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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Adam Jones

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

Everton will play Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the quarter finals of the FA Cup.

...oh, you want more than that? Really?

At the end of the day, the fact Frank Lampard's side are into the quarter final of this competition for the second year in a row is all that really matters.

This report could easily come to an end right now after what was a truly dull affair when Boreham Wood made the trip to Goodison Park for the biggest match in their history.

If you didn't catch this game, well then you didn't exactly miss a classic - that much can be said. But was this ever really going to be a festival of football?

Everton were always going to make a raft of changes for this game, the manager hinted as much in his pre-match conference, while still respecting their non-league opponents.

We all know what happens so often when a side makes sweeping alterations for a cup match, however, especially when they're not in the best form to begin with.

The Blues had more than enough quality on the pitch to win this match at a canter, and they hardly got out of second gear for the majority of this clash.

For those in the stadium, that often became something of a frustration. They were seeing their side be too pedestrian, not progressive or energetic enough.

That general comment, however, doesn't relate to Anthony Gordon.

The winger commands one of the first names on the team-sheet for almost every Everton game now. His rise over the last few months has been an absolute joy to witness.

Coveted by the likes of Borussia Dortmund when he rose through the academy ranks at Everton, the 21-year-old, who grew up a stone's throw away from Goodison Park, instead opted to stay on Merseyside.

Where would Everton have been over the last few weeks without him?

It seems somewhat strange to say that about a player so young and with, relatively at least, so little Premier League experience under his belt.

But he looks every inch a senior player now. Speaking to the ECHO in the summer of 2020 he claimed that he considered himself a first-team star back then, and it's now that he's realising that potential.

So often he's been the lynchpin of Everton's strongest attacking setup, never mind the option that Lampard opted for when switching up his side on Thursday night.

Andros Townsend was one of the Blues' best players at the beginning of the campaign, and he was looking to be the first player in the club's history to score in each of his first five domestic cup matches if he'd found the net against Boreham Wood.

But contrasting his display with that of Gordon's typified why the latter has been the man preferred on so many occasions recently.

That's not to slight the work put in by the more experienced man. He was industrious and hard-working as ever, if for the fact his creative efforts didn't quite come off.

Starting from the opposite flank, his 21-year-old team-mate was finding much more joy.

From the early stages he was cutting inside from his position as a left forward, allowing space for Vitalii Mykolenko to advance consistently down that side and manage to cause the defence a number of problems.

His quick feet were a nightmare for Boreham Wood to deal with throughout. At times in the first period, he was the only Everton player willing to pick up the ball and attempt to dribble at his defender.

PLAYER RATINGS: Everton player ratings as Salomon Rondon and four others impress against Boreham Wood

READ MORE: Frank Lampard change lacked ambition but Salomon Rondon put it right for Everton

The visitors were dogged opponents that were keen to make it as gritty possible all over the pitch from the early stages, and they managed it for much of this match.

Everton played in front of them, looked somewhat suspect in possession, and couldn't find their way through what was a crowded central zone in the pitch.

But Gordon was often the outlier in that.

He wasn't scared to make darting runs beyond the defensive line, or to take the ball on himself and try to create anything he could.

His performance was full of neat flicks, direct play and shots. Lots of shots.

Everton had 21 attempts on goal throughout the 90 minutes on Thursday evening, according to WhoScored, no doubt helped by what was a better display in the second half.

Eight of those were from Gordon, with four of those on target and one being blocked.

Some might believe the winger should have passed to his team-mates more often, but it's clear to see where the majority of the Blues' attacking play was weighted due to those numbers.

At 21 years old, he's still a young player. More composure will come with experience, perhaps better decision-making in certain scenarios.

But you can tell whenever he takes to the pitch that he's not only desperate to find the back of the net himself, but he's determined to help his side win by any means necessary.

It's no surprise that Carlo Ancelotti trusted him enough to give him a full Premier League debut at home to Liverpool. Rafael Benitez believed in him so much to make him a regular starter.

Now Lampard is in situ and he clearly has so much faith in the winger. Boreham Wood boss Luke Garrard called the Blues man "frightening" in his post-match press conference.

Everton struggled to create in this match, that much is for certain.

But, realistically, it's not worth delving too deep into that and trying to make judgements for the upcoming weeks - with tough Premier League fixtures on the horizon.

In the same breath, it doesn't make sense to go too far into this Gordon performance in isolation.

But, taking this display into context, you can see his progression taking full effect. He's someone the rest of his teammates turn to and rely on to create chances now.

Having done that at under-18s and under-23s level not so long ago, to see him doing that for the senior side is now very interesting to witness.

He left the pitch with Goodison Park chanting his name. It's not the first time, and it won't be the last.

It must be said that his continued development was one of the few highlights in what was a drab encounter between these two sides.

Boreham Wood sat in and effectively blocked out the hosts in the first half, who were forced to look out wide to Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson on the flanks to try and provide width to stretch things out.

The Ukraine international, who poignantly wore the captain's armband during his time on the pitch, had the best effort of the opening 45 minutes - seeing his low drive saved by Taye Ashby-Hammond.

There were murmurs of discontent as the side trudged back down the tunnel at the interval and Lampard responded by introducing Richarlison to the fray.

He instantly added a more vibrant nature to the Blues and they took the lead early in the second half through Salomon Rondon, who has had his fair share of struggles this season.

The striker was first to a low cross from Jonjoe Kenny, who performed well in three separate positions on Thursday, and diverted the ball inside the near post.

Richarlison thought he'd got on the scoresheet himself shortly afterwards when Gordon's shot deflected off a defender, onto the Brazilian and trickled into the net.

However, VAR ruled the goal out for handball - and the same end in which Everton had been controversially denied a penalty against Man City just a few days later.

Technology got involved again in the 84th minute, but this time for the Blues' benefit - with Rondon bagging his second with a header that just drifted over the line despite Ashby-Hammond's best efforts.

Overall, it wasn't a classic. It wasn't a festival of football.

It was effective, though. Everton are into the next round, and that's really all Lampard will care about.

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