It felt like a big night at Goodison Park last night. Everton, fresh from four wins on the bounce that had restored belief amongst the blue half of Merseyside, eyed respite from their battle against the drop – made more intense by the Premier League’s ten point deduction – in the League Cup. Marco Silva travelled to his old stomping ground, with former Toffees Antonee Robinson and Alex Iwobi, eager to extend Fulham’s fine run in this season’s competition, even if the omens weren’t positive. The Whites hadn’t gone beyond the last eight in the League Cup before, with a traumatic penalty shoot-out defeat at after letting a 2-0 lead slip against Leicester City in 1999 still tormenting those of us who had to watch it.

But this is a different Fulham outfit under Silva, a serial winner. His sides even win at Goodison. The team relegated before he arrived won at Everton in lockdown, but Silva followed that up with a pair of contrasting victories. Last season’s success was a tactical triumph that owed much to the inclusion of Dan James as a false nine, but in August, Bobby De Cordova-Reid clinched a classical smash-and-grab raid. The Portuguese coach certainly used the prospect of making history as motivation for his squad in the build-up, but employed another quarter-final memory to fire up his charges. Only last year, the Whites were eighteen minutes from Wembley, leading Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup. It all fell apart with a flurry of red cards and stung a Fulham side who had produced one of the most complete away displays in the club’s recent history. Fulham felt like they deserved more than being remembered as ill-disciplined losers – and crