REFEREES can never win. Mike Riley was unpopular with Evertonians long before he dismissed Marco Materazzi in the 49th minute for a second bookable offence. Then, in the fourth and last minute of time added on, the Leeds official completed his personal "double" by upsetting the visitors for disallowing an "equaliser" by Fabian Wilnis.

Those success-starved Everton supporters who were still raging at the end should not forget the courage it took to discount the "goal", apparently because of a foul by Richard Naylor on Dave Unsworth, one of the bricks in Everton's determined defensive wall.

The police escort for the referee at the end was a formality, unlike the win that keeps Everton on course to add to their record 23 appearances in the semi-finals, two more than Manchester United and three ahead of Liverpool, who meet today.

Everton fought hard for the single goal (and the success it earned), having failed to score in eight of the 11 Premiership games at Goodison Park this season. The display was a reminder that Everton have yielded only five goals, Manchester United scoring four of them.

"It was a harsh decision at the end," reflected George Burley, the manager of Ipswich, who have won the Cup once and been in only three semi-finals. "But we didn't create enough chances from all the free-kicks and corners we won. You have to say that Everton defended well."

Everton screamed for a penalty in the 72nd minute when Tony Mowbray blocked a scorching run by Nick Barmby in the penalty area and escaped a rebuke.

"I thought it was certainly more than obstruction," said the Everton manager, Walter Smith.

The penalty debate would have been meaningless had Michael Ball not missed from a few yards in the 47th minute and and had Matt Holland's electric reactions not stopped what looked certain to be a goal by Cadamarteri 10 minutes later.

Cadamarteri richly deserved the hero's ovation he received when replaced after 76 minutes of full-throttle endeavour in Everton's cause.

Injuries and suspensions had ripped Everton apart, to make the success even more deserved. John Oster, 20, and Cadamarteri, 19, were the lightweight "Unlikely Lads" who made up Everton's strikeforce, yet it was a rare goal by Barmby that provided the Suffolk punch and sent sophisticated Ipswich back home to concentrate on promotion from the First Division.

Seven players were booked as Everton equalled last season's record of 78 cautions and five sendings-off, which earned a stern rebuke from the FA and a suspended fine of £50,000.

"You get booked for sneezing these days," said a clearly relieved and delighted Smith. "My players could easily have thought it was not to be their day when Marco was sent off and their response to that challenge pleased me most."

It was Barmby's first goal anywhere for a year and his first at Goodison Park for 16 months. He could not have timed it more rewardingly for the team or himself with half of the senior players unavailable.

Everton have not lost in five ties against Ipswich and the last time they reached the fifth round, in 1995, they won the Cup. Now supporters with long memories are linking yesterday's success with the dramatic about-turn that followed the success against Oxford United in the Milk Cup in 1983-84.

But it is unlikely that even at full strength, today's team could match the Howard Kendall-led Everton that emerged from that crisis.

Daily Telegraph