Tranmere shame Everton

Tranmere's Steve Yates heads the first

Everton 0-3 Tranmere Rovers

Tranmere Rovers made the journey across the River Mersey to heap FA Cup humiliation on neighbours Everton at Goodison Park.

John Aldridge's side made a nonsense of their lowly position in the First Division to leave Everton's fans in fury and pile the pressure on boss Walter Smith.

Tranmere struck Everton with two first half goals from Steve Yates and highly-rated youngster Jason Koumas.

And it was no more than the Wirral outfit deserved when Yates added his second and Tranmere's third after the break.

Koumas put more pounds on his £2m price tag with a brilliant goal and a lively performance - but Tranmere's real weapon of destruction was the pace of Andy Parkinson.

Unsworth jumps

Everton's expensive stars were a shambles, lacking ideas and commitment in the face of Tranmere's bristling challenge.

It was an FA Cup clash that had captured the imagination of Merseyside - an interest demonstrated by a 15-minute delay to kick-off because of crowd congestion.

Everton opened brightly, but it proved to be a false dawn in an ultimately humiliating first 45 minutes for Smith's side.

I don't know the difference between our league and cup performances and players can drive oyu crazy

  Tranmere Rovers manager John Aldridge

Dane Thomas Gravesen offered Everton hope with a powerful drive that was punched away by Tranmere keeper John Achterberg.

But Tranmere had the pace of Parkinson up front, and were more combative and quicker to the ball in midfield.

And their spirits were lifted sky high after 17 minutes when they went ahead through Yates.

Parkinson played in Koumas, and his cross was met by Yates, who rose above Steve Watson to send a looping header past the flat-footed Thomas Myhre.

The disappointing part was that we couldn't handle the pressure of the situation after Tranmere scored

  Everton manager Walter Smith

Everton were reeling, and they were struck by a devastating blow after 34 minutes when Koumas scored a brilliant second.

Parkinson was troubling Everton at every twist and turn, but there looked little threat when he played in Koumas.

The highly-rated youngster changed all that when he delivered a brilliant instant clip over Myhre to send the 6,000 Tranmere fans who had travelled across the Mersey into ecstasy.

Everton could not cope with Parkinson's blistering speed, and it needed a brilliant saving challenge from Michael Ball to stop him adding a third just before half time.

Gravesen used even more desperate measures to halt Parkinson with a lunge to stop the youngster, rightly earning a yellow card from referee Jeff Winter.

Rideout beats Xavier

Everton were in dire straits, and boss Smith made a double substitution, sending on veteran Richard Gough and Joe-Max Moore for David Unsworth and Stephen Hughes.

It injected urgency into Everton, but it was still Parkinson who was posing the questions.

He raced clear of the Everton rearguard again, and gave Myhre an anxious moment when the Norwegian goalkeeper let the shot slipped through his hands, but recovered.

Tranmere pushed the game firmly beyond Everton's reach after 63 minutes as Yates added his second and his side's third.

I know my players can perform like this, and it's time they shamed my belief

  Tranmere Rovers manager John Aldridge

Everton's marking was woeful at a Koumas corner, with Yates arriving completely unattended to power a header past Myhre.

It prompted an angry reaction from Everton's fans, with one supporter advancing on to the pitch before being hustled away by police.

Their displeasure was in sharp contrast to the joy of the hordes of Tranmere fans who gave their team a heroes' reception at the final whistle.

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Everton: Myhre, Steve Watson, Xavier, Ball, Unsworth, Gemmill, Gravesen, Pembridge, Hughes, Campbell, Cadamarteri. Subs: Gough, Simonsen, Moore, Jevons, Tal.

Tranmere: Achterberg, Hill, Jobson, Hamilton, Yates, Allen, Hinds, Koumas, Flynn, Parkinson, Rideout. Subs: Allison, Henry, Scott Taylor, Murphy, Hume.

Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees)