Everton shrugged off the disciplinary absence of Jack Grealish to secure an impressive 3-1 victory over Newcastle United at Hill Dickinson Stadium, booking their place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
The Toffees delivered a commanding performance under David Moyes, with James Garner, Hayden Hackney and Thierno Barry finding the net before Dan Burn scored a late consolation for the visitors.
Grealish, the 31-year-old England international on loan from Manchester City, was left out of the squad following a breach of club discipline, reportedly linked to an unauthorised absence from training.
Despite missing the influential winger, Everton showed little sign of disruption as they took control of the contest with two goals before half-time.
Newcastle initially looked the more threatening side, with Harvey Barnes and Fabian Schar testing goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
However, the hosts survived an early scare when captain James Tarkowski produced a crucial challenge to prevent William Osula from scoring.
Moments later, Garner broke the deadlock in the 34th minute with a well-placed finish from inside the penalty area.
Everton strengthened their advantage shortly before the interval when Hackney scored his first goal for the club since completing a £16 million summer move from Middlesbrough.
With Prime Minister Andy Burnham among those watching at Hill Dickinson Stadium, the home side continued to dominate after the restart.
Barry effectively settled the contest in the 69th minute, converting Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s cross with a composed finish to register his seventh goal of the season.
Newcastle managed to reduce the deficit in the 89th minute through Burn’s header, but the late goal sparked heated scenes between players.
Tarkowski shoved Joelinton to the ground during the confrontation, resulting in bookings for both players and Everton goalkeeper Pickford.
The defeat marked another disappointing result for Newcastle, who have managed just two victories in their previous six matches across all competitions.
For Everton, the victory keeps alive hopes of ending a lengthy trophy drought. The Merseyside club have never lifted the League Cup, while their last major silverware came with the FA Cup triumph in 1995.
Moyes’ side will now travel to League Two outfit Fleetwood Town in the quarter-finals.
Fleetwood, currently 18th in the fourth tier, produced the biggest surprise of the previous round by eliminating Premier League champions Arsenal.
Meanwhile, Newcastle will have an immediate opportunity to respond when they welcome Everton to St James’ Park for a Premier League meeting on Monday at 20:00 GMT.
