It was Lukaku’s brilliance which decided this stormy quarter-final – and there was still time for Barry to be sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Cesc Fabregas.
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Costa, infuriated by a late challenge in a fiery FA Cup tie, confronted the former England midfielder with images of his mouth over Barry’s neck leading to talk of a potential bite.
It has been witnessed that Chelsea striker Diego Costa bit Everton’s Gareth Barry during the match.
Just five minutes later, after neat passes from Gareth Barry and Ross Barkley, it was left to Lukaku to deliver the killer blow with another emphatic finish that earned Everton a place in the semi-finals. Another question was whether he spat at the feet of referee Michael Oliver after being booked earlier for an altercation with Barry.
“I have not seen him go over the edge since December”.
Lukaku has played just 18 minutes at the national stadium as a substitute for Belgium in a 1-0 defeat in 2012 but going there with his club will mean much more to him as Everton chase their first trophy since 1995.
Guus Hiddink joked about Diego Costa’s dismissal but he also said that the forward was provoked throughout the match.
Diego Costa plunged Chelsea into fresh controversy in its nightmare season by seeing red after an apparent biting incident.
“As a referee you have to protect the situation, but knowing and feeling this atmosphere”.
Precedent suggests that Costa, sent off for the first time in his Blues career, would be in line for a lengthy suspension if the FA decide to take retrospective action.
“Secondly, I’ll be amazed if Costa is not punished for his reaction after the second yellow card”.
Barry will miss Everton’s Barclays Premier League home game against Arsenal on Saturday, while Costa will sit out West Ham’s visit to Stamford Bridge on the same day. That is a pity but I think a club like Chelsea you must play with responsibility. “Whatever happens with Diego Costa I am sure the two players shook it off”.
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“I’m not saying we accept it – there are many things I’ve done which aren’t great for the game and if you could go back and change them, you would”.
