Robin Roefs’ penalty saves secures Sunderland’s spot in FA Cup fourth round
Mackems goalkeeper Roefs saved all three of Everton’s penalties in the shootout following a 1-1 draw after extra-time at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Robin Roefs was Sunderland’s hero as Everton’s FA Cup hopes came to a premature end once again after three woeful penalties in a shootout saw the Black Cats reach round four.
David Moyes’ threadbare squad looked like exiting in normal time until James Garner’s 89th-minute spot-kick cancelled out Enzo Le Fee’s brilliant first-half strike.
But extra time was the last thing the hosts, down to just 12 senior players, needed and when the shootout came around Garner, Thierno Barry and Beto all saw their efforts saved by Roefs.
Le Fee, Granit Xhaka and Luke O’Nien confidently scored their first three attempts to help Sunderland into the fourth round for only the second time in 11 seasons.
It was a hammer blow to Everton, who were dragged back into the game by Adam Aznou, a £7.8million signing from Valladolid in the summer who had not had a sniff of first-team action.
The teenager’s only senior football was two appearances in the EFL Trophy back in September and October and his 86th-minute introduction for Merlin Rohl was only because Moyes had little to no option.
But the Spanish-born Moroccan showed more drive in the four minutes of regulation time than many of his battle-weary team-mates had in the preceding 86 – particularly fellow 19-year-old and summer arrival Tyler Dibling, who cost five times as much.
Within three minutes he won an admittedly soft penalty after a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge by Trai Hume allowing Garner to equalise.
Replays of the foul on the big screens at full-time enraged Xhaka, who hurled his water bottle into the turf and raged at the perceived injustice to anyone in earshot, but the Black Cats’ captain was soon celebrating.
It is rare for Sunderland, promoted from the Championship last season, to be favourites in any game but the fact Regis Le Bris was able to make five changes and still have the likes of Dan Ballard, Brian Brobbey, Omar Alderete and Wilson Isidor in reserve swung the odds in their favour.
Injuries, the Africa Cup of Nations and suspensions for Michael Keane and Jack Grealish were compounded by Tim Iroegbunam’s hamstring problem which took the absences to nine.
Barry, the one senior player he left out, accounted for 23 of the 27 first-team appearances among the substitutes with five of six academy players not having previously featured at all.
After Harrison Armstrong sliced wide their only first chance of the first half, Sunderland took control and should have been comfortably ahead by the interval.
Their first shot resulted in the opener – and what a goal.
Everton failed to deal with a long throw and Eliezer Mayenda teed up Le Fee to send a cushioned right-footed volley curling past Jordan Pickford.
Moyes had a face like thunder and his demeanour was not improved as Pickford clawed away a Nordi Mukiele overhead kick and tipped away, at full-stretch, Romaine Mundle’s strike from distance.
Surprisingly, the Everton boss did not make the only change available to him and sacrifice one of his five midfielders for Barry at the start of the second half, but they did not come to life until Mayenda rolled an angled shot just wide with less than half an hour remaining.
Beto’s appeal for a penalty for a shirt pull by Hume was waved away but referee John Brooks obliged when Aznou went down and Garner equalised.
Unfortunately for Everton their subsequent penalties were not as confident, with Barry and Beto’s stuttering run-ups far from convincing, as Roefs saved all three.
