The last ever FA Cup match at Goodison Park
Everton 0 - 2 Bournemouth
Everton handed Bournemouth a place in the FA Cup fifth round, marking the final FA Cup fixture ever to be played at Goodison Park.
The Toffees have called the historic ground home since 1892, but this defeat means their next home FA Cup tie will take place at their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, where they are set to move at the start of next season.
It was a night to forget for Everton, who were largely the architects of their own downfall. Captain James Tarkowski endured a nightmare first half, with his errors directly leading to both of Bournemouth’s goals.
Tarkowski’s struggles began when he mistimed a sliding tackle on Antoine Semenyo inside the box midway through the first half. The Ghanaian forward dusted himself off and confidently smashed home the resulting penalty past Jordan Pickford.
Semenyo caused Everton’s defence problems all evening, narrowly missing with another effort and seeing a tight-angled strike blocked by Jarrad Branthwaite.
Bournemouth doubled their lead two minutes before the break, and once again, Tarkowski was at fault. His misplaced pass gifted possession to the visitors, and after failing to recover, he could only watch as Daniel Jebbison bundled the ball home from close range.
David Moyes’ side improved significantly after the break and struck the woodwork three times, but they couldn’t find a way past Bournemouth keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
New signing Carlos Alcaraz came off the bench and rattled the post with a superb 25-yard free-kick, while Jake O’Brien’s header and Jack Harrison’s cross both crashed against the frame of the goal.
Bournemouth take full advantage of Everton’s errors
youtu.be/kpWaTHsBu-0?... A fantastic win for Bournemouth yesterday. Can they win the FA Cup this season?
— European Super Football (@superfootball.bsky.social) 9 February 2025 at 14:35
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Andoni Iraola has done an outstanding job since taking charge at Bournemouth in 2023, guiding them to an impressive seventh place in the Premier League this season.
His side were clinical when it mattered, although they certainly benefited from Everton’s costly mistakes.
Semenyo’s powerful penalty put them ahead in the 23rd minute after Tarkowski’s reckless challenge, with Pickford unable to keep it out despite guessing the right way.
Jebbison then capitalised on another defensive lapse to make it 2-0, punishing Tarkowski after the Everton defender gifted possession away in a dangerous area.
The Cherries had a chance to take the lead even earlier, with Marcus Tavernier almost scoring inside the first 10 seconds, but Tarkowski managed to block his effort.
After the hour mark, Justin Kluivert nearly made an instant impact off the bench, curling a shot that Pickford had to push away. The Everton keeper then produced a superb save to deny Dango Ouattara’s thunderous strike.
Bournemouth’s victory was historic, as it marked their first-ever FA Cup win over Everton, having lost their previous two meetings in 1937 and 2016.
Focus shifts to survival for Everton
Everton fans were left frustrated as the ball repeatedly struck the woodwork in the second half, summing up a night where luck simply wasn’t on their side.
The Toffees had come into the match in fine form after three straight wins, but their dismal first-half performance left them with too much to do.
On another day, things might have gone differently, and Everton could have been celebrating a famous comeback. But they were unable to pull off the kind of turnaround that Bournemouth managed at Goodison in August, when the Cherries fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 with a late flurry of goals.
Despite hitting the woodwork three times, Everton still had further chances – Iliman Ndiaye had a shot smothered by Kepa and saw a header cleared off the line by Semenyo, while substitute Tim Iroegbunam fired over from a promising position and sliced another effort wide.
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In the end, Tarkowski’s early mistakes left Everton with a mountain to climb against a confident Bournemouth side, and it proved too big an obstacle to overcome.
With their FA Cup and Carabao Cup hopes now over, Moyes must turn his attention to Premier League survival. Up next is a crucial Merseyside derby on Wednesday – the last one to ever be played at Goodison Park – where they’ll look to respond by upsetting league leaders Liverpool.
