THE only surprise was that Everton did not score more. There would be no upset on FA Cup third round Saturday as the Goodison Park side snuffed out the scent of a shock with a highly competent performance at Scunthorpe.
Rarely in manager David Moyes' tenure has he overseen such a routine third round passage.
Selecting a side not at full strength but nevertheless ably equipped to deal with what may emerge from the trip to Glanford Park, Everton were willing to pay Scunthorpe a level of respect which ultimately was not required.
The Iron melted in the face of the Premier League club as Everton turned in an ideal performance for such an afternoon, one where they have fallen before.
Having seen their path to Wembley meet a roadblock at Shrewsbury Town and veer off course at home to Oldham Athletic in previous years, Moyes' men are far more street wise to wherever the FA Cup journey will take them now.
Plundering five goals was a fair reflection of their dominance on proceedings but it was a victory borne more out of professionalism than anything particularly pulsating – not that some of the away team's play was not easy on the eye.
A startled Scunthorpe were no match for the steady hand at the back, sufficient bite in midfield and sprinkling of skill going forward which Everton offered on Saturday.
And with the midfield bombarding forward with increasing regularity as the tie wore on – supplying the forward line as well as themselves with chances – Everton could well have made the scoreline all the more hard for the Championship side to stomach.
Had Jermaine Beckford shown a touch more of the predatory instincts which made him a cult hero at Glanford Park in 2007 then his return could easily have been marked with a hat-trick instead of just his neat header in the first-half.
The recalled Leon Osman – who wore the captain's armband in the absence of the rested Phil Neville – and midfield partner Marouane Fellaini could have also embellished the scoreline, and justifiably so as Moyes' men fully exposed the 32-place gap which separates the sides in league competition.
