Calvert-Lewin Double Sinks Owls, Powers Everton Into Carabao Cup Fourth Round

SHEFFIELD, England- Dominic Calvert-Lewin struck twice inside four exhilarating first-half minutes to beat Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough and book Everton's place in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

Striker Calvert-Lewin hails from these parts and went to school 1.7 miles down the road. How he enjoyed his visit to familiar surroundings, thudding a shot in off the woodwork after six minutes and poking home a second four minutes later.

Hillsborough was throbbing at kick-off but all that noise rolling around this stadium’s mountainous old stands had been sucked out the place inside 10 minutes.

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That Calvert-Lewin was the architect of Wednesday’s early downfall would have made the locals all the more cranky.

A former man of Sheffield United, Calvert-Lewin’s goal to break the deadlock was a beauty.

Djibril Sidibe served up the cross, flat and hard from the right.

Calvert-Lewin’s movement had been smart, taking himself into space at the far post. He used the time he had created to cushion the ball on his thigh before ripping a finish off the underside of the bar.

The forward applied the decisive touch to a fluid and attractive build-up for his and Everton’s second.

Alex Iwobi broke into the box, escaping the attentions of Wednesday’s backline to latch onto Bernard’s slick pass and square for Calvert-Lewin to stab home.

Had it not been for Jordan Pickford, Calvert-Lewin’s lightning double would have completed a comeback job.

Two minutes had elapsed when Sam Winnall ran unchecked into Everton’s penalty box. Pickford spread himself in inimitable style to thwart the Wednesday forward and provide the launchpad for his side’s assault on the home goal.

And it was an assault.

Everton swamped Wednesday for half-an-hour, Fabian Delph and Tom Davies strong and mobile in midfield – that duo creating a platform for their attackers to roam in search of pockets from where they could inflict damage on the home team.

Richarlison’s bullet header from a Lucas Digne corner travelled a foot over after 13 minutes. Twenty minutes later and but for Cameron Dawson, Calvert-Lewin would have had his hat-trick.

Delph broke any number of tackles and swipes in midfield, eventually wrestling free to pass to Richarlison on the right.

His cross to the far post found Calvert-Lewin, generating all his own power on the header but denied point-blank by home keeper Dawson.

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For Wednesday, Adam Reach wide on the right was at the heart of everything good going forward.

His corner from the right was met by Dominic Iorfa with a header which flashed wide of the upright.

And blasting off his touchline to meet a centre from Jacob Murphy, Reach could only deposit a low strike into Pickford’s gloves.

Calvert-Lewin wanted a penalty after going down following contact from Iorfa but didn’t get it.

Wednesday’s frontman Atdhe Nuhiu, meanwhile, was being starved of the service he craves.

The hulking Kosovan, getting fed up with this, dropped deep to turn and run at Everton’s backline right before half-time.

Mason Holgate’s tackle to stop Nuhiu was timed beautifully.

Iorfa muscled in front of Richarlison when Tom Davies floated a ball into the box 10 minutes after the restart.

Then it was Everton’s turn to defend. Holgate shrewdly used his body to nudge Nuhiu out of the flight of a cross. Moments later he blocked a drilled shot from the same player, Winnall wildly over on the rebound.