Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain future at Arsenal up for debate this season

There is a thin line between being candid and gratuitous in punditry. Being asked to critique the performance and psychology of players every week invites flirtation with that dividing line, and it was one that former Liverpool player and manager, Graeme Souness, teetered on the edge of during the weekend.

Souness made headlines when mounting a very pointed criticism of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on a day when the midfielder scored the second goal in an important 2-0 win at Bournemouth. An eruption of quality, Oxlade-Chamberlain stroking home a wonderful shot from Aaron Ramsey's pass, only provoked searching enquiries as to why he does not produce such moments more consistently.

The question is unquestionably a legitimate one, but the way Souness attempted to answer it made for stark viewing. It even brought to mindChris Waddle's famously acerbic observation of Theo Walcott: "He just doesn't understand the game. I just don't think he has a football brain."

But it is not Oxlade-Chamberlain's intelligence which Souness doubts, rather the seriousness with which he treats the game and the desire he exhibits.

"Does he [Oxlade-Chamberlain] take it seriously enough? He always seems to be a bit of a joker," Souness said on Sky Sports.

"There is a player in there. It's stand up and be counted time. He's 22, he should not be accepting, with the quality he has, sitting on the bench and being a bit-part player. You've got to be banging down the manager's door and saying 'I'm ready for this.' Is he prepared to do that? I see him laughing and giggling a lot [in interviews]. I'd want him to be a bit more serious and angry and upset with me, if I was the manager leaving him out."

It is becoming a consistent stick with which to beat the 22-year-old, who was also on the receiving end of criticism from Arsenal fans recently when he was filmed dancing and mucking around ahead of the 0-0 draw against Southampton.

The clip, tweeted by Arsenal, was described as "the evidence the Ox will never make it," by one disgruntled supporter, with another observing that "Tony Adams would have killed him if he saw that as captain."

The instinctive reaction is to write these comments off, and those of Souness, as frivolous and unjustified criticism. After all, football teams have always had practical jokers. In that sense, Oxlade-Chamberlain is merely playing a very well-established role, and an important one in terms of the dressing room dynamic. Where once the banter of the team's court jester would be performed in private, though, it is now being transformed into "content" for club TV channels and ammunition for the likes of Souness and those fans who won't tolerate enjoyment in the wake of a disappointing home draw.

But if Souness picking on Oxlade-Chamberlain's gregarious nature as evidence that the midfielder doesn't take football seriously seems a touch unfair, his complementary line of attack arguably has some worth -- that is, the suggestion Oxlade-Chamberlain does not get angry enough when he is not playing for Arsenal.

After all, the clip of him dancing in the tunnel came before a match in which he failed to even get off the bench, despite Arsene Wenger being desperate for a breakthrough at the Emirates. Looking at the season as a whole, it is not unreasonable to suggest that Oxlade-Chamberlain has acquiesced all too easily after being nudged off the ball when Mauro Zarate scored in a 2-0 win for West Ham on the opening weekend of the campaign and immediately losing the first-team spot he seemed to have earned with his goal against Chelsea in the Community Shield.

After all, Paul Gascoigne spent his career "laughing and giggling" in interviews, but he also trashed Glenn Hoddle's hotel room after being told he would not be in the squad for the 1998 World Cup.

Being outwardly jovial is not in itself a problem. But it takes on an unflattering hue if it is not backed up with the burning desire to convince your manager he is wrong to leave you out; if you just accept your fate. From a distance it is impossible to say for certain what motivations burn within Oxlade-Chamberlain, but some of what Souness had to say during the weekend had the ring of truth to it.

It may also have struck a nerve. There was an interesting piece in The Sun this week, carrying no quotes from the player but confidently asserting that "Arsenal star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is fed up being Arsene Wenger's fall guy."

The headline described him as "sick and tired," with Oxlade-Chamberlain said to be "running out of patience on the Emirates periphery."

