Merlin Rohl in action for Everton and Brad Friedel talking on talkSPORT
Merlin Rohl in action for Everton and Brad Friedel talking on talkSPORT
The Toffees booked their place in the quarter-finals and are set to take on Fleetwood Town in the next round after beating the Magpies 3-1 at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
David Moyes gave several players a chance to impress, including the likes of Tyrique George, Hayden Hackney and Tyler Dibling.
James Garner scored his first goal of the season in the first half before Hackney slotted home the hosts' second and his first for the Blues.
Thierno Barry then swept in for his seventh goal of the campaign in the 70th minute before Dan Burn scored a late consolation for the visitors.
However, Newcastle had their fair share of chances, and Friedel believes that Rohl, of all people, got lucky.
Why Brad Friedel counted Merlin Rohl 'fortunate' vs Newcastle
Rohl has been shoehorned into the right-back position in recent games, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles yet to fully convince in L3.
The position was an obvious area that the Toffees needed to improve in the summer, but Angus Kinnear and Co. only managed to sign Maitland-Niles in the nick of time before the deadline shut.
Moyes feels like Rohl has held his own in the position, though some moments prove that it doesn't come naturally to him.
While co-commentating on talkSPORT, Friedel explained why he wasn't impressed by the German after he allowed Harvey Barnes to get in behind and have a shot on goal in the 12th minute.
He said: "Rohl, it shouldn't happen with him; it's a ball from a central area, long way out, no pressure to the ball.
"He just sneaks in behind Rohl, and he's very fortunate that it doesn't go in; it's a good save by Pickford at his near post. Rohl got away with one."
Interestingly, Rohl made the most defensive contributions in the match (11) and won 83 per cent of his ground duels.
There's a good chance that Moyes starts the 24-year-old in the Premier League match against Newcastle at St. James' Park on Monday.
How Rohl reached Everton high vs Newcastle
Rohl has put himself firmly in the mix to start again in the Premier League clash against Newcastle next week.
The versatile midfielder played 90 minutes against both Chelsea and Arsenal in Everton's last two league games, but played a different role in both matches.
His best performance of the season came against Crystal Palace on the opening day of the Premier League, as he earned a 7.6 FotMob rating.
He beat this against Newcastle with a 7.7 score, which is his highest rating of the campaign so far.