Fulham edge past Everton on penalties to reach Carabao Cup semi-finals

Fulham reached the semi-finals of the League Cup for the first time in their history as Everton endured penalty torment in the competition yet again.

Marco Silva’s side had been on course for victory in normal time courtesy of Michael Keane’s own goal but an 82nd-minute equaliser from Beto took the tie to a penalty shootout. Amadou Onana had the chance to win it for Sean Dyche’s in-form team after Bobby De Cordova-Reid missed for Fulham but a dreadful attempt was easily saved by Bernd Leno. Idrissa Gana Gueye then hit a post in sudden death allowing Tosin Adarabioyo to seal victory with Fulham’s eighth attempt. It was Everton’s fourth penalty shootout exit in the past six seasons.

The two managers had to contend with notable absentees – the injured Abdoulaye Doucouré and Vitalii Mykolenko for Everton, the suspended Raúl Jiménez for Fulham – but otherwise selected strong sides in their attempts to reach the last four. Fulham started sharper, their passing crisper and more precise than the wayward hosts, but once Dyche’s side found their rhythm after 20 minutes they began to pose the greater threat.

Jarrad Branthwaite was shifted to left-back in place of Mykolenko and adjusted impressively to his new surroundings. The defender showed excellent awareness to cut out two promising Fulham moves early on, preventing Harry Wilson racing through on a long ball over the top and blocking Harrison Reed’s route to goal after a first time flick from Rodrigo Muniz almost put his captain clear in the box. Both of Branthwaite’s interceptions came in the opening eight minutes. Everton’s gradual improvement meant their defence was rarely troubled again until Fulham opened the scoring shortly before the break.

Dwight McNeil was presented with the first genuine opportunity of the tie after James Garner released Dominic Calvert-Lewin down the left with an exquisite pass from the outside of his right foot. The in-form Everton winger found himself in a similar position to his winner at Nottingham Forest recently but fired just over Bernd Leno’s crossbar on this occasion. Branthwaite, ghosting in behind Kenny Tete, also had a chance to edge Everton ahead but headed Jack Harrison’s cross straight at the Fulham goalkeeper.

The home side appeared to have the contest under control when they let it slip with some careless defending. Keane, retained in central defence having impressed on his return at Burnley on Saturday, conceded a dangerous free-kick on the edge of his penalty area when banging heads with Muniz. Willian rolled the set piece under the wall as it jumped – with no draft excluder lying behind it – and saw it miss by inches with Jordan Pickford rooted to the spot.

Almost immediately, Fulham and Willian hit back with interest. The menacing Muniz, Jiménez’s replacement, did well to hold off James Tarkowski and find the veteran winger on the left. Willian released former Everton trainee Antonee Robinson on the overlap, and into far too much space, and his low cross deflected off Keane’s chest and behind Pickford for a well-worked but ultimately fortunate breakthrough.

Silva could argue that Fulham had earned their luck. Defensively, the visitors were superb. Adarabioyo and Calvin Bassey were a powerful, composed partnership in central defence while Robinson matched a ferocious work rate with attacking intent down the left. The 35-year-old Willian, who was eventually forced off with a facial injury after a clash of heads with Nathan Patterson, Wilson and former Everton midfielder Alex Iwobi refused to let Everton settle on the ball while looking to hurt them on the counterattack.

Iwobi tested Pickford from distance as Fulham threatened to double their advantage. Harrison was a yard wide with a shot from 25-yards but, for all their endeavours to level the tie, Everton struggled to find a way behind the Fulham defence. Onana did succeed with a fine ball into Beto but the substitute was offside and denied at close range by Leno. Everton appeared to be running out of ideas, whether as a result of fatigue of Fulham’s committed defending, when Beto brought them level with eight minutes of normal time remaining. The first slips from Adarabioyo and Robinson were ruthlessly punished. McNeil released Arnaut Danjuma inside the area and Adarabioyo was unable to cut out his low cross from the left.

Robinson made a mess of his clearance, scuffing it against Gueye, and then Garner’s follow-up effort struck the left back and looped towards Leno’s goal. Crowd favourite Beto was perfectly placed to head home from close range.

Tarkowski and Muniz were involved in an off-the-ball incident that, had VAR been in operation, could have seen the Fulham striker sent off seconds before Silva substituted him. The Everton defender barged into Muniz as their paths crossed, sending him to the floor. He got up and kicked Tarkowski in the shins but, with referee Graham Scott’s attentions elsewhere, escaped any punishment.

Danjuma and Fulham substitute De Cordova-Reid both went close to winning the quarter-final in stoppage time.