Coming in the wake of Souness' comments, it painted a rather different picture than that of the man dancing in the tunnel. It was certainly a conveniently timed reminder that Oxlade-Chamberlain is a serious man with serious ambitions; a player who doesn't just want to sit on the bench.

But the best way to prove it beyond doubt, and shut the pundits up, is to show that kind of fire on the pitch and make it so he can't be dropped.

Source:

www.espnfc.com

Southampton push Arsenal to the brink as Forster stars in 0-0 draw

LONDON -- Three points from Arsenal's 0-0 Premier League draw with Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

1. Southampton push Arsenal to the brink

This was Arsenal's third goalless draw of the campaign, but none of the three has been boring. After an early-season point at home to Liverpool and a recent stalemate at Stoke, Southampton were the latest side to frustrate Arsenal.

In fairness, the Saints did more than that. Ronald Koeman's side started brightly and were on top for the first 20 minutes, albeit without creating any major opportunities. A stereotypical whipping, inswinging free kick from James Ward-Prowse forced Petr Cech to turn the ball around the post, while the goalkeeper later saved comfortably from Sadio Mane after Shane Long had flicked on a long ball.

Throughout the game, Oriol Romeu and Victor Wanyama sat deep, protecting the defence and forcing Arsenal to attack down the flanks rather than through the middle. Neither offers great creativity, but then Southampton manufactured decent chances on the break: before halftime, Dusan Tadic twisted and turned before curling the ball at Cech, while a long-range effort from Romeu dipped onto the top of the net.

Arsenal, meanwhile, started poorly but steadily increased the pressure. Arsene Wenger's side weren't at their free-flowing best, but they pushed forward in great numbers and created better opportunities as the game continued. There were no absolute sitters, but plenty of fine efforts were saved by Fraser Forster, the game's outstanding performer.

As Arsenal increasingly pushed forward, Southampton looked even livelier on the break, mainly through the absurdly pacy Mane. Three dangerous sprints had Arsenal worried; first he intercepted an under-hit Gabriel square ball, sprinted toward goal, but his weak shot was easily saved. Then he would have reached a long through-ball were he racing against anyone other than the even-quicker Hector Bellerin, before Gabriel was fortunate not to concede a penalty when diving in unnecessarily.

Both sets of supporters will feel they might have got more from this game, which suggests a point apiece was about right.

2. Saints rally around Forster

Koeman had played an unusual 3-4-2-1 shape in recent weeks, including for the impressive 1-0 victory at Old Trafford, but reverted to a simpler 4-2-3-1 system on Tuesday. Southampton are able to play the two hugely contrasting formations with great efficiency, demonstrating tactical flexibility few sides in the division can match.

That said, the main reason for their clean sheet was Forster, who made a series of outstanding saves.

He was given a gentle introduction, with a simple low save after Mesut Ozil's control and left-footed shot, but his second save from the German was more impressive: Bellerin's first cross of the game found the head of Olivier Giroud, whose header toward goal was flicked toward goal by Ozil, and Forster got a small touch to deflect the ball around the post.

The English international made his third notable save just three minutes into the second period, when a quick Arsenal counterattack ended with Aaron Ramsey stabbing the ball into the path of Giroud, who took a rare right-footed shot and found Forster diving to his left -- but reaching out with his right hand to turn a rising shot away from goal.

From that moment, it seemed this was Forster's game. A double save from substitute Theo Walcott -- the first with his foot, the second with his hands -- midway through the second half was another fine contribution. In total, he made 10 saves.

"You need to have a goalkeeper who is magic," Koeman said of Forster. "He is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, and maybe one of the best in Europe."

This is only Forster's fourth game of the 2015-16 campaign, having missed 10 months with a serious knee injury, and he's yet to concede a goal. It's no coincidence that Southampton's best spell of form has come since his return to the side.

This was Arsenal's third consecutive Premier League game without scoring, after a 0-0 draw at Stoke and a 0-1 reverse against Chelsea at the Emirates a week ago. That isn't acceptable for a side seeking to be crowned champions in May.

