they have at home as well, so it won't worry them to be on the road for this match.
1.20pmPREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff at Brunton Park, which means that it is time for a prediction! Everton rightly go into this match as favourites and, while things aren't going too well for them at the moment, they should have more than enough to see off the challenge of Carlisle this afternoon. If they find themselves struggling to find a way through they have the likes of Lukaku and Deulofeu on the bench, and that quality should tell in the end. I'm going for a 3-1 away win.
1.22pmThese two sides last met each other in the third round of this competition six years ago, and Everton ran out 3-1 on that occasion too. Vaughan, Cahill and Baines were all on the scoresheet for the Toffees at Goodison Park. Indeed, Everton have won all three of the previous FA Cup meetings between these two sides, although Carlisle did win the last time the two sides met on their home turf, running out 3-0 victors in a First Division match in March 1975.
1.24pmCarlisle have won just one of their last 14 FA Cup meetings against top-flight opposition, losing 11 of those. That solitary victory came all the way back in 1986 too, when they overcame Queens Park Rangers. By contrast, Everton have progressed from their last eight FA Cup ties against teams from the lower leagues, scoring 26 goals and conceding just five in the process.
1.26pmThe FA Cup pedigree between these two sides could not be much different. Carlisle's best performance in this competition saw them reach the quarter-finals in 1975, while Everton are five-time winners of the competition and have reached the fifth round in four of the last five seasons. Everton have not lifted the trophy, or any trophy for that matter, since 1995, though, which is a long drought for a club of their size.
1.28pmIt's nearly time for kickoff at a sold-out Brunton Park, then, as Carlisle - the lowest-ranked side still in this year's FA Cup - look to pull off a major upset and heap more pressure on the shoulders of Martinez. It should be a good old-fashioned cup tie this!
1 minKICKOFF: Here we go then! Everton get us underway at Brunton Park as they look to bounce back from the midweek defeat by putting their name in the hat for the fifth round.
2 minGOAL! Carlisle 0-1 Everton (Arouna Kone)
2 minWell, that didn't take long! Everton get off to the perfect start with a goal inside two minutes as Coleman lifts a pass over the top for Lennon, who has spun in behind the defence far too easily. From there it is all pretty straightforward as Lennon rolls it across the six-yard box for Kone to tap home.
4 minThat is exactly what Everton and Martinez would have wanted at the start of this match, but from a Carlisle point of view it puts a real dampener on things. Already the upset looks a major task, and we haven't even played five minutes.
6 minSHOT! An Everton error almost hands Carlisle a chance as Cleverley sells Jagielka short with a pass, allowing Asamoah to nip in. He takes the shot early from outside the box, but it is never troubling Joel.
7 minLovely football from Everton as they up the tempo with a few good one-touch passes, allowing Cleverley to break into the box. Gillespie comes out, however, and takes the ball off the midfielder's toes.
8 minSAVE! The belief is just beginning to grow inside Brunton Park as they have another sight of goal. It is poor from Funes Mori as he completely misses a kick, allowing Asamoah to nip in. The angle is against the striker, but he hits his half-volley well and Joel has to beat it away.
10 minThere have been a couple of warning shots already for Everton, then, and both of them have stemmed from defensive errors. It doesn't matter if they are facing a League Two side or a Premier League side, they always seem to give the opposition a chance to get back into it.
12 minMcCarthy gets a grilling from the ref for a high foot, and he was certainly running a risk. Lee Mason lets it go without flashing a card, which for me is the right decision.
13 minEverton come forward again, this time down the left, but Oviedo's cross into the box floats away from Kone and straight behind for a goal kick.
14 minGOAL! Carlisle 0-2 Everton (Aaron Lennon)
14 minGame over already? Everton get a second inside 15 minutes, and again it comes down the left flank. Oviedo exchanges passes with Barkley down the left before cutting a low cross in to an unmarked Lennon. His first touch takes him past one defender in the box, before he slides his finish underneath the keeper and in.
16 minIt must be said, it is hard to see any way back for Carlisle now. There is always a chance at 1-0, particularly against this Everton side, but that second goal may well have killed the belief of the hosts. It could get worse before half time too.
18 minEverton have had 68% possession in this match, which is an indication of the control they have over proceedings. The majority of that has come inside the Carlisle half too, where Everton now have a free kick within shooting range...
18 minBarkley goes for it, but sends it a long way wide of the target. Carlisle try to play their way out from the back from the resulting goal kick, but Lennon catches atkinson in possession and the hosts are lucky that the ball bounces back to the keeper.
20 minCarlisle set up looking to pack the middle of the park in this match, but that has left space out wide, and Everton are exploiting that expertly so far. It is complete and utter control from the visitors right now.
22 minAs if to illustrate that point, the possession stats for the last five minutes have just flashed up - 85% for Everton. Carlisle can't get a kick here.
