Everton never shed their nerves, grateful for the final whistle
Chris Bascombe, The Sunday Telegraph
It is something we're quite familiar with on FA Cup third round weekend, lower league visitors to Premier League venues accepting applause from the home crowd after a pluck effort.
Sadly for Lincoln City, this would mean an honourable defeat - the hosts in charitable mood. So it proved for the Cowley brothers’ management team, beaten with their reputation enhanced not for the first time.
They made Everton sweat for the win, ensuring the gulf in class between the three divisions was not always obvious. Only Richarlison’s late goalline clearance denied the Imps a replay.
Everton never shed their nerves, grateful for the final whistle. It was a victory Marco Silva desperately needed to stop the rut, but the flaws of recent weeks were still evident. Everton particularly need a new number nine, not just to add goals, but hold up the ball.
Silva tried Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun in either half. They need more.
The honeymoons are shorter at Everton, these days.
Roberto Martinez and Ronald Koeman had a year before patience ran out. Sam Allardyce never got to consummate his union before an annulment was sought.
Now, after an encouraging start to his, Silva can hear grumbles. He needed this win, no matter how hard-fought.
Lincoln City were unforgiving opponents, one of those no-win ties when victory would be accompanied with muttering about the least expected, and anything else met with jeers heard too often at Goodison Park recently.
Lincoln’s vociferous fans loved what they saw. Evertonians’ optimism will continue to sap if they do not reinforce in January.
Much-needed win for Silva but little to suggest all is going to plan
Sachin Nakrani, The Observer
For Lincoln City there will be no new shockwave to follow the one they caused in 2017 by becoming the first non-league club for 103 years to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals but they certainly gave it a good go.
On a chilly Merseyside afternoon Danny Cowley’s men, now leaders of League Two, pushed Everton all the way in a third-round tie during which it was tough at times to tell the favourites from the underdogs.
Lincoln’s goal was a bolt from the blue - or rather from the red and white - and, as Silva conceded, his players subsequently lost their focus having started this game in commanding manner.
A side containing five changes from that which lost to Leicester here on New Year’s Day moved the ball with composure and confidence and struck after 12 minutes when Ademola Lookman glanced in Leighton Baines’ cross.
Bernard quickly doubled the hosts’ lead with a lovely lifted finish following Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s deft pass. It was the Brazil international’s first goal for Everton since joining from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer.
Lookman and Bernard were two of the players brought into the home team’s line-up by Silva and they generally impressed but many others in blue failed to make an impact.
While this was a much-needed result for Everton following a run of one victory in eight games, it did little to suggest all is going to plan under their latest manager.
Jury is out on Silva while Pickford seems to have a mistake in him
Joe Bernstein, Mail on Sunday
Relief was the over-riding emotion at Goodison Park as Everton snapped a losing streak against League Two leaders and FA Cup specialists Lincoln City.
Marco Silva, whose side were beaten in four of five games over the festive period, watched on in comfort as Ademola Lookman and Bernard scored their first goals of the season in the opening 15 minutes - only for things to get edgy once Lincoln pulled a goal back.
The underdogs then spent the last hour threatening another upset until referee John Brooks blew for full-time.
The jury is out on Silva at the moment. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is one of those who seems to have a mistake in him.
Tom Davies and Calvert-Lewin were hooked at half-time by Silva, more encouraging were the displays of Sigurdsson, Bernard and Lookman.
Deserved ovation for Lincoln from both sets of fans as tie was in the balance until the end
Andy Kelly, Sunday Times
It has been an incredible few years for Lincoln City. Manager Danny Cowley and his assistant, brother Nicky, have brought the club back into the Football League and taken them to Wembley for the first time for their Checkatrade Trophy victory last season.
They became the first non-League club to make the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 103 years in 2017.
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So the 5,500 supporters clad in red and white travelled to Goodison Park knowing anything was possible.
This time it wasn’t to be but they richly deserved the ovation from both sets of fans after a cup tie that was in the balance until the end.