Something felt missing on Tuesday, which was surprising considering Ozil and Alexis Sanchez were starting together for the first time since November. Indeed, Arsenal's best moments came from those two combining.

For Arsenal's first chance, Ozil controlled a huge Sanchez lob over the top of the opposition defence in a manner that brought to mind Dennis Bergkamp, before his side-footed shot was gathered by Forster. One moment at the start of the second half demonstrated their understanding: Sanchez's pinpoint through-ball found Ozil close to the byline, but his pull-back bisected Arsenal's other attackers. Arsenal's final major chance came from their quick one-two, which ended with Sanchez stabbing the ball at Forster.

Olivier Giroud and his fellow Arsenal attackers failed to find a way past Southampton keeper Fraser Forster.

Arsenal struggled to get a grip of the midfield, with Mathieu Flamini following Mane's bursts so carefully that he was rarely in a position to start attacks, while Ramsey simply isn't great in deeper positions, and depends on others to start passing moves so he can storm into the box and finish them off. Arsenal still miss Santi Cazorla, the man who makes the side tick, and against a superbly organised midfield they struggled to play through Southampton, generally having to go around them instead. Many of Arsenal's best chances came from crosses.

That's not entirely out of the ordinary among recent performances. Even over the Christmas period, when they collected victories they went ahead through set pieces, with Gabriel and Laurent Koscielny scoring against Bournemouth and Newcastle, respectively.

The creativity in this side, of course, is all about Ozil. This was his fourth consecutive league game without an assist, and while that's clearly not evidence of poor performances, it's a drop from his assist-a-game stats in the first half of the campaign. Realistically, that was unsustainable over the course of the entire season, and explosive playmakers often fall away after Christmas.

The fault isn't Ozil's, of course. Other Arsenal players must step up and deliver. Here, aside from Sanchez, there wasn't too much to shout about.

Man City land brightest, most interesting coach in football

There was something characteristically understated about Manuel Pellergini’s announcement of his parting from Manchester City.  His press-conference had been typically uneventful. The official City Twitter account had led on the news that, because of home-grown quotas, the forward Kelechi Iheanacho would not be named in their squad for the Champions League knockouts. And then, just before he left, Pellegrini cleared his throat and, drifting through a sea of sub-clauses about timing and contracts, announced that he would be leaving the club on June 30.

The news itself was not unexpected, but the timing was. And it raised an immediate question that was answered almost immediately. A sheaf of statements was produced and distributed. In dry, precise language, it confirmed that Pep Guardiola will be taking over in the summer. The most exciting news on deadline day was revealed with the least possible fanfare.

The statement, intriguingly, also included confirmation that City had begun negotiating with Guardiola in 2012, the year he left Barcelona before taking a sabbatical and, in 2013, moving to Bayern. That means that they were talking to him long before Robert Mancini left the club in May 2013.

In itself, that isn’t especially revelatory. The club’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, who joined in October 2012, worked with Guardiola at Barcelona. The CEO Ferran Soriano, who also worked with Guardiola at Barca, has spoken of a “holistic approach” to management, which was always seen as meaning that City should be made more like Barca, with a unified set of footballing principles running from the first team to the youths. And who better to implement that than Guardiola, who had such success in the sort of environment City is trying to create? Mancini, though, has a right to feel aggrieved those negotiations were on-going while he was still in a job.

That makes City look ruthless, even underhand, but Pellegrini was adamant that he has been kept fully in the picture. The deal, he said, was done a month ago. That, in turn, makes the timing interesting.  “I don’t think it’s good to have rumor or speculation about these things, so I prefer to finish today, which is why I have told the players and I have told the press,” Pellegrini said, while the club said it was acting “out of respect”. Perhaps it simply makes sense to make the announcement on their own terms and doing so on transfer deadline day just before a full midweek round of fixtures is a way of guaranteeing the reaction doesn’t go too overboard.

