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Leighton Baines is not intimidated by the prospect of facing the best sides in the FA Cup.



With just eight teams remaining, two of them above the Blues in the Premier League table, Baines and his team-mates cannot afford to be.



“You don't look to avoid anyone in the cup,” he said. “If you're going to win a trophy eventually you're going to have to beat some big teams along the way.”



Roberto Martinez's side must first navigate past Arsenal in the quarter-finals, with Manchester City potentially lurking in the semis or the final itself.



But for Everton , winning cup ties as underdogs - rightly or wrongly labelled as such - is something they have relished throughout their history.

Especially when reaching the final.



The road to Wembley – or, as it used to be, Crystal Palace – is bumpy but rewarding for the Blues.

Everton 2-0 Liverpool (semi-final), 31 March 1906

Everton went into this first-ever Merseyside derby semi-final very much in mid-table. With 13 wins and 12 draws, they were in 13 position; in comparison, their rivals were top of the league, and on their way to the title.

But the Blues denied them the chance of a double with a magnificent second-half showing which belied pre-match predictions.

Both sides of the city had coloured Birmingham blue, white and red as 50,000 packed inside Villa Park, with former Aston Villa winger Jack Sharp cheered by the locals.

It was Sharp, who would later become a Test batsman for England, who set up two second-half goals in a matter of minutes.

Liverpool's Billy Dunlop scored an own goal, before Harold Hardman sealed the win for Will Cuff's side.

The result against the red side was put into perspective further when Liverpool lifted the title that season.

Everton would finish 11, but went on to lift the cup against Newcastle at Crystal Palace thanks to a Sandy Young strike.

Everton 1-0 Manchester United (semi-final), 23 April 1966

There were just two points separating Everton and Manchester United when the sides met at Bolton's Burnden Park, but United had four games in hand.



United, managed by Matt Busby, would also have three players who would go on to win the World Cup that summer in John Connelly, Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles.



George Best, however, missed out, although Denis Law started up-front.



Everton would have one of their own future World Cup heroes – Ray Wilson – with Alf Ramsey's hopes of a second, Brian Labone, were thwarted by Labone's immiment wedding.



But despite possessing a talented side, the Blues were clear underdogs against a side who had reached the European Cup semi-finals that season.



With Labone at the back, however, Harry Catterick's men stood firm in poor conditions on a heavy, muddy pitch.



Catterick had picked Mike Trebilcock, a £23,000 signing from Plymouth Argyle, to deputise for Fred Pickering – a risk, given how little Trebilcock had played.



It was Colin Harvey who would prove the hero, finding space just inside the box and sweeping home a shot into the far corner, prompting a mini-invasion of the pitch.



Alex Young would then crash one against the post, but their final place was secure.



The Blues would win the cup that year with a 3-2 win against Sheffield Wednesday, but maybe more impressive was the semi-final win against a side that, two years later, would be champions of Europe.



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Everton 1-0 Manchester (final), 20 May 1995



The Blues' season had began with their worst-ever league start, but ended – somehow – with Duncan Ferguson and his plastic blue nose parading the cup around Wembley.

Aside from Evertonians, very few gave Joe Royle's side a chance against a strong Manchester United side who - a week previous - had been on the cusp of a second consecutive league-and-cup double.

This was despite the Blues downing United in February's league match courtesy of Ferguson's goal.



But after failing to beat West Ham and losing the title to Blackburn Rovers on the final day, they would be handed another blow by the 'Dogs of War'.



This was the most unexpected blow of all.



Everton had spent the season battling relegation, but would be steered to 15 by Royle – who took charge in November with the club bottom of the league.



But the 1-0 win, courtesy of Paul Rideout's header, was beyond anything ever imagined just months before.



The strength of Alex Ferguson's side was apparent. Despite the absences of Eric Cantona (suspension), Andrew Cole (cup-tied) and Andrei Kanchelskis (injury), United's team was strong.



Their five-man midfield was a testament to how Ferguson knew Everton would give them a game, even if few others did.



What a game they give them.



Everton could not risk Ferguson, who was struggling for full fitness after a hernia operation, while Graham Stuart was preferred to Daniel Amokachi up-front.



But after Rideout's opener,the Blues stood firm, with Barry Horne and Joe Parkinson relentless in midfield, and Neville Southall providing a goalkeeping masterclass.



Ferguson and Amokachi would come on as substitutes and help Everton secure their most famous cup win.

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Everton 0-0 Manchester United (aet, Everton win 4-2 on penalties, semi-final), 19 April 2009

Until Phil Jagielka scored the decisive penalty, Manchester United were set to become the first side to win the quadruple.



Granted, United would be humbled in the Champions League final by Barcelona in Rome, but this was a squad deemed capable of winning the lot in one season.



Their team selection belittled Everton and the cup competition, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Edwin van der Sar all missing from the squad.



But it was still a side that contained Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Danny Welbeck and Carlos Tevez.



David Moyes' side were, foolishly, thought to be the next side to be pushed aside in United's season of domination.



But where Porto, Inter Milan and Liverpool failed, the Blues succeeded.



A tense semi-final affair brought no goals, a penalty shoot-out, a chance for heroes to be made.



Tim Howard did, saving penalties from Dimitar Berbatov and Ferdinand.



Baines did, as did Phil Neville, James Vaughan and Jagielka with their excellent spot-kicks.



This was their first Wembley appearance since 1995, and the shoot-out victory secured their first final appearance since that year, as well.



Unfortunately, the Blues would lose 2-1 to Chelsea in the final.

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