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Roma 3-0 Sampdoria: Destro at the double
Roma recorded a 3-0 win over Sampdoria in Sunday evening's Serie A encounter at the Stadio Olimpico.
Mattia Destro gave the Giallorossi the lead in the closing stages of the first half, before Miralem Pjanic made it two after the break, with Destro adding his second and Roma's third to seal the victory.
The visitors started the match the better side of the two and Eder had a good chance to hand his side the lead midway through the first half. Angelo Palombo set up the attacker with a fine through ball, but he failed to beat Morgan De Sanctis.
Roma grew into the game and created two chances to break the deadlock on 30 minutes. Firstly Gervinho threatened, only for Daniele Gastaldello to come to the rescue for Samp, before a smart Pjanic shot was kept out by Angelo Da Costa.
De Sanctis was called into action again only minutes later as Lorenzo De Silvestri found Roberto Soriano, but the Roma goalkeeper showed his class with a fine save.
Kevin Strootman should have opened the scoring shortly before the break after some poor defending from Palombo, only for the Netherlands international to fire straight at Da Costa from close range.
Roma did go ahead in the closing stages of the first half, though, via Destro. The striker beat his marker to the ball to meet a Alessandro Florenzi corner and left Da Costa with no chance to make it 1-0.
Rudi Garcia's men kept on pushing for more after the break and they did not need long to double their lead. The referee awarded the hosts a free kick in a dangerous position and Pjanic beat the Sampdoria goalkeeper with an accurate strike over the wall.
Things only got worse for the away side shortly after as Destro made it three for Roma. Gervinho found the former Inter youngster with a low pass inside the area and the striker had no trouble finding the net from close range.
Sampdoria were then reduced to 10 men toward the end of the game as Gastaldello was shown his second yellow card of the evening for a foul on Radja Nainggolan.
Roma sit second in the league table with 54 points from 23 games, trailing leaders Juventus by nine points, but with a game in hand.
The Giallorossi resume Serie A action on Saturday when they travel to Bologna.
Roma recorded a 3-0 win over Sampdoria in Sunday evening's Serie A encounter at the Stadio Olimpico.
Mattia Destro gave the Giallorossi the lead in the closing stages of the first half, before Miralem Pjanic made it two after the break, with Destro adding his second and Roma's third to seal the victory.
The visitors started the match the better side of the two and Eder had a good chance to hand his side the lead midway through the first half. Angelo Palombo set up the attacker with a fine through ball, but he failed to beat Morgan De Sanctis.
Roma grew into the game and created two chances to break the deadlock on 30 minutes. Firstly Gervinho threatened, only for Daniele Gastaldello to come to the rescue for Samp, before a smart Pjanic shot was kept out by Angelo Da Costa.
De Sanctis was called into action again only minutes later as Lorenzo De Silvestri found Roberto Soriano, but the Roma goalkeeper showed his class with a fine save.
Kevin Strootman should have opened the scoring shortly before the break after some poor defending from Palombo, only for the Netherlands international to fire straight at Da Costa from close range.
Roma did go ahead in the closing stages of the first half, though, via Destro. The striker beat his marker to the ball to meet a Alessandro Florenzi corner and left Da Costa with no chance to make it 1-0.
Rudi Garcia's men kept on pushing for more after the break and they did not need long to double their lead. The referee awarded the hosts a free kick in a dangerous position and Pjanic beat the Sampdoria goalkeeper with an accurate strike over the wall.
Things only got worse for the away side shortly after as Destro made it three for Roma. Gervinho found the former Inter youngster with a low pass inside the area and the striker had no trouble finding the net from close range.
Sampdoria were then reduced to 10 men toward the end of the game as Gastaldello was shown his second yellow card of the evening for a foul on Radja Nainggolan.
Roma sit second in the league table with 54 points from 23 games, trailing leaders Juventus by nine points, but with a game in hand.
The Giallorossi resume Serie A action on Saturday when they travel to Bologna.
Arsenal 2-1 Liverpool: Podolski strikes as Gunners cling on for quarter-final spot
Arsenal held off a late fightback from Liverpool to book their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup thanks to a 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Brendan Rodgers' side hammered Arsenal 5-1 at Anfield in the Premier League last weekend, but the north London club restored some pride by avenging that defeat to set up a last-eight encounter with Everton.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain handed the hosts an early advantage after 16 minutes, sliding the ball home from inside the area to register a third goal from his last three appearances at the Emirates Stadium.