The danger is that Pellegrini is left as a lame duck but, while there certainly are cases of managers who have been undermined by the players’ knowledge they are leaving – Alex Ferguson as Manchester United in 2002, perhaps most famously, before he reversed his decision to retire – it’s also true that Bayern know Jupp Heynckes was leaving to be replaced by Guardiola in 2013 and ended up winning the treble.

At the end of last season, after leading Chelsea to the title, Jose Mourinho taunted Guardiola with his comment that he could have gone to a league where even the kitman could win the league, a reference to Bayern’s financial superiority over the rest of the Bundesliga. It may be that City has access to greater resources than any other club in England, but the gulf is nothing like so vast and part of the fascination of next season will be Guardiola trying to impose his tactical schema amid the relentless attrition of the Premier League, where there is no respite and where clubs are expected to compete in two domestic cup competitions.

There’s also the question of what Pellegrini does next. Over his two and a half seasons in England, he has won a league title and a League Cup, and his side remains in all four competitions this season. He has never been the most charismatic or exciting of coaches, but he has conducted himself with a quiet dignity and intelligence and it would be a surprise if he weren’t at least considered for the Chelsea job.

How he’s remembered at City will probably be determined by what happens over the next four months. City is three points off the top of the Premier League, in the final of the League Cup and the fifth round of the FA Cup, and is in the last 16 of the Champions League. A Heynckes-style farewell rush of silverware remains possible.

There’s also the tantalizing possibility of City meeting Bayern in the Champions League and, perhaps even more tantalizing, the thought that if Louis van Gaal leaves Manchester United in the summer, Mourinho or Pellegrini could arrive at Old Trafford to replace him.

None of which will matter to City right now. It’s felt since Mancini left (and, it turns out , before) as if it was treading water waiting for Guardiola. It’s been a four-year plan for a three-year contract, but it has, at last, landed the brightest, most interesting coach in world football.

Man City force Pep Guardiola to commit, Barca-Atletico fallout, more

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=intl:2798516

At the risk of being conspiratorial, you wonder about Manchester City's decision to announce on Monday what most already knew: Pep Guardiola will be taking over from Manuel Pellegrini at the end of the season.

City said in their statement that the choice was made "out of respect for Manuel Pellegrini and the players" and that this way, they can "remove the unnecessary burden of speculation."

Well, unless Pellegrini spends his time off the grid in an underground cement bunker, emerging only for games and training sessions, there was no "burden of speculation." Even when he signed that one-year contract extension, Pellegrini knew that the club were going to go after Guardiola. And he knew that when Bayern announced Guardiola would not be back that there was a very good chance he'd be replaced by the Catalan.

Unless Txiki Begiristain and Ferrano Soriano are inveterate Pinocchios, you would assume that they told him exactly what was going on. That's how you show respect to a guy, and by all accounts, that's what they did. The same goes for the players, at least the ones who matter.

So why now? Why create a potentially uncomfortable situation for Guardiola, particularly if -- and it's certainly possible that they will -- Bayern end up facing City in the latter stages of the Champions League?

Mainly for two reasons, you would speculate.

http://www.espnfc.com/blog/marcotti-musings/62/post/2798569/man-city-force-guardiola-issue-atletico-briefly-stop-barca

Barcelona, Real Madrid show their strengths at top of the table

It has been a deliberate quirk of Liga's fixture list over recent years that the two major clubs from each of Spain's two major cities meet at the same time, or at least on the same weekend, of the calendar: Catalonia goes to Castille, while Castille comes to Catalonia. In an Iberia where conspiracy theories are easily stimulated, it was once thought within Catalonia, home of Barcelona and Espanyol, that making Barcelona take on Atletico Madridon the same weekend that Real Madrid meet Espanyol was a means to subtly allow Real Madrid an advantage.

