David Moyes left out Peanuts, Gibbo and Felli completely from the team that thrashed Villa on Saturday. The manager of The People's club also left Howard, Jela, Buzz, on the bench. In came Mucha in goal, Johnny Heitinga at the back with Shay Coleman at right back. Maggie was on the left of midfield. Naisy kept his place and Big Vic and Kevin Mirallas were up front.
Everton have a history of stuttering in the early stages of the League Cup, but not tonight. The passing was crisp and all the players seemed to be up for the game. Within minutes Everton could have taken the lead when Naisy and Mirallas combined for Kev to get a shot in at goal. Former Everton Academy goalie, Jones held onto the shot.
Bainesy recovered from an early knock to send away Maggie Gueye, who thundered a cross in for Vic to head goal wards, but his effort was deflected for a corner. The crowd was up for the first time.
Everton stepped up the tempo and after a cutting pass by Naisy, Kevin Mirallas gets away from a defender with his pace and scores with a shot into the corner. 1-0 to The Toffees. A new 'Super Kev' is born. Everton continued to turn the screw with Ossie, Coleman and Naisy all probing away.
The second goal had to come with all the pressure and it did. After some good play down the left, Bainesy pulled the ball back from the by line for Mirallas to lay off for Ossie to toe poke home. 2-0 to the Blues.
Everton continued to press for a third with Jagielka and Heitinga cutting out any threat from Orient, allowing Naismith and Coleman to run riot down the right.
Mirallas got his second and Everton's third when he jinked around a defender and shot through a crowd of players and the ball went under the keeper 3-0 to Everton. Still Everton didn't let up. Shots from Bainesy and the busy Naismith rained in on the Orient goal.
Everton made it 4-0 when Mirallas set up Big Vic to score from the edge of the box.
HALF TIME: EVERTON 4 Leyton Orient 0
The score line gave Moyesy the luxury to bring off Jags, Ossie, and Bainesy for Duffy, Barkley and Garbutt.
Barkley was quick into the game and flashed a shot wide. Coleman again did great down the right and crossed for Barkley to get a shot in, which was blocked for a corner.
The game was now played at a slower pace, but came alive again when Naismith hit a first time ball into the path of the willing Coleman who chipped it to the far post, where the incoming Maggie smashed the ball home with a sweet volley. Everton 5 Orient 0
Big Vic got on the end of a long Heitinga pass and did well to control, but his shot was off target.
Some of the Everton players seemed to take the foot off the gas and Orient had a few chances. Then Phil Neville went off with an injury and Everton are down to ten men, as they have used all three subs.
Coleman and Naismith were still bursting a gut to get another goal, but a few of the others are tiring.
As the match draws to an end, Orient have a few efforts, but only one which troubles Mucha. Everton had the last say when Vic gets away just inside the box and decides to shot into the side netting with Mirallas and Naismith screaming for a cut back.
The game ends and Everton have scored five under the lights with a crowd of over 24,000. The biggest of the round. Happy days.
All the team did well. Three candidates for Star man in Coleman, who was involved all night and seems to have learned how to play full back and now looks a serious contender to make that spot his own. Kevin Mirallas who is full of tricks and fast as fuck. Even 2 goals and 2 assists couldn't get him the nod over Steven Naismith, who played some delightful football and had the appertight right to the death, when the game was well over. When Neville went off he seemed to grow and was telling his mates were they should be playing. The look he gave to Big Vic at the end when had run 50 yards in the last few minutes only for the big man to shoot wide nailed it for me.
Roll on Saturday when we take on The Baggies. A place where you can't get a ticket for love nor money. Up The Toffees!
FULL TIME: EVERTON 5 Leyton Orient 0
