West Ham United goalkeeper Adrian converted the decisive spot-kick in a penalty shootout against 10-man Everton to send the Londoners into the FA Cup fourth round after a pulsating replay at Upton Park on Tuesday.
Adrian fired past opposite number and Spanish compatriot Joel Robles immediately after the Everton keeper had crashed his spot kick against the crossbar as West Ham won 9-8 on penalties.
The match had finished 2-2 after extra time following a highly entertaining 120 minutes at Upton Park.
“What a game. It’s a long time since I’ve experienced so many highs and lows in one game of football,” West Ham manager Sam Allardyce told reporters.
“All the players gave everything, it really was a fantastic cup tie and we got a little bit of the magic of the cup going our way tonight.”
Everton, who have a fantastic record against West Ham, particularly in London, had to play more than half the game with 10 men after Aiden McGeady was sent off for a second yellow card after 56 minutes.
The visitors had fallen behind six minutes after the break when Enner Valencia slotted past Robles from a tight angle after running on to Andy Carroll’s pass.
HARDER TASK
Everton’s task got harder when McGeady was dismissed for bringing down Mark Noble but Kevin Mirallas curled in a superb free kick from the edge of the box after 82 minutes to make it 1-1 and send the game into extra time.
Romelu Lukaku fired Everton ahead six minutes into the extra period, dedicating his goal with a skywards salute to fellow Belgian and former Vfl Wolfsburg midfielder Junior Malanda, who was died in a car accident in Germany on Saturday.
Substitute Carlton Cole, however, sent the tie to penalties when he stabbed home from a corner with seven minutes of extra time remaining and just over a minute after coming on.
“It was a great cup tie, I am very proud of the team and it’s one of those things when you lose on penalties,” Everton boss Roberto Martinez told reporters.
“I thought it was a terrific performance, we played with vitality, and I think our fans appreciated our dynamic play and for them to give us a standing ovation at the end was great.”
West Ham visit Bristol City in the next round after the third-tier side overcame Doncaster Rovers 2-0 in another replay.
Also on Tuesday, Fulham edged Wolverhampton Wanderers 5-3 in a penalty shootout, after the game finished 3-3 following extra time, to seal a trip to Premier League Sunderland.