Why so? Because Espanyol are never title contenders, at least in modern history. But the big two clubs, Atletico and Real, from the Spanish capital, can be, and are. They have both been champions in the last four years, interrupters of Barcelona's 21st century hold on that prize.

But in the 18 months since Atletico famously grabbed the Liga title from Barca on the last day of the 2103-14 season, by drawing 1-1 at Camp Nou, the sporting heart of Catalonia, Barca have learned to master both Madrid's best clubs. Of all the home wins - 11 out of 12 Primera Division matches - accumulated by Barca this season, Saturday's 2-1 win over Atletico looks the most significant.

Barcelona 2, Atletico Madrid 1

Eibar 1, Malaga 2

Getafe 0, Athletic Club 1

Villarreal 1, Granada 0

Real Sociedad 2, Real Betis 1

Sevilla 3, Levante 1

Valencia 0, Sportin Gijon 1

Las Palmas 2, Celta de Vigo 1

Real Madrid 6, Espanyol 0

Deportivo la Coruna, Rayo Vallecano

It was certainly one of their toughest. Atletico took the lead, through Koke, and when Atletico have a lead, they usually have lock-down mechanisms installed in their hardware to hold at least a point. For that characteristic, Atletico going 1-0 up against versus free-scoring Barcelona promised intrigue, fascination. The contest supplied both on Saturday. Containment is what Diego Simeone's Atletico do excellently; they counter-attack efficiently too. They are a stubborn challenge for a team like Barcelona.

But this is an exceptional Barcelona, even by the standards set by the Barca of Frank Rijkaard's management in the mid-2000s, and even compared with the dynasty established by Pep Guardiola in the garlanded years between 2008 and 2012. Barcelona under Luis Enrique, who took over as head coach at Camp Nou 18 months ago, have something those predecessors did not: His Barcelona have played Atletico six times; they have won all of those matches, in Cup and league.

If there is a feather to plant in the cap of Luis Enrique besides the obvious, heavily plumed ones of a Champions League title, a Liga in his first season there, a Copa del Rey, a European Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup, it is the habit of beating the most resistant, rugged team in Spain, and the team who last interrupted Barcelona's status as likeliest Liga winners: Atletico. For all the baggage-laden rivalry with Real Madrid, Atletico put alarm into Barcelona like no other Spanish adversary, and not always for reasons the soccer purist instinctively respects. They are rough. The horror that registered on Luis Enrique's face on Saturday when Felipe Luis, by no means one of Simeone's most ferociously pugnacious combatants, inflicted a damaging thud on Lionel Messi's knee, felt visceral.  

Felipe Luis, quite correctly, was sent off for that foul. Atletico also lost Diego Godin, whose regular misjudgements of the line that separates hardness from brutality are the impediment between his being regarded as just a superb modern centre-half and being spoken of as the very best in the world in his position, to a red card. Yet Simeone could not be begrudged his praise of his team for competing, even with nine men against Barcelona's 11. "I feel proud," said Simeone, "If you have to lose, you want lose like we did." Even an understaffed Atletico had remained competitive, a worry to the Barcelona of Messi --€“ who scored the equalizer -- of Neymar, and of Luis Suarez, who scored the winning goal.

But, fact is, Atletico are less of a worry now as challengers for the Liga title, and by a distance. Barcelona's win means a three-point cushion at the top, over Simeone's outfit, for Luis Enrique's men with 16 matches to go, or, rather, 17 matches to go for Barca, who have played one game fewer than Atletico and Real Madrid, who are third thanks to their straightforward three points.

Against Espanyol, at the Bernabeu, Real were close to guaranteed a win. Espanyol may be citizens to Spain's second city; they may have a strong, defined support-base in urban Catalonia; they may be in a state of optimism for having attracted investment from the Chinese magnate Chen Yansheng, now the majority shareholder in the club who declared his intention to have the club playing Champions League soccer within three years in the lead-up to the visit to the Bernabeu. But they are still regular fall-guys to Madrid's gluttonous goalscorers.

