Well, that turned out alright, didn’t it?

In the immediate build-up to Everton’s Carabao Cup last-16 victory over Newcastle, the news broke that Jack Grealish had been left out of the squad, the club citing a breach of discipline – reportedly after he failed to show for a training session in the build-up.

Given the Blues’ lack of form at present, the threadbare nature of the squad and the overall mood at the club, it was the last thing the Toffees needed and fans would have been forgiven for thinking this was a prophetic sign of what would prove to be a glum evening in a competition that hasn’t treated the club all too well in the recent past.

However, the hosts managed to turn the growing negative momentum around to romp to a much-needed and welcome 3-1 victory and progress to the last eight, where Fleetwood, comfortably the lowest ranked side left in the competition, lie in wait.

A deserved victory against a Premier League giant, a comprehensive performance and no injuries, with a doozy of a draw in the next round. Is the Carabao Cup finally starting to shine on the Blues? The Grealish news aside, this was a wholly successful evening for David Moyes’ men and without trying to make things too simple, the spine of the side was the main reason for this.

Goalkeeper, centre-half, central midfielder and striker – if those players put in convincing performances, chances are you’ll win the game and that is exactly what happened on Thursday night.

Pickford Sets the Standard

Jordan Pickford put some uncharacteristically clumsy showings in recent weeks behind him with a performance full of determination, concentration and focus. The ex-Sunderland man always looks a little more wired against Newcastle (for obvious reasons) and he channelled this in exactly the right way to marshal his back four excellently while maintaining the highest standards from both himself and the team in front of him.

When Pickford is bang at it, the defence tap into that energy and look like a side desperate to keep a clean sheet as a unit at all costs rather than one that starts worrying about what could go wrong when teams enter the final third and look a little reactive rather than aggressive and front footed.

Tarkowski the Throwback

Ahead of the goalkeeper, James Tarkowski had one of his best showings in a blue shirt in recent memory. The former Burnley man is known for his no-nonsense and old school approach to the game and both of these facets were in plain sight and in full flight on Thursday, with the centre-back putting in a proper defensive showing, with last minute slide tackles, selfless blocks and even a bit of the dark arts in there as well. This was Tarkowski at his best and the crowd and everyone watching at home absolutely loved it.

The Hackney Conundrum

Arguably the standout of the night, however, was the magnificent performance of a certain Hayden Hackney. Hackney has had a strange start to the season, as the man bought with rave reviews from Middlesbrough justified those eulogies early doors before confusingly being taken out of the side for a prolonged period in favour of Harrison Armstrong, who hasn’t exactly set the world alight since the Toffees fought so hard to stop him from moving to Nottingham Forest in the summer window.

Hackney is in the strange circle of not playing very often but performing really well when he does get onto the pitch which in turn makes you wonder why he is struggling for minutes. Surely you struggle for minutes due to sub-par displays?

Either way, the 24-year-old was in full flow against Newcastle. It has been a while since Everton have had a midfielder who is progressive on the ball, is always looking forward and looking to get the ball through the lines as quickly as possible, with safety and comfort not Hackney’s first ports of call. There are times when he loses the ball a little clumsily, but that is a by-product of his desire to break teams down and recycle the ball forward in double quick time – qualities Evertonians are desperate for and very much appreciate in Hackney.

A beautifully taken goal (again by thinking forward and taking a risk to get in the right area at the right time) and a well-worked assist for James Garner’s opener are the least the midfielder deserved for his efforts and it is clear that Hackney has posed some serious questions to Moyes ahead of Monday night’s clash against the same opponents in the North-East in the league.

Barry’s Best Yet

And finally, Thierno Barry was another to arguably put in his best individual display of the campaign thus far, with the striker picking up a lovely assist for Hackney and a brilliantly taken goal in the second half. Barry has been correctly criticised for his lax finishing when given time to think about what he wants to do when finishing during his Blues career, but on Thursday he took a great touch to get the ball out of his feet and composed himself to land an unerring finish into the top corner after a pass from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who was also superb on the night.

Rot Stopped, Fleetwood Next

Dan Burn scored a consolation goal late on, but it did nothing to quell the feelings of relief and jubilation as Everton overcame the recent negativity, only added to with the news about Grealish prior to kick-off.

With Fleetwood waiting in the quarter-finals, the Toffees are beyond hopeful of a Carabao Cup semi-final appearance and a decent cup run at last.

After a night of great performances all round, it was Everton’s spine that really did the damage as Pickford, Tarkowski, Hackney and Barry put the Magpies to the sword to stop the recent rot and get Evertonians believing again. Bring on Monday night.