Everton’s Lukaku sends Chelsea crashing out

All the frantic action happened in the final 13 minutes with Chelsea striker Diego Costa and Everton midfielder Gareth Barry sent off but their dismissals only came after Lukaku’s brilliance had put the tie beyond doubt. 

The powerful Belgium striker, who never fitted in at Stamford Bridge and was sold to the Merseysiders for 28 million pounds ($40.28 million) two years ago, proved irresistible with his late five-minute double, especially with a first goal destined to go down in Goodison Park folklore. 

As the game meandered towards a replay, Lukaku conjured a 77th-minute goal from nowhere, muscling past two defenders on the left, powering into the box and, after some nifty footwork to bamboozle Gary Cahill, firing in a left-foot effort. 

Five minutes later, freed by Ross Barkley’s neat pass, the 22-year-old Lukaku shot through keeper Thibaut Courtois’ legs to provide the perfect response to any notion that he was not good enough for Chelsea. Moments after Lukaku demonstrated his excellence, Chelsea target man Costa could only offer up another striking example of his pointless ‘angry young man’ impressions.