A comfortable fourth-round stroll away to outclassed League One opposition, thanks to two first-half strikes from Steven Naismith, was marred for Everton as Bryan Oviedo was carried off with what Roberto Martinez later said was a broken left tibia and fibula.
Martinez was, though, pleased with the result in a competition close to his heart after he won it with Wigan last season. "I think the FA Cup is the best cup tournament in the world and I feel proud to be involved in it," he said. "As you saw today, the players feel the same. So we are excited; we have a strong enough squad to face two competitions."
Stevenage 0-4 Everton
An hour before kick-off, thunder, lightning and a bitter wind bearing stinging hailstones had suggested a Cup upset could be on the cards. But as kick-off approached the weather moved on and conditions, despite what would soon become a lightly ploughed pitch, ceased to be a factor.
Stevenage applied early pressure and soon forced the first chance of the match as Lucas Akins took advantage of uncertainty in the visiting defence. Akins' shot beat Joel Robles in the Everton goal, but was straight at the covering defender on the line.
Given the gap of 61 league places between the two sides, it never felt as though Stevenage could keep the pressure up and Everton soon punished the home side for their endeavour, Aiden McGeady skipping down the right and his firm, low cross being forced home by Naismith.
Everton's bright start acquired a darker tinge as the first half neared the halfway point. Oviedo slid in to block a Simon Heslop shot and he remained on the ground with what immediately looked a serious injury after his studs caught in the turf. The Costa Rican was carried off to be replaced by Leon Osman after some delay.
"It is one of those moments that you feel terribly sad because he was at a great moment in his career with the World Cup round the corner," said Martinez. "Our medical department will make the decision if surgery is needed or not. That's the next step and we'll find out in the next 24 hours."
Whatever the outcome, it appears Oviedo's chances of facing England in this summer's World Cup are finished.
Everton were shaken by the incident and neither side appeared likely to score as the half drifted on, Everton comfortable in containment and Stevenage lacking incision. But then Naismith, enjoying a rare outing at centre-forward, broke through to score again after Jon Ashton had let the ball slip under his foot.
"The goals we conceded were soft," said the Stevenage manager Graham Westley. "There were errors before every goal and if you are going to make those sorts of defensive errors you are never going to stay in any game."
With the small matter of a Merseyside derby on Tuesday in mind, the Everton manager Martinez replaced his captain Phil Jagielka, who he said could have carried on despite a "tight" hamstring, at half-time with John Heitinga coming on in his place.
Within minutes the Dutch centre-back finished any remaining faint hopes Stevenage had with a powerful far-post header. Magaye Gueye's late fourth merely added gloss to a long forgone result.
Stevenage (4-4-2) Day, Hartley, Charles, Ashton, Jones (Parrett, 72); Morais (Andrade, 81). Smith, Heslop, Freeman; Akins, Zoko (Deacon, 85).
Substitutes not used: Smith, Wedgbury, Burrow, Toukara.
Booking: Hartley, Smith
Everton (4-2-3-1): Robles; Baines, Jagielka (Heitinga, h-t), Stones, Hibbert; Barry, Mccarthy; Oviedo (Osman, 22), Mirallas (Gueye, 81), McGeady; Naismith
Substitutes not used: Howard, Lukaku, Vellios, McAleny.
Goals: Naismith 5, 32 Heitinga 55 Gueye 84
Booking: Naismith
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Attendance: 6,913
Read more at www.thefa.com/news/the-fa-cup/...
To find out more about the FA visit:
thefa.com
Follow us on Twitter:
/ fa
The FA Cup on Facebook:
/ thefacup
England on Facebook:
/ englandteam
FAWSL on Facebook:
/ fawsl