24 minIt is all rather flat at Brunton Park at the moment, it must be said. There was such excitement about this one before the game that Carlisle might be able to do something special, but that dream was all but extinguished inside the opening 15 minutes here.
27 minBetter from Carlisle as they come forward and make a rare foray into the Everton half, even winning a corner! That comes to nothing, however, and Everton have the ball back once again.
28 minCarlisle win another corner! This is comfortably their best spell of the match, and if they can nick a goal here then it could well inject some belief back into the home fans.
29 minThis time the corner is played in deep towards Ellis as the back post, but his header goes harmlessly behind for a goal kick.
31 minThings have certainly improved for the hosts in the last five minutes or so. Everton have enjoyed as much of a monopoly over possession, while Carlisle have been able to get out and into Everton's half too. Joel hasn't been troubled in that time, but it is better from Carlisle.
33 minThis latest spell will just have Everton thinking that they could do with a third goal to well and truly kill things off, as a Carlisle goal back would certainly raise the volume in Bruton Park again, and put the wind back in the hosts' sails.
36 minEverton do seem to have taken their foot off the pedal over the last 10 minutes or so, which has allowed Carlisle to gain a foothold in the game again. The hosts have the chance to put the ball in the box with a free kick here...
37 minJoel comfortably claims the cross and quickly gets Everton going on the break, with Lennon leading the charge down the right. Miller is across to block the cross, however.
40 minWe have five minutes until the break now, and while things are more even now than they were earlier in the half, Everton certainly have a measure of control over the game still.
41 minCHANCE! Half a chance for Everton to add a third before half time as a flat cross is arrowed into the box for Kone, who goes for a first-time volley. It was a difficult chance, though, and the contact was not good enough to really trouble the keeper.
43 minCarlisle come forward this time, with Gillesphey making progress down the left flank. His cross is met by Miller at the back post and he nods it down into a decent area, but there are no blue shirts there to take advantage and Everton eventually clear their lines.
44 minYELLOW CARD! The first card of the afternoon goes to McCarthy for a trip on Comley after the debutant had won the ball and broken forward.
45 minAlmost a chance for the hosts as Comley drills a shot into a packed box from the edge of the area. It almost breaks for two different blue shirts in the area, but Joel is quick off his line to snap up the danger.
45+1 minHALF TIME: Carlisle 0-2 Everton
2.24pmLee Mason brings the first half to an end at Brunton Park, then, and it hasn't exactly gone how the hosts would have hoped so far. They find themselves two goals behind at the break and face a huge task to rescue anything from the match now. They are perhaps just about still in it, but they haven't shown too many signs of launching an unlikely comeback.
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2.26pmThe first goal arrived after less than two minutes as Everton did exactly what they needed to to dampen the Brunton Park atmosphere. It was all far too easy for the Toffees too as one ball over the top released Lennon down the right, and he played a low cross across the six-yard box that Kone tapped home with the simplest of finishes.
2.28pmLennon got his own name on the scoresheet in the 14th minute to almost kill the tie off, with this goal coming from the left as Oviedo exchanged passes with Barkley before playing a low ball into the middle. Lennon opted not to go for goal first time, instead taking a touch which took him past one defender before slotting the ball underneath the keeper.
2.30pmAt that point it looked as though it could get embarrassing for Carlisle as Everton took complete control of the contest, but the hosts did well to limit further sights of goal for the visitors. Indeed, they didn't have another chance until the 41st minute, when Kone failed to connect with a volley inside the box, scuffing his effort into the arms of the keeper.
2.32pmCarlisle did fight back following a period firmly on the back foot, but their best chances came in between the two Everton goals in that first half. Both stemmed from Everton errors, as first Cleverley sold Jagielka short, allowing Asamoah to nip in and fire a shot comfortably wide from outside the box, before the same player stung the palms of Joel Robles with a powerful half-volley after Funes Mori had failed to clear his lines.
46 minKICKOFF: Carlisle get us back underway for the second half, and the first thing to tell you is that the hosts have made two changes at the break. Hallam Hope and Alex Gilliead comes on in place of Gillesphey and Dicker.
48 minYELLOW CARD! Kennedy becomes the first Carlisle player in the book, and he has no complaints following a crunching challenge on McCarthy, who certainly felt that.
50 minMcCarthy limps off for a bit more treatment on that ankle problem. He looks like he will be fine to continue, but he isn't exactly moving freely at the moment.
52 minKeith Curle said just before the start of the second half that is was Plan B for his side now, which means to attack. They can't throw caution to the wind entirely just yet, but they will need to start taking a few more risks if they are to get back into this one.
54 minOle! Gillespie has his own personal moment to remember as he skins Lennon pretty much on his own goalline. It was risky from the keeper, but it brings one of the biggest cheers of the day.