The England international then turned provider shortly after the interval, pulling a ball back for Lukas Podolski after a smart one-two between himself and Mesut Ozil.
Steven Gerrard's penalty gave Liverpool hope a minute before the hour and the visitors were aggrieved when referee Howard Webb failed to award another spot-kick after Oxlade-Chamberlain appeared to foul Luis Suarez in the area.
Daniel Agger almost grabbed a dramatic equaliser with four minutes left when he headed wide after Lukasz Fabianski flapped at a delivery from Gerrard, but Arsenal stood strong to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in three years.
The Gunners, with one eye on Wednesday's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, made seven changes from Wednesday's goalless draw with Manchester United, while Liverpool's only notable switch came in goal as Brad Jones replaced Simon Mignolet.
Daniel Sturridge had two early chances for Liverpool, forcing Fabianski into an early save after just a minute before latching onto Suarez's clipped through-ball, rounding the goalkeeper and firing into the side netting.
Yaya Sanogo, making a rare start in place of Olivier Giroud, was then involved in a series of Arsenal half-chances before the pressure told as Oxlade-Chamberlain fired home; the England international was on hand to side-foot home the loose ball after Sanogo's effort was blocked.
Liverpool recovered well and enjoyed a strong spell of possession, but struggled to force Fabianski into any further saves.
A more accurate cross from Podolski seven minutes before the break would have offered Sanogo a chance to double Arsenal's lead, while Suarez got a shot away on goal two minutes before the break, only for Fabianski to palm away with a strong right hand.
Podolski did, however, extend the home side's advantage two minutes after the break when he applied a sweeping finish to Oxlade-Chamberlain's cutback from the byline.
Suarez hit a vicious dipping effort just over the crossbar as he sought to bring Liverpool back into the game while Ozil's save was kept out by Jones soon after.
Gerrard then handed Liverpool a fighting chance from the spot after Suarez was brought down by Podolski in the area before Sturridge almost drew Liverpool level, only for Fabianski to deny him when he looked to have rounded him.
Liverpool felt they should have had another penalty when Suarez appeared to be clattered by Oxlade-Chamberlain in the area, but Webb was unmoved, before Agger then came close to hauling the sides level late on but headed wide with the goal gaping.
Having this week been described as a "specialist in failure" by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who saw his side dumped out of the competition by Manchester City on Saturday, Wenger will now be especially keen to go all the way in the FA Cup.
Arsenal held off a late fightback from Liverpool to book their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup thanks to a 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Brendan Rodgers' side hammered Arsenal 5-1 at Anfield in the Premier League last weekend, but the north London club restored some pride by avenging that defeat to set up a last-eight encounter with Everton.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain handed the hosts an early advantage after 16 minutes, sliding the ball home from inside the area to register a third goal from his last three appearances at the Emirates Stadium.
The England international then turned provider shortly after the interval, pulling a ball back for Lukas Podolski after a smart one-two between himself and Mesut Ozil.
Steven Gerrard's penalty gave Liverpool hope a minute before the hour and the visitors were aggrieved when referee Howard Webb failed to award another spot-kick after Oxlade-Chamberlain appeared to foul Luis Suarez in the area.
Daniel Agger almost grabbed a dramatic equaliser with four minutes left when he headed wide after Lukasz Fabianski flapped at a delivery from Gerrard, but Arsenal stood strong to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in three years.
The Gunners, with one eye on Wednesday's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich, made seven changes from Wednesday's goalless draw with Manchester United, while Liverpool's only notable switch came in goal as Brad Jones replaced Simon Mignolet.
Daniel Sturridge had two early chances for Liverpool, forcing Fabianski into an early save after just a minute before latching onto Suarez's clipped through-ball, rounding the goalkeeper and firing into the side netting.
Yaya Sanogo, making a rare start in place of Olivier Giroud, was then involved in a series of Arsenal half-chances before the pressure told as Oxlade-Chamberlain fired home; the England international was on hand to side-foot home the loose ball after Sanogo's effort was blocked.
Liverpool recovered well and enjoyed a strong spell of possession, but struggled to force Fabianski into any further saves.
A more accurate cross from Podolski seven minutes before the break would have offered Sanogo a chance to double Arsenal's lead, while Suarez got a shot away on goal two minutes before the break, only for Fabianski to palm away with a strong right hand.
Podolski did, however, extend the home side's advantage two minutes after the break when he applied a sweeping finish to Oxlade-Chamberlain's cutback from the byline.
