Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Adam Jones

Frank Lampard left with head in hands as Salomon Rondon and Allan Everton shouts heard

Full names

Everton's team sheet against Boreham Wood on Thursday evening looked a little different than usual.

Of course, there was the absence of any of the usual USM or Megafon sponsorship, which had also been covered up on the advertising boards in front of the Bullens Road stand.

But there was even something different about the names of the players listed.

Usually, Everton's side of the team sheet will have the most common versions of the names of their players - Allan, Richarlison and Salomon Rondon, for example.

VERDICT: What Boreham Wood manager said at full-time shows Anthony Gordon truth for Everton and Frank Lampard

ANALYSIS: Nathan Patterson decision harsh as Salomon Rondon finally emerges from Rafa Benitez shadow

However, for this game, full names were given.

"Allan" was listed as "Allan Marques Loureiro", "Richarlison" was "Richarlison de Andrade" and "Rondon" was "Jose Salomon Rondon Gimenez".

Perhaps this was something to do with this being an FA Cup fixture rather than a Premier League one, and so each player's full name was needed.

Shaking head

The first half was a frustrating affair for the Blues to say the least.

Boreham Wood had got to this stage of the competition without conceding a goal - and they weren't about to let their Premier League opponents walk through the middle of them.

The non-league outfit set up with 11 men consistently behind the ball and became a solid unit that Everton struggled to break down in the opening 45 minutes.

Discontent spread through the stands toward the end of the first half and it even made it's way to the technical area at one stage.

The Blues looked to hit Boreham Wood on the counter attack with Andros Townsend having Anthony Gordon in space to potentially expose the visitors committing too many players forward.

However, just inside his own half, Rondon instead picked the ball off the winger while facing toward his own goal, and played it backward to his centre-back.

That left Frank Lampard shaking his head and briefly covering his face with his hand on the touchline.

Allan shot

You won't often see Allan having a shot at goal for Everton.

Since his move to the club in the summer of 2020, the midfielder has played in a more deep-lying role then he might have done at his previous teams.

Against Boreham Wood, however, the Blues' system allowed the Brazilian the opportunity to roam a little bit more.

In the second half, especially, that saw Allan getting in and around the edge of the box on a number of occasions, which clearly got the minds of some Everton fans racing.

A couple of opportunities fell to the 31-year-old in positions just outside the area, with a fair few of those in the stands shouting at him to have a shot at goal.

He resisted for the most part, until he did finally have his attempt midway through the second half.

But instead of flying towards the top corner like many had hoped, Allan's effort ballooned high, wide and deep into the Gwladys Street stand.

Pretty understandably, he didn't have another shot for the rest of the game.

Main stand shout

Rondon has had his fair share of struggles in an Everton shirt but it was good to see him put those firmly behind him on Thursday evening.

It initially looked like it might have been another of *those* nights for the Venezuela international after he headed over Jonjoe Kenny's pinpoint cross from a position he should have done much better in.

However, he did get on the scoresheet shortly afterwards, and added a second toward the end of the match after goal-line technology ruled his header had crossed the line.

And so, for the closing minutes of the contest, Rondon was on for a hat-trick - which one supporter in the Main Stand clearly wanted to see.

Near to the press box, during a quiet lull in the closing stages of the match, one supporter stood up and shouted, 'give it to Rondon' when Everton were in comfortable possession inside their own half.

Now that would really have been something if the striker could have bagged his treble from that position.

Lampard gesture

While this was just another match for Everton and their players, this was a significant fixture for Boreham Wood.

As a National League side, to get to this stage of the FA Cup was an incredible achievement that they have rightly been lauded for.

To then get the opportunity to come and play in one of the most famous stadiums in the country would have been a huge honour for those players who took to the pitch, too.

Everton's fans applauded off every substitute that the visitors made throughout the game as a sign of appreciation for the hard work they had put in.

And, around 15 minutes after the full-time whistle had sounded, Frank Lampard made sure to stop and have a chat with a couple of Boreham Wood players near the tunnel.

Before taking part in his post-match media duties, it looked like the Everton boss had signed a couple of their shirts too - surely sending them home happy despite the result.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.