Crystal Palace booked a trip to Wembley after a comfortable win over Everton in the FA Cup quarter-final at Selhurst Park.

Such a hard defeat looked unlikely as Everton started furiously, almost taking the lead in the first minute thanks to Michael Keane, before Richarlison collided with Gehi but was ruled offside.

However, after Everton’s Andros Townsend was forced off the pitch with an injury, the hosts calmed down and Gehi put them ahead in the 25th minute with a powerful header from Michael Olize’s accurate corner.

Everton’s poor mark almost cost them again moments later when Zaha crossed Godfrey to meet Mateta’s cross, only to shoot wide of target.

As the break approached, Palace made it 2-0. Eberechi Eze teamed up with Zaha, who switched roles with Mateta, swinging in a low ball and the striker decisively edged past Jordan Pickford.

Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was called up at half-time by Everton, but not immediately the luck of Frank Lampard’s team, which lacked ideas and energy.

Zaha guaranteed the result with 11 minutes to go, rebounding from Olize’s second shot that bounced off the post.

And after checking the VAR on handball, Hughes added to Everton’s suffering with a close-range finish in the closing stages.

Zaha is no longer the only star in the Palace

There was a time when Palace needed Zaa to shine if they wanted to get things done, but it was another great example that Patrick Vieira’s side now had multiple paths to victory.

The Ivorian played his part with an assist and a late goal, but the final third also saw a lot of creativity from Eze, who recently returned from a long-term injury, and Olize.

Conor Gallagher put in another superb performance, dictating the game against Everton with no ideas in return. Whoever faces Palace at Wembley will face a difficult task.

Toffees come off again

If Thursday night’s victory over Newcastle offered hope for Everton’s end-of-season resurgence, Sunday was a stark reminder of why they struggled so hard.

Their good start had to lead to something, and the fact that the break in the game slowed down their rhythm to such an extent shows how fragile their confidence is.

Calvert-Lewin isn’t in full form yet, but he hasn’t been able to turn things around since he was introduced.

And Lampard will be looking for more inspiration in the fight against relegation from the Premier League.