Suarez hit a vicious dipping effort just over the crossbar as he sought to bring Liverpool back into the game while Ozil's save was kept out by Jones soon after.
Gerrard then handed Liverpool a fighting chance from the spot after Suarez was brought down by Podolski in the area before Sturridge almost drew Liverpool level, only for Fabianski to deny him when he looked to have rounded him.
Liverpool felt they should have had another penalty when Suarez appeared to be clattered by Oxlade-Chamberlain in the area, but Webb was unmoved, before Agger then came close to hauling the sides level late on but headed wide with the goal gaping.
Having this week been described as a "specialist in failure" by Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who saw his side dumped out of the competition by Manchester City on Saturday, Wenger will now be especially keen to go all the way in the FA Cup.
Getafe 0-3 Real Madrid: Blancos breeze past city rivals
Real Madrid kept pace with Barcelona and Atletico at the top of La Liga by coasting to a 3-0 win at Getafe on Sunday afternoon.
Carlo Ancelotti's men headed into the game under pressure after their title rivals moved three points clear with wins on Saturday.
However, Madrid responded in supreme fashion with an assured performance that condemned relegation-threatened Getafe to a ninth straight league game without a win.
Jese Rodriguez opened the scoring for the visitors with the first opportunity of the game before Karim Benzema scored the second on 27 minutes to bring up a century of goals in Ancelotti's 38th game in charge.
A straightforward triumph was wrapped up shortly after the hour mark as Luka Modric netted the third to make sure of the points and move Madrid back level with Barca and Atleti on 60 points.
Jese came back into the visitors' attack in place of the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo and opened the scoring after just five minutes as he collected a pass from Gareth Bale before surging his way into the box and curling a fine effort beyond Getafe goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya.
Madrid struggled to create chances to add to that lead, though, with Getafe displaying considerable resolve despite the evident gap in quality.
However, Ancelotti's men were always dangerous on the counterattack and needed just one opportunity to double their lead midway through the first half, Benzema firing home from Angel Di Maria's pinpoint cross.
And Madrid should have added a third just after the half-hour mark when Bale somehow dragged his effort wide of the near post following a sweeping move that sliced through the home defence.
Getafe wasted an opportunity to get back into game immediately after the break as Adrian Colunga fired well wide following excellent work from Jaime Gavilan.
Yet it was Real who continued to craft the better openings, Di Maria twice drawing smart saves from Moya with a pair of long-range drives.
Getafe did come back into the game and enjoyed a prolonged spell of pressure in the early stages of the second period.
But any hopes of a comeback from the hosts were put to bed after 66 minutes as Modric's strike from the edge of the area crept beyond the grasp of Moya.
From there Madrid were able to take their foot off the gas, although substitute Isco had a late effort deflected on to the crossbar, as they cruised to victory ahead of a Champions League last-16 clash with German side Schalke on Wednesday.
Real Madrid kept pace with Barcelona and Atletico at the top of La Liga by coasting to a 3-0 win at Getafe on Sunday afternoon.
Carlo Ancelotti's men headed into the game under pressure after their title rivals moved three points clear with wins on Saturday.
However, Madrid responded in supreme fashion with an assured performance that condemned relegation-threatened Getafe to a ninth straight league game without a win.
Jese Rodriguez opened the scoring for the visitors with the first opportunity of the game before Karim Benzema scored the second on 27 minutes to bring up a century of goals in Ancelotti's 38th game in charge.
A straightforward triumph was wrapped up shortly after the hour mark as Luka Modric netted the third to make sure of the points and move Madrid back level with Barca and Atleti on 60 points.
Jese came back into the visitors' attack in place of the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo and opened the scoring after just five minutes as he collected a pass from Gareth Bale before surging his way into the box and curling a fine effort beyond Getafe goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya.
Madrid struggled to create chances to add to that lead, though, with Getafe displaying considerable resolve despite the evident gap in quality.
However, Ancelotti's men were always dangerous on the counterattack and needed just one opportunity to double their lead midway through the first half, Benzema firing home from Angel Di Maria's pinpoint cross.
And Madrid should have added a third just after the half-hour mark when Bale somehow dragged his effort wide of the near post following a sweeping move that sliced through the home defence.
Getafe wasted an opportunity to get back into game immediately after the break as Adrian Colunga fired well wide following excellent work from Jaime Gavilan.
Yet it was Real who continued to craft the better openings, Di Maria twice drawing smart saves from Moya with a pair of long-range drives.
Getafe did come back into the game and enjoyed a prolonged spell of pressure in the early stages of the second period.
But any hopes of a comeback from the hosts were put to bed after 66 minutes as Modric's strike from the edge of the area crept beyond the grasp of Moya.
From there Madrid were able to take their foot off the gas, although substitute Isco had a late effort deflected on to the crossbar, as they cruised to victory ahead of a Champions League last-16 clash with German side Schalke on Wednesday.
Sassuolo 0-2 Napoli: Dzemaili & Insigne inspire Partenopei to three precious points
Napoli have recorded a 2-0 victory over Sassuolo in Sunday's Serie A encounter at the Stadio Citta del Tricolore.
Blerim Dzemaili gave the visitors the lead with a well-taken volley in the opening 45 minutes before Lorenzo Insigne made it two after the break with another superb finish.
Napoli started the match the better side of the two and got their first chance of the game after nine minutes of play. Marek Hamsik went past his marker before trying his luck, but his dangerous shot went just wide.
Gonzalo Higuain then came close to breaking the deadlock around the half-hour mark, only to be denied by a fine reflex from Gianluca Pegolo.
The Sassuolo goalkeeper was again called into action shortly after when Lorenzo Insigne threatened, yet the Italy international's left-footed striker was kept out by Pegolo, too.
Nevertheless, there was little Pegolo could do about about Dzemaili's powerful shot from outside the area in the 37th minute, as the Swiss midfielder netted his fifth goal of the season with a fine volley after good work from Hamsik.
Napoli continued where they left off after the interval and Insigne doubled his side's lead in the 55th minute with a superb finish. The tricky attacker cut inside from the left after being set up by Hamsik and beat Pegolo with a curling effort in the far corner.
The home side nearly pegged one back with 20 more minutes to go via Simone Zaza, but the 22-year-old aimed just wide.
Insigne almost doubled his personal tally in the closing stages of the game after being set up by Goran Pandev, but the winger's attempt went inches past the near post.
Napoli sit third in the Serie A table following this weekend's results with 50 points from 24 games, holding a six-point lead over fourth-placed Fiorentina.
Rafa Benitez's men take on Swansea in the Europa League in midweek before resuming Serie A action at home against Genoa on February 24.
Napoli have recorded a 2-0 victory over Sassuolo in Sunday's Serie A encounter at the Stadio Citta del Tricolore.
Blerim Dzemaili gave the visitors the lead with a well-taken volley in the opening 45 minutes before Lorenzo Insigne made it two after the break with another superb finish.
Napoli started the match the better side of the two and got their first chance of the game after nine minutes of play. Marek Hamsik went past his marker before trying his luck, but his dangerous shot went just wide.
Gonzalo Higuain then came close to breaking the deadlock around the half-hour mark, only to be denied by a fine reflex from Gianluca Pegolo.
The Sassuolo goalkeeper was again called into action shortly after when Lorenzo Insigne threatened, yet the Italy international's left-footed striker was kept out by Pegolo, too.
Nevertheless, there was little Pegolo could do about about Dzemaili's powerful shot from outside the area in the 37th minute, as the Swiss midfielder netted his fifth goal of the season with a fine volley after good work from Hamsik.
Napoli continued where they left off after the interval and Insigne doubled his side's lead in the 55th minute with a superb finish. The tricky attacker cut inside from the left after being set up by Hamsik and beat Pegolo with a curling effort in the far corner.
The home side nearly pegged one back with 20 more minutes to go via Simone Zaza, but the 22-year-old aimed just wide.
Insigne almost doubled his personal tally in the closing stages of the game after being set up by Goran Pandev, but the winger's attempt went inches past the near post.
Napoli sit third in the Serie A table following this weekend's results with 50 points from 24 games, holding a six-point lead over fourth-placed Fiorentina.
Rafa Benitez's men take on Swansea in the Europa League in midweek before resuming Serie A action at home against Genoa on February 24.
Juventus 3-1 Chievo: Bianconeri bounce back to extend Serie A advantage
Juventus returned to winning ways by defeating Chievo 3-1 in Antonio Conte's 100th match at the helm to move 12 points clear of Roma at the top of Serie A,
The reigning champions triumphed under coach the former Italy international for the 70th time in the league to continue their perfect home record this season.
Conte's side controlled the first half, which was highlighted by Kwadwo Asamoah's stunning goal.
Asamoah nipped in between two Chievo players after a darting run and then finished a one-two with Fernando Llorente with a superb 20-yard curling effort.