Cristiano Ronaldo, for instance, loves playing Espanyol more than any other Spanish opponent. He scored five times against them earlier this season. By half-time on Sunday, he had scored another two, his second goal a work of wonder, with two brilliant pieces of bagatelle dribbling, left foot to right, in the preamble of the virtuoso strike that put Real Madrid 4-0 up before half time. 

Ronaldo had already converted a penalty, to add to Karim Benzema's early header. James Rodriguez, with a heavily deflected shot, scored Madrid's third. Ronaldo then headed in for his hat-trick in the second half, and, in doing so, maintained Madrid's remarkable home record under the nascent management career of Zinedine Zidane of a win every game, with at least five goals per match. This time it would be six, once Jese, a substitute, forced the luckless Espanyol defender, Oscar Duarte, to divert past his own goalkeeper, for 6-0.

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/barcelona-real-madrid-show-their-strengths-at-top-of-the-table-013116

Steve Birnbaum header lifts USMNT over Iceland

There were no grand statements or sweeping improvements in the first match of this busy year, but United States defender Steven Birnbaum sparked celebrations nevertheless. Birnbaum nodded home his first international goal in the 90th minute to lift the Americans to a 3-2 victory over Iceland on Sunday afternoon.

The late winner applied a gloss to a ragged and open affair. Former Columbus Crew SC winger Kristinn Steindorsson opened the scoring for Iceland with a deflected effort inside the opening quarter of an hour. Jozy Altidore responded by rounding off a neat American sequence after 20 minutes. Iceland took the lead again through Aron Sigurdarson's curling effort three minutes after halftime, but Michael Orozco prodded home Birnbaum's knockdown just before the hour to restore parity. Birnbaum settled matters at the death to give the Americans a winning start to their 2016 obligations.

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann must expect significant improvement ahead of the World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala in March and the Copa America Centenario in June, but he can take heart in the way his makeshift side persisted to secure victory despite evident defensive failings. The onus now falls upon this group to make further strides ahead of the friendly against Canada on Friday (live, 10:15p.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports GO).

"Three weeks of training and we were rewarded with a win," a delighted Klinsmann told reporters after the match. "Overall, they worked very hard, pushing and pushing because they wanted to win this game. Everybody in camp is trying to prove a point they belong."

Klinsmann handed Kellyn Acosta and Ethan Finlay their full debuts and provided Luis Robles and Lee Nguyen with their chances to impress. The quartet played a part in a U.S. side expected to dominate in possession and ward against Iceland's ability to pounce on errors and push forward on the counterattack.

The opening stages provided plenty of possession, but they also underscored the perils of the dynamic. For all of its dominion on the ball, the Americans exposed their vulnerabilities at the back. It took Iceland just 13 minutes to punish them for imprecise work in defense and wrest control over the proceedings.

Most of the profit arrived when Sigurdarson grasped advantage of the space allotted by Acosta. His initial cross prompted a weak clearing header from Matt Besler and static defending from the unintended knockdown. Steindorsson reacted while others stood still and watched his effort bank off Orozco and trickle past the stranded Robles.

The goal arrived firmly against the run of play as the Americans controlled the ball and used it effectively enough. Zardes frittered away good work by Nguyen when he headed off the ground and over the bar from close range. The use of space -- particularly with incisive movement in front of the Iceland back four -- foretold the eventual equalizer after 20 minutes.

Jermaine Jones instigated the move by pointing out the space in front of him and then playing toward Zardes in front of goal. Zardes dropped the ball quickly into Bradley's run through. Bradley clipped through the line for Altidore to restore parity with his 32nd international goal.

The resulting balance reflected the Americans' superiority on the ball and underscored the peril they faced when conceding it. Bradley dictated terms in possession, while Altidore threw himself about earnestly and nearly won a penalty on the stroke of halftime. The decision to wave away those claims reverberated early in the second half after more slipshod defending paved the way for a well-taken second goal for the visitors.

