LIVERPOOL: Salomon Rondon scored twice as Premier League Everton made heavy weather of beating fifth-tier Boreham Wood 2-0 in their FA Cup fifth-round clash at a rain-soaked Goodison Park on Thursday.
Everton, who will travel to Crystal Palace in the quarter-finals, made their Ukraine left back Vitali Mykolenko captain and fielded a much-changed team against the National League side.
They were frustrated until the 57th minute when Jonjoe Kenny slid in a low cross for Rondon to score at the near post, and the Venezuelan netted his second late on with a header.
Everton created little in the first half as their delivery from wide areas was poor. Mykolenko forced a good save from Taye Ashby-Hammond in the Boreham Wood goal and the keeper had to keep out a curling effort from the excellent Anthony Gordon.
The home side were brighter in the second half and Rondon had a simple headed chance from Kenny’s delivery that he put over the crossbar, before the same two players combined for the opening goal.
In the other quarter-finals, Liverpool travel to Nottingham Forest or Huddersfield Town and Chelsea go to giant-killers Middlesbrough. Southampton host Manchester City in an all-Premier League clash. — Reuters