Claudio Marchisio tapped in to double Juve's lead, although Chievo got back into the game in bizarre circumstances, as Stephan Lichtsteiner's clearance hit Martin Caceres and went in.
Juve had let a two-goal lead slip against Chievo's local rivals Verona last week, but Llorente's header calmed nerves and sealed the result.
The hosts, without Giorgio Chiellini due to a calf problem, started brightly despite Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba dropping to the bench.
Llorente and Andrea Pirlo shot over in the first 10 minutes before Asamoah's effort in the 17th minute left Chievo goalkeeper Michael Agazzi, on debut after a move from Cagliari, with no chance.
Llorente then curled against the crossbar, although it would not have counted due to a foul in the build-up, before Agazzi's day went from bad to worse.
The 29-year-old spilled a routine free-kick from Pirlo that bounced in front of him and Marchisio benefited, stealing in ahead of Gennaro Sardo to tap in from close range.
A promising Boukary Drame run amounted to nothing for Chievo, who almost found themselves three goals down after the break when Leonardo Bonucci was agonisingly close to meeting a Pirlo free-kick at the far post after Cyril Thereau's inadvertent flick-on.
The Turin crowd was silenced in the 51st minute though as, under pressure, Lichtsteiner smashed a clearance into the backside of Caceres, leaving Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon stranded as the ball looped into the net.
Before any jitters could creep in, however, the league leaders restored their two-goal advantage seven minutes later, as a Pirlo corner - which came after a dangerous free-kick of his was tipped wide - was nodded in by Llorente, after Agazzi came for the ball and missed it.
Pablo Daniel Osvaldo - making his home debut - and Tevez came off the bench in the latter stages for Juve but the Southampton loanee could only blaze over from close range with a late chance.
It mattered little though as Juventus celebrated Conte's milestone in style.
Juventus returned to winning ways by defeating Chievo 3-1 in Antonio Conte's 100th match at the helm to move 12 points clear of Roma at the top of Serie A,
The reigning champions triumphed under coach the former Italy international for the 70th time in the league to continue their perfect home record this season.
Conte's side controlled the first half, which was highlighted by Kwadwo Asamoah's stunning goal.
Asamoah nipped in between two Chievo players after a darting run and then finished a one-two with Fernando Llorente with a superb 20-yard curling effort.
Claudio Marchisio tapped in to double Juve's lead, although Chievo got back into the game in bizarre circumstances, as Stephan Lichtsteiner's clearance hit Martin Caceres and went in.
Juve had let a two-goal lead slip against Chievo's local rivals Verona last week, but Llorente's header calmed nerves and sealed the result.
The hosts, without Giorgio Chiellini due to a calf problem, started brightly despite Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba dropping to the bench.
Llorente and Andrea Pirlo shot over in the first 10 minutes before Asamoah's effort in the 17th minute left Chievo goalkeeper Michael Agazzi, on debut after a move from Cagliari, with no chance.
Llorente then curled against the crossbar, although it would not have counted due to a foul in the build-up, before Agazzi's day went from bad to worse.
The 29-year-old spilled a routine free-kick from Pirlo that bounced in front of him and Marchisio benefited, stealing in ahead of Gennaro Sardo to tap in from close range.
A promising Boukary Drame run amounted to nothing for Chievo, who almost found themselves three goals down after the break when Leonardo Bonucci was agonisingly close to meeting a Pirlo free-kick at the far post after Cyril Thereau's inadvertent flick-on.
The Turin crowd was silenced in the 51st minute though as, under pressure, Lichtsteiner smashed a clearance into the backside of Caceres, leaving Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon stranded as the ball looped into the net.
Before any jitters could creep in, however, the league leaders restored their two-goal advantage seven minutes later, as a Pirlo corner - which came after a dangerous free-kick of his was tipped wide - was nodded in by Llorente, after Agazzi came for the ball and missed it.
Pablo Daniel Osvaldo - making his home debut - and Tevez came off the bench in the latter stages for Juve but the Southampton loanee could only blaze over from close range with a late chance.
It mattered little though as Juventus celebrated Conte's milestone in style.
Everton 3-1 Swansea City: Traore strikes on debut as Toffees ease through
January signing Lacina Traore netted just four minutes into his Everton debut to help the Toffees record a comfortable 3-1 victory over Swansea City and progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
The hosts raced into an early lead, as Sylvain Distin kept a set-piece alive and squared for the towering Monaco loanee, who coolly backheeled the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Swansea hit back almost immediately, with skipper for the day Neil Taylor whipping in a pin-point cross that was powered beyond Joel Robles by Jonathan de Guzman.