All of the trouble started with another lapse in concentration. Iceland won a free kick and played it quickly as the Americans quibbled about the decision. Sigurdarson maneuvered through Orozco's challenge on the right and received the benefit of the space in behind him. He made the best possible use of it by slicing infield and sweeping into the far corner to restore the Icelandic lead.

Orozco made amends for his role by procuring the equalizer just before the hour. Iceland failed to cope with the initial delivery from a corner kick. Altidore latched onto the ball at the back post and played back into the scrum. Birnbaum rose highest to nod down for Orozco to prod home from close range.

The goal provided a deserved equalizer on the balance and set up an expansive final half-hour. Neither side managed the space well as the shapes stretched from end to end. Eidur Gudjohnsen nearly snatched a third with an effort from distance, while Jordan Morris -- inserted with likely Olympic strike partner Jerome Kiesewetter with a quarter of an hour to play -- slid just wide from close range.

All of those efforts produced a U.S. winner just before full time. Bradley floated a free kick toward the far post invitingly. Birnbaum climbed to meet it and smashed it into the back of the net to start this hectic year with a victory.

Everton coast into FA Cup fifth round with routine win at Carlisle

Everton eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup as early goals from Arouna Kone and Aaron Lennon and a deflected Ross Barkley strike steered them to a comfortable 3-0 win at Carlisle.

Kone opened the scoring by tapping in with only around 90 seconds of the tie gone before Lennon doubled the Toffees' advantage in the 14th minute.

Carlisle -- back playing at their Brunton Park home for only the second time since last month's devastating floods -- had threatened in between via a Derek Asamoah shot and did their best to cause their Premier League visitors problems thereafter.

But the contest was effectively settled in the 65th minute when Barkley sent a shot in off Mark Ellis from the edge of the box.

The win provided a timely boost for Everton and their manager Roberto Martinez, four days on from their Capital One Cup semifinal defeat to Manchester City.

Aaron Lennon fires in Everton's second goal.

Martinez, whose side are 12th in the Premier League and have won only once in 10 top-flight games, has faced considerable criticism of late, with the Merseyside outfit being accused of underachieving.

But at least Everton still have a viable-looking route to success still open to them this season after this routine victory -- with a side showing six changes -- against the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.

For Carlisle, no matter what happened on the pitch, this was always going to be a special occasion.

Only a few weeks earlier, their stadium's playing surface had been completely submerged amid severe flooding in the area caused by Storm Desmond.

A tremendous sense of community spirit followed, with players and staff from the club helping stricken townspeople, and the team were able to play 'home' games at Preston, Blackburn and Blackpool while a major repair effort went on at the ground.

With a new pitch laid, Keith Curle's men then played their first match on it on January 23, drawing 1-1 with York in the league.

And just over a week later, Carlisle being able to host Sunday's glamour tie felt like a fitting testament to the hard work that had been done.

A bumper crowd of around 17,000 duly greeted kick-off with a wall of noise - but the home fans were soon silenced as Lennon broke free on the right and his low delivery was touched in by Kone.

Asamoah looked to make a quick response and, with the Everton defence guilty of sloppy play, the veteran striker sent one shot wide before bringing a save out of Joel Robles with a more venomous effort.

But Everton were swiftly back on the front foot, and just before the quarter-hour mark Lennon collected a Bryan Oviedo cross, nipped around Michael Raynes and slotted in off goalkeeper Mark Gillespie.

After coming through a few more scares without falling further behind, Carlisle began to exert some pressure again.

Ellis headed a corner wide at the far post, and just after the break, Asamoah made a positive burst and saw his shot deflect into the stand.

But the hosts found it hard to carve out much more than that, and midway through the second half they conceded again when Everton substitute Leon Osman - once on loan at Carlisle - gave the ball to Barkley, who took a touch or two before unleashing a shot that flew in via Ellis' head.

http://www.espnfc.com/english-fa-cup/match/441016/carlisle-united-everton/report