Chelsea striker Diego Costa was at the centre of a biting controversy as Romelu Lukaku wrecked what was left of his former club’s season to secure Everton’s place in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.
Costa appeared to make contact with the neck of Everton’s Gareth Barry at the end of a running battle between the pair as he received his first red card in English football – although managers Guus Hiddink and Roberto Martinez later refused to condemn the striker.
Everton were leading through Lukaku’s superb 77th-minute solo goal – reminiscent of Ricky Villa’s famous weaving run for Spurs in the 1981 FA Cup final against Manchester City – and the Belgian’s low drive when Costa was dismissed by referee Michael Oliver.
It was Lukaku’s brilliance which decided this stormy quarter-final – and there was still time for Barry to be sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Cesc Fabregas.
That could not stop the elation sweeping around an ecstatic Goodison Park as manager Martinez, under the watchful eye of Everton’s new majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, celebrated a hugely significant victory.
This was the day Chelsea would have had to acknowledge the error of their ways for their lack of patience in refusing to persist with Lukaku, 22, who is now approaching world class.
He has scored 25 goals this season and the goal that changed the direction of this feisty FA Cup tie was a thing of power and beauty.
Lukaku picked up Ross Barkley’s pass on the left flank and embarked on a run that simply possessed too much power and skill for four Chelsea defenders before he had the composure to slide a finish under Thibaut Courtois.
And as Chelsea now look at a major rebuilding job under owner Roman Abramovich’s next managerial appointment, how they must wish they had a player of Lukaku’s potential to act as the centrepiece.
As for Everton, the fact they do have the giant Belgian means they have a potent match-winning spearhead.
The sight of Costa, with the mockery of almost 40,000 Everton fans ringing in his ears, sloping off after a red card encapsulated a week of abject misery for the Stamford Bridge club.
Chelsea were well beaten by Paris St-Germain and now this FA Cup exit means they have nothing left to fight for and no Champions League football to look forward to next season for the first time since Abramovich took charge in July 2003.
It was as if all those frustrations poured out of Costa, who was agitating for a battle from the first whistle and found an opponent in Barry who was more than happy to oblige.
Costa finally boiled over in a close range, head-to-head spat with Barry and Chelsea’s chances of getting back into this game went with him.
With a new manager to be appointed, captain John Terry facing an uncertain future, and a squad needing urgent rebuilding, this day almost felt like the end of an era for Chelsea.
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