Everton4

Leyton Orient1

(FA Cup Fourth Round)PAUL Brush's brave troops didn't deserve to be on the end of a score line like this and they probably wouldn't have but for one man Paul Gascoigne.

The 36-year-old produced a sparkling midfield display that rolled back the years as he carved out three of Everton's goals.

Some of the damage to the O's was self inflicted, as they conceded an early own goal, just as they had at Portsmouth in the previous round.

Only 12 minutes had passed when Tony Hibbert's teasing cross was spectacularly crashed into his own goal by Dave McGhee's diving header.

A fierce low drive five minutes later by Scott Gemmil from 25 yards saw veteran O's keeper Scott Barrett get down well to his left to produce a fine stop.

Soon afterwards Andy Harris' teasing ball from the right then brought a low diving Steve Watts header that went inches wide, although a linesman's flag would have had it ruled out for offside.

By now though Gascoigne was in full flow and his sublime chip to release Kevin Campbell should have resulted in a goal, but the big striker dragged his shot wide.

David Weir then released Gazza in his own half and with one of those surging runs that made him famous in an England shirt, he skipped past Andy Harris and David Partridge on the right before squaring it for Duncan Ferguson to slot home on 32 minutes.

A flowing move five minutes later from the O's then resulted in Minton having a crack from full on 25 yards, right of the goal.

His low effort appeared to get a deflection off an Everton defender forcing Steve Simonsen to palm it straight into the path of Scott Canham, who poked it home from close range to send the 4,500 travelling O's fans into ecstasy.

Orient then went in search of an equaliser and certainly looked to be finishing the half the stronger side.

A Barrett clearance was headed on by Steve Watts, but with Wayne Gray racing through shoulder to shoulder with Alan Stubbs, the Everton man fell to the ground to get a free kick.

A slip by David Unsworth then fell to Matthew Joseph on the right, but his low ball across the box just evaded the falling Watts and on-rushing Minton.

But with the nearing the end O's were hit with a real sucker punch in the dying moments.

Unsworth released Gazza on the left and with Joseph already dragged across into the middle he surged into the box and dummied McGhee before knocking it sideways to Campbell who shrugged off Dean Smith before firing past Barrett.

A flowing 56th minute move saw Harris out on the right feed Joseph inside of him and it was his pass forward to Lockwood that let the defender have a thundering low effort from distance that this time Simonsen was able to get down well to hold.

Minutes later Barrett showed that it wasn't just Gazza who could roll back the years when he got down well to deny Campbell after a neat one-two with substitute Joe Max Moore on the right of the box.

But the keeper was unable to do anything to stop Campbell grabbing his second in the 80th minute when another Gascoigne run saw him sell a dummy to McGhee outside of the box and evade challenges from both Harris and Minton before releasing a great pass which Campbell poked home.