55 minShooting chance for Everton as they work the ball from left into the middle for Cleverley, who has a bit of space. He only has one thought in his mind, but his 25-yard effort is dragged horribly wide.
57 minCHANCE! Not a golden chance, but one of Carlisle's best moments of the game. Hope wins the ball back deep inside his own half and immediately plays a quick ball forward for Asamoah, who has got in behind Jagielka. Jagielka does well to get back, but Asamoah cuts inside and gets a shot away that deflects wide for a corner.
59 minCHANCE! Brilliant defending from Raynes to deny Coleman. The full-back stormed up from defence in support of Lennon, who duly found the overlapping run with a clever little pass inside the Carlisle defender. Coleman gets the wrong side of his man, but his shot is well blocked by the stand-in Carlisle skipper.
61 minAnother important block, this time from Atkinson to deny Barkley. The Everton youngster went weaving through three or four Carlisle defenders, but his final touch was a little too heavy and that allowed Atkinson to make the block.
62 minEVERTON SUB: First change of the afternoon for Everton as Leon Osman, who played on loan at Carlisle once upon a time, comes on in place of Pienaar.
63 minCARLISLE SUB: The hosts respond with their third and final change as Comley is replaced by Jabo Ibehre - the club's top scorer this season.
65 minGOAL! Carlisle 0-3 Everton (Ross Barkley)
65 minRoss Barkley kills off the tie once and for all, and it is a fine strike from the midfielder to do so. He collects the ball around 25 yards from goal and cuts inside onto his right foot before drilling an effort goalwards. His strike takes a deflection on the way through, but it would have caused the keeper problems anyway. As it is, Gillespie barely moves as the ball slams into the top corner.
67 minIt was always unlikely that Carlisle would get back into the match after conceding twice in the opening 15 minutes, but a three-goal deficit is surely too much for them now. Everton should, barring one of the great FA Cup turnarounds, be in the hat for the fifth round.
70 minAn Everton corner comes to nothing, and Gilliead immediately looks to break forward. He is on his own up there, but does well to carry the ball deep into the Everton half and win a throw for his side.
71 minThat attack eventually sees Cleverley foul Hope to concede a free kick just about within shooting range for the home side...
71 minThey try a short one for Atkinson which doesn't work, but Carlisle keep hold of it and the ball is almost squeezed through to Sweeney, but the flag is up against him and Joel came out to smother the ball anyway.
74 minCLOSE! Everton are close to a fourth here as Coleman dips in from the right before giving the ball to Cleverley, who curls an effort narrowly wide of the near post.
75 minOFF THE POST! Everton hit the woodwork here from what looked to be an impossible angle. The striker was played through down the right and reached the byline, but his shot clipped the post and flew right across the face of goal.
75 minEVERTON SUB: Brunton Park applauds as one in recognition of a good performance from Barkley as he makes way to be replaced by Darron Gibson.
77 minYou feel that both sides would be happy enough for the final whistle to blow here. For Everton's part, the job is already done and, while there is still the prospect of more goals, this has been a good outing for them already to forget about events on Wednesday.
80 minRoss Barkley's performance today earned him an ovation for home and away fans alike at Brunton Park. Here he is celebrating his goal with James McCarthy.
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82 minEverton are just playing keep ball at the moment. They have managed this whole tie very professionally, it must be said. It had the potential to be a banana skin, but they have traversed it with minimum fuss.
83 minEVERTON SUB: The Toffees make their third and final change of the afternoon as Brendan Galloway replaces Coleman.
84 minCHANCE! Almost something for the hosts to shout about as the ball breaks to Sweeney inside the area, but Joel is quickly out to cut down the angle and makes the save.
87 minCarlisle are just beginning to leave their foot in in a number of challenges now, which is perhaps a sign of their frustration with Everton controlling possession in these closing stages.
88 minCHANCE! Another chance for Carlisle to get on the board as they break forward down the right through Gilliead. He beats two players before pulling the ball back to Ibehre, whose shot is blocked by Jagielka just in front of Joel.
90+1 minThere will be a minimum of three minutes added time at the end of this match.
90+1 minSAVE! One more save for Gillespie to make, but it is a comfortable one as he collects Gibson's long-range strike.
90+3 minFULL TIME: Carlisle United 0-3 Everton
3.28pmLee Mason brings the game to an end at Brunton Park, then, and ultimately it was all rather comfortable for Everton. The fact that Carlisle were even able to host this fixture deserves credit considering what has happened to their stadium over the past month or so, but on the field they were comfortably second best today. In truth, the match was all but over inside 15 minutes when Everton raced into a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Arouna Kone and Aaron Lennon, and Ross Barkley's third in the second half killed the game off once and for all.
3.30pmThat is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Everton book their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with victory over Carlisle, who become the last League Two side to exit the competition this season. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. Our coverage of the day's second FA Cup tie, MK Dons vs. Chelsea, is already well underway, so be sure to check that out too! From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