In an error-strewn match it was perhaps inevitable that a mistake would produced the next goal, as Taylor's backpass to Gerhard Tremmel was intercepted by Steven Naismith, who calmly slid the ball beneath the stranded German keeper.
Naismith then had a hand in the Toffees' third goal, tripped by Ashley Richards inside the box, and Leighton Baines duly stepped up to bury the penalty and book Everton's passage to the sixth round.
Swansea came into the match knowing that, to reach the last eight for the first time since 1964, they would need to beat Everton for the first time in their history and score a first goal at Goodison since 1983.
However, head coach Garry Monk’s team selection suggested he had one eye on Thursday’s Europa League clash with Napoli, while opposite number Martinez named a near full-strength side, handing a debut to Traore.
Despite the weakened starting XI, Swansea went close to breaking the deadlock early on as Pablo Hernandez played a wonderful through-ball into the path of Alvaro Vazquez, but the striker failed to make the most of the opportunity.
And the visitors were punished moments later, when Traore - a towering presence in the Swansea penalty area - cleverly flicked home from close range after some good work by Distin.
But Swansea pulled level in the 15th minute, as De Guzman stormed into the box with a perfectly timed run to power home a header from Taylor's cross.
Steven Pienaar then hit the crossbar as Everton looked to regain the lead, before Tremmel saved well when Traore got his head to the rebound.
Kevin Mirallas almost curled home a 20-yard free kick five minutes from the interval, but the German goalkeeper was again on hand to punch clear with a diving save.
Everton started the second half brightly, and Ross Barkley pulled the trigger from the edge of the penalty area with an effort that stung the palms of Tremmel.
Then, after Pienaar had sent a powerful header wide of the left-hand upright, Naismith capitalised on Taylor's misplaced backpass to slot the ball underneath Tremmel and into the back of the net.
And Everton could feel sure of their place in the quarter-finals seven minutes later as Baines converted a penalty after Naismith had been felled by Richards.
The result keeps Martinez's hopes of retaining the FA Cup alive as he bids to become the first manager to win the competition in consecutive years with two different clubs after emerging victorious with Wigan last season.
January signing Lacina Traore netted just four minutes into his Everton debut to help the Toffees record a comfortable 3-1 victory over Swansea City and progress to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
The hosts raced into an early lead, as Sylvain Distin kept a set-piece alive and squared for the towering Monaco loanee, who coolly backheeled the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Swansea hit back almost immediately, with skipper for the day Neil Taylor whipping in a pin-point cross that was powered beyond Joel Robles by Jonathan de Guzman.
In an error-strewn match it was perhaps inevitable that a mistake would produced the next goal, as Taylor's backpass to Gerhard Tremmel was intercepted by Steven Naismith, who calmly slid the ball beneath the stranded German keeper.
Naismith then had a hand in the Toffees' third goal, tripped by Ashley Richards inside the box, and Leighton Baines duly stepped up to bury the penalty and book Everton's passage to the sixth round.
Swansea came into the match knowing that, to reach the last eight for the first time since 1964, they would need to beat Everton for the first time in their history and score a first goal at Goodison since 1983.
However, head coach Garry Monk’s team selection suggested he had one eye on Thursday’s Europa League clash with Napoli, while opposite number Martinez named a near full-strength side, handing a debut to Traore.
Despite the weakened starting XI, Swansea went close to breaking the deadlock early on as Pablo Hernandez played a wonderful through-ball into the path of Alvaro Vazquez, but the striker failed to make the most of the opportunity.
And the visitors were punished moments later, when Traore - a towering presence in the Swansea penalty area - cleverly flicked home from close range after some good work by Distin.
But Swansea pulled level in the 15th minute, as De Guzman stormed into the box with a perfectly timed run to power home a header from Taylor's cross.
Steven Pienaar then hit the crossbar as Everton looked to regain the lead, before Tremmel saved well when Traore got his head to the rebound.
Kevin Mirallas almost curled home a 20-yard free kick five minutes from the interval, but the German goalkeeper was again on hand to punch clear with a diving save.
Everton started the second half brightly, and Ross Barkley pulled the trigger from the edge of the penalty area with an effort that stung the palms of Tremmel.
Then, after Pienaar had sent a powerful header wide of the left-hand upright, Naismith capitalised on Taylor's misplaced backpass to slot the ball underneath Tremmel and into the back of the net.
And Everton could feel sure of their place in the quarter-finals seven minutes later as Baines converted a penalty after Naismith had been felled by Richards.
