Roberto Martinez has hailed Gerard Deulofeu’s performance against Barnsley as ‘outstanding’, after the Spanish winger helped Everton book their place in Round 3 of the Capital One Cup.
Deulofeu only entered the field at Oakwell at half-time, with Everton trailing 2-0 to their Sky Bet League 1 opponents, but his skill helped the Toffees recover.The 21-year-old was a constant menace in the second period, and his three assists were crucial, as Roberto Martinez’s men made it through 5-3 in extra-time.
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“He was outstanding when he came on,” Martinez said to Everton’s official site. “His pace, penetration and ability in one-v-one situations was something that inspired our second-half performance.
“As you could see at the end, he was finding it tough. The plan was never that he would play anything longer than 45 minutes. But he adapted well and can only benefit from it.
“It was a really good display. But everyone in the second half, individually and collectively, was very strong. It would have been all too easy to let the momentum of the first half contaminate the second, but the attitude of the team was very clear – we wanted to get through. It was tough but we deserved it."
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Martinez was also full of praise for Barnsley, who came very close to pulling off an upset, after leading 2-0 and 3-2 in the contest.
“They were really strong opposition but what pleased me was our reaction in the second half,” he added. “We had to find a way to get back in it and then some of the football in the second half was fantastic. Some of the chances we had, we should have scored more.
“But it shows a really strong intent to send out a message that we care about the Capital One Cup and we want to do well. We had to show that with our second-half display. It was a fantastic tie.”
Everton will now face Sky Bet Championship side Reading in Round 3.
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