Everton set unwanted penalty record in FA Cup defeat
Everton has marked an unwanted milestone by failing to score a single penalty during their FA Cup shoot-out loss, reports BritPanorama.
The Merseyside club missed all their attempts in a 3-0 shoot-out defeat to Sunderland in the competition’s third round. This outcome not only eliminated them from the cup but also established a new low in the club’s history.
James Garner, Thierno Barry, and Beto all had their penalties saved by Sunderland’s goalkeeper Robin Roefs. Garner had previously equalized in the 89th minute, converting a penalty to level the match at 1-1 before extra time, but the subsequent shoot-out proved disastrous for the Toffees.
This marks the first occasion in which Everton failed to score in a penalty shoot-out, and they are now only the second top-flight team to exit the FA Cup without registering a goal in a shoot-out, following Blackburn’s similar experience against Sunderland back in 2003.
Manager David Moyes refrained from blaming the players for the missed penalties. Instead, he expressed disappointment over the manner of the exit after the match ended in a draw. “I don’t think you blame anybody when you lose a penalty shoot-out,” Moyes stated. “It’s something that can happen, the goalkeeper is there to make saves. But I think there is a way to lose if you’re going to do that.” He explained that the team’s performance left them with “huge disappointment.”
Moyes highlighted the team’s effort to equalize and believed they could have showcased better resilience in the shoot-out. “Someone has to win a penalty shoot-out and someone has to lose it but I do think there is a way to win it and a way to lose it,” he added, reflecting on the nature of their defeat.
Meanwhile, Sunderland’s progress into the fourth round of the FA Cup is a notable achievement, occurring for only the second time in 11 years. Manager Regis Le Bris praised Roefs for his impressive saves and acknowledged the importance of scoring during penalties to secure the victory.
It serves as a striking reminder of how precarious the margins can be in knockout football, and for Everton, this shoot-out setback is a chapter they’d prefer to forget.