The result keeps Martinez's hopes of retaining the FA Cup alive as he bids to become the first manager to win the competition in consecutive years with two different clubs after emerging victorious with Wigan last season.
Fifa to drug test every player at World Cup
All players set to compete at this year's World Cup will be drug tested before the opening match, Fifa's head doctor Jiri Dvorak has promised.
Fifa want all 32 teams that have qualified for Brazil to send in their schedules from March 1 to give football's international governing body the opportunity to test players for doping in the lead-up to the World Cup finals.
Dvorak, the governing body's chief medical officer, explained players and teams will not know when the drug testers will arrive but promised no-one will be missed before Brazil play Croatia in the first match of the tournament on June 12."I am happy that you are insecure about when we will start the doping controls because we won't make it public," Dvorak said."We can come anytime, anywhere, if we decide to.
"So we will definitely disclose the strategy as to when we are going to test the French team, we will come. So leave it with us."We are asking, as from March 1, for the whereabouts of every team. And then we will decide at the headquarters when we'll go where.
"To make it very clear, we will test all players participating in the World Cup at least once prior to the kick-off game."
All players set to compete at this year's World Cup will be drug tested before the opening match, Fifa's head doctor Jiri Dvorak has promised.
Fifa want all 32 teams that have qualified for Brazil to send in their schedules from March 1 to give football's international governing body the opportunity to test players for doping in the lead-up to the World Cup finals.
Dvorak, the governing body's chief medical officer, explained players and teams will not know when the drug testers will arrive but promised no-one will be missed before Brazil play Croatia in the first match of the tournament on June 12."I am happy that you are insecure about when we will start the doping controls because we won't make it public," Dvorak said."We can come anytime, anywhere, if we decide to.
"So we will definitely disclose the strategy as to when we are going to test the French team, we will come. So leave it with us."We are asking, as from March 1, for the whereabouts of every team. And then we will decide at the headquarters when we'll go where.
"To make it very clear, we will test all players participating in the World Cup at least once prior to the kick-off game."
Van der Vaart set for injury lay-off
Hamburg captain Rafael van der Vaart has been ruled out for up to three weeks with torn ankle ligaments.
The Netherlands international was taken off after 52 minutes in the 4-2 defeat to Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday. In a statement on their official website, Hamburg confirmed that the 31-year-old suffered "torn ligaments in his right ankle" during the fixture.
He will likely miss Bundesliga fixtures against Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt, with coach-less Hamburg currently second bottom of the Bundesliga. The club dispensed of the services of Bert van Marwijk on Saturday after slumping to a seventh straight league defeat at the Eintracht-Stadion.
Former Schalke and Hannover coach Mirko Slomka has been touted as the man to replace Van Marwijk.
Hamburg captain Rafael van der Vaart has been ruled out for up to three weeks with torn ankle ligaments.
The Netherlands international was taken off after 52 minutes in the 4-2 defeat to Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday. In a statement on their official website, Hamburg confirmed that the 31-year-old suffered "torn ligaments in his right ankle" during the fixture.
He will likely miss Bundesliga fixtures against Borussia Dortmund, Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt, with coach-less Hamburg currently second bottom of the Bundesliga. The club dispensed of the services of Bert van Marwijk on Saturday after slumping to a seventh straight league defeat at the Eintracht-Stadion.
Former Schalke and Hannover coach Mirko Slomka has been touted as the man to replace Van Marwijk.
Madrid still miss Ronaldo - Diego Lopez
Real Madrid keeper Diego Lopez believes Cristiano Ronaldo is still sorely missed by the club, despite los Blancos coasting to a 3-0 win over Getafe as the 29-year-old served the second game of a three-match ban.
Jese Rodriguez shone once again in Ronaldo's absence and opened the scoring after just five minutes on Sunday, with further goals from Karim Benzema and Luka Modric rounding off a satisfying win for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
"The team played very well right from the start of the game and the first goal made things easier for us at a ground that is always difficult," Lopez told the club's official website."It was a fairly simple and effective game and one that we had to win. The team defended very well, all 11 players, and that made everything easier.
"He's (Ronaldo) the kind of player that has to be on the pitch. Fortunately, we have other players who make up the squad but you always notice a player like Cristiano."
Second-placed Madrid, leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in third are now all tied on 60 points after 24 games, with all three sides recording the same number of wins, draws and defeats.
