Georgian Temuri Ketsbaia played a starring role as Newcastle overwhelmed
Everton to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
Ketsbaia scored twice and made a fabulous fourth for Alan Shearer as
theMagpies eventually overran the Merseysiders.
But it was a far from one-sided contest until the latter stages, and a superb
equaliser from David Unsworth kept Walter Smith's side firmly in contention
until substitute George Georgiadis restored United's lead with 62 minutes gone.
On a tricky surface, the game was never likely to be pretty, but Everton's
brawn was simply not enough to contain a side brimming with confidence.
Newcastle boss Ruud Gullit sprang something of a surprise when he handed
£3.5million signing Silvio Maric a debut, with Garry Brady making way.
Club skipper Rob Lee, as expected, came in for the suspended Gary Speed, while
Warren Barton was preferred to Laurent Charvet at full-back.
Don Hutchison and Tony Grant returned for the visitors, while John O'Kane
lined up at full-back as Unsworth pushed into midfield.
The home side started at a gallop as they looked to make the last four for the
second successive season with Croatian international midfielder Maric, without a
game in the best part of two months, to the fore.
But it was German Dietmar Hamann who was first to test Everton keeper Thomas
Myhre with a right-foot shot which flew a yard over the bar.
But the pace of Danny Cadamarteri and Francis Jeffers proved a threat right
from the early stages, and it was the latter who shot wide of Shay Given's right
post on 11 minutes after Nicky Barmby robbed Warren Barton just inside his own
half.
The rain which had threatened the game earlier in the day had made the pitch
even stickier than usual, but whether that had anything to do with the
recklessness of the challenges which earned first Hutchison and then Barton
bookings within a minute is debatable.
Lee forced Myhre into his first save of the game with 13 minutes gone after
Nolberto Solano dispossessed Hutchison and sparked a cross-field move which
involved Hamann and Maric.
And it was a similarly slick build up a difficult surface which led to the
opening goal with 20 minutes gone.
Lee and Maric combined well before Shearer got a yard in front of Materazzi to
lay the ball into the path of Ketsbaia.
Myhre looked to have the Georgian's well-struck shot covered until it took a
slight deflection off Unsworth and skidded into the bottom corner.
Shearer blasted a 24th-minute shot just wide from the edge of the box after
stepping inside Dave Watson, but Everton started to come into the game as the
half wore on.
Unsworth could not keep his effort down after Watson had flicked on
Hutchison's long free-kick, but it was on the floor that the visitors enjoyed
the greater success with Barmby, Cadamarteri and Jeffers prospering in the face
of some uncertain defending.
Walter Smith regrouped at the break, and with Hutchison pushing up to partner
Jeffers in attack and Cadamarteri playing wide right, Everton looked a much more
dangerous proposition.
With Maric clearly tiring, Gullit replaced him with Greek international
Georgiadis within nine minutes of the restart, but his plans to shut shop were
torn apart almost immediately.
Ketsbaia went down under Watson's challenge inside the Everton half, and while
the striker slumped to the ground, the visitors shifted the ball up to
Unsworth.
He took aim before unleashing an unstoppable left-foot drive which gave Given
no chance as it screamed into his top corner.
Urged on by an anxious home crowd, the Magpies surged forward in a bid to
restore their lead, and it took them just five minutes to do so.
Hutchison was perhaps a little fortunate to escape a second yellow card after
clattering into Shearer just outside the penalty area.
Myhre got down well to block Hamann's blistering free kick, but Georgiadis was
on hand to slip the ball home from close range for his first senior goal in
English football.
O'Kane's brave defensive header denied Shearer an almost certain third on 66
minutes after Georgiadis found space down the left, and Myhre had to save from
Solano after a neat back-heel from Ketsbaia.
But the Georgian, who scored against Barnsley at the same stage of the
competition last season, effectively clinched victory 17 minutes from time.
Georgiadis slipped the ball to Ketsbaia on the left edge of the penalty area,
and his first-time shot beat Myhre's dive and nestled just inside far post.
The enigmatic striker unselfishly gave up the chance of a hat-trick on 81
minutes when he found space in the box and turned Materazzi, but instead of
shooting, rolled the ball square for Shearer to thump it home.
Given's double save from Unsworth and substitute Ibrahima Bakayoko on
84minutes preserved his side's 4-1 advantage and the home fans were able to
begin their celebrations in earnest.
Teams:
Newcastle: Given, Barton, Domi, Howey, Dabizas, Lee, Maric (Georgiadis 54), Hamann, Solano, Shearer, Ketsbaia.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Charvet, Saha, Brady.Booked: Barton, Dabizas.
Goals: Ketsbaia 21, Georgiadis 61, Ketsbaia 73, Shearer 81.
Everton: Myhre, Materazzi, Weir, Watson, Unsworth, Barmby, Hutchison, Grant, O'Kane, Cadamarteri (Oster 73),Jeffers (Bakayoko 73).
Subs Not Used: Simonsen, Short, Branch.
Booked: Hutchison.
Goals: Unsworth 57.
Att: 36,504
Ref: G Barber (Pyrford).
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