Jack Grealish was absent for Everton as they took on Newcastle United, with the missing out on a memorable night for the Blues

No Jack Grealish, no problem for Everton as they cruised through to a Carabao Cup quarter-finals date at giantkillers Fleetwood Town by defeating Newcastle United 3-1 at a crackling Hill Dickinson Stadium as Prime Minister Andy Burnham watched on with glee.

Grealish has twice been given a huge vote of confidence by David Moyes, firstly last summer when he was surplus to requirements and again this year on transfer deadline day following a stress fracture injury that kept him sidelined for most of the second half of last season.

While the affable Brummie has proven to be a popular figure both on and off the pitch at Hill Dickinson Stadium, it sounds as though he has badly let his Glaswegian gaffer down by not reporting for duty at a time when the Blues have just 18 outfield players, star man Jarrad Branthwaite out through concussion protocol and Christian Norgaard still way off the pace as he recovers from a pre-season injury.

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Although the League Two minnows enjoyed arguably the greatest night in their history when they knocked out Premier League champions Arsenal on penalties on Tuesday night, Moyes’ men will be hoping that lightning doesn’t strike twice on the Lancashire coast as they are now just 90 minutes away from their first semi-final in 11 years since Roberto Martinez’s charges were defeated by Manchester City – during the period that the Abu Dhabi United Group-backed outfit have now been found guilty of conducting their various “sham” finances.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, in the early hours of Thursday, over 30,000 fans packed into another Dan Meis’ designed stadium for a watch-along to take in a game that was being played some 1200 miles away. That was at American Family Field were supporters of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team were cheering on their team as they clinched a first World Series in their history by defeating Tampa Bay Rays by four games to one.

It took the Wisconsin outfit some 56 years to break their duck but then Everton have been waiting even longer to lift the League Cup in all its guises, which has been taking place since the 1961/62 season.

Writing in his programme notes, home captain James Tarkowski remarked: “We haven’t had many special nights under the lights here yet but tonight could be one.”

The skipper’s wish came true, after his monster challenge on Toon striker William Osula turned the tide of the first half by the Mersey with the visitors having bossed the early exchanges and Jordan Pickford forced into a couple of saves to keep out a Harvey Barnes header and speculative shot from distance by Fabian Schar which prompted the England number one to race out of his goal and give Hayden Hackney a rollicking.

Cheered on by over 7,000 fans who had made the three-hour trip down from Tyneside, Matthis Jaissle’s side were the brighter in the opening exchanges and home supporters’ hearts were in their mouths as left-back Vitalii Mykolenko twice had to make crucial interceptions to deny Jacob Ramsey while there were more jitters when Jordan Pickford spilled a cross from Joe Willock.

After suffering for much of the first half an hour, Everton took the lead with Hayden Hackney, brought in for teenager Harrison Armstrong, the creator. With 34 minutes on the clock, Tyrique George – Grealish’s replacement on the left wing, won the ball by the touchline and fed Hackney who in turn picked out James Garner with the Blues’ reigning Player of the Season netting in his first goal this term with a sweeping effort from the edge of the area.

Everton then doubled their lead as the game entered first half stoppage time with a clever move by both the home players and referee Farai Hallam. Moments after he’d made a save, Pickford quickly got the ball upfield to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who drove at the Newcastle defence and although the midfielder was fouled by Jacob Ramsey, the match official was vindicated in his decision to play advantage.

The loose ball fell to Thierno Barry on the left of the area and the striker lofted a cross to Hackney in a central position to volley in his first goal for the club.

Newcastle United responded by making a triple switch at the start of the second half but the Blues sealed their passage on 69 minutes as Barry despatched a confident side-foot finish after being picked out by a left wing cross from Dewsbury-Hall.

Just as the game looked to be petering out, Newcastle captain Dan Burn headed in at the back post from Joe Willock’s left-wing cross as home centre-back Jake O’Brien found himself beaten far too easily by the only man taller than him on the pitch.

The goal prompted some bad-tempered exchanges with Burn, Joelinton, Tarkowski and Pickford all booked in the resultant scuffle ahead of round two between these two sides when they slug it out again in the Premier League at St James’ Park on Monday night.