Real Madrid keeper Diego Lopez believes Cristiano Ronaldo is still sorely missed by the club, despite los Blancos coasting to a 3-0 win over Getafe as the 29-year-old served the second game of a three-match ban.
Jese Rodriguez shone once again in Ronaldo's absence and opened the scoring after just five minutes on Sunday, with further goals from Karim Benzema and Luka Modric rounding off a satisfying win for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
"The team played very well right from the start of the game and the first goal made things easier for us at a ground that is always difficult," Lopez told the club's official website."It was a fairly simple and effective game and one that we had to win. The team defended very well, all 11 players, and that made everything easier.
"He's (Ronaldo) the kind of player that has to be on the pitch. Fortunately, we have other players who make up the squad but you always notice a player like Cristiano."
Second-placed Madrid, leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in third are now all tied on 60 points after 24 games, with all three sides recording the same number of wins, draws and defeats.
Jese isn't a surprise anymore - Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti says he is no longer surprised by the brilliance of Jese Rodriguez after the Spain Under-21 star scored again in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Getafe.
The 20-year-old now has five goals to his name in La Liga this season and continues to impress as Cristiano Ronaldo serves a three-match suspension.
"Jese Rodriguez is no longer a surprise anymore. He is already an important player for us and he is playing well," Ancelotti said after the game.
Karim Benzema and Luka Modric scored the other two goals on Sunday, with second-placed Madrid's latest victory moving them level on points with leaders Barcelona and third-placed Atletico Madrid.
And Ancelotti revealed a satisfaction with the manner in which his side are playing, with the Primera Division title race shaping up to be the fiercest in years.
"The team is more solid and confident. We play naturally and things are working out for us. We have to continue like this," the Italian added.
"I think we started the second half well. We had chances to score but Getafe started to play with more intensity."
Carlo Ancelotti says he is no longer surprised by the brilliance of Jese Rodriguez after the Spain Under-21 star scored again in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Getafe.
The 20-year-old now has five goals to his name in La Liga this season and continues to impress as Cristiano Ronaldo serves a three-match suspension.
"Jese Rodriguez is no longer a surprise anymore. He is already an important player for us and he is playing well," Ancelotti said after the game.
Karim Benzema and Luka Modric scored the other two goals on Sunday, with second-placed Madrid's latest victory moving them level on points with leaders Barcelona and third-placed Atletico Madrid.
And Ancelotti revealed a satisfaction with the manner in which his side are playing, with the Primera Division title race shaping up to be the fiercest in years.
"The team is more solid and confident. We play naturally and things are working out for us. We have to continue like this," the Italian added.
"I think we started the second half well. We had chances to score but Getafe started to play with more intensity."
Inter boss Mazzarri hails Hernanes
Inter coach Walter Mazzarri has hailed recent addition Hernanes for bringing the best out of his team-mates.
The Brazil international joined the Nerazzurri from Lazio on transfer deadline day last month and has started his new club's last two games, a 1-0 victory over Sassuolo in which he set up the winning goal for Walter Samuel and Saturday's 2-1 victory at Fiorentina.
Given Inter's stuttering form before Hernanes' arrival, Mazzarri feels that the €20 million man deserves the utmost credit for getting the team back on track.
"He is a player who knows how to deal with pressure and that's what we needed," the former Napoli boss told reporters.
"He's the guy who can step up and take the reins of the team, do something important like take a corner just the way you want.
"When we lost our sharpness earlier in the season we started dropping points, especially at home like against Chievo and Catania.
"If we'd had a player like him, he might have been able to win it for us in a moment.
"Take Samuel's goal against Sassuolo for example. He's got the composure and class to make those around him play well too."
Inter coach Walter Mazzarri has hailed recent addition Hernanes for bringing the best out of his team-mates.
The Brazil international joined the Nerazzurri from Lazio on transfer deadline day last month and has started his new club's last two games, a 1-0 victory over Sassuolo in which he set up the winning goal for Walter Samuel and Saturday's 2-1 victory at Fiorentina.
Given Inter's stuttering form before Hernanes' arrival, Mazzarri feels that the €20 million man deserves the utmost credit for getting the team back on track.
"He is a player who knows how to deal with pressure and that's what we needed," the former Napoli boss told reporters.
"He's the guy who can step up and take the reins of the team, do something important like take a corner just the way you want.
"When we lost our sharpness earlier in the season we started dropping points, especially at home like against Chievo and Catania.
"If we'd had a player like him, he might have been able to win it for us in a moment.
"Take Samuel's goal against Sassuolo for example. He's got the composure and class to make those around him play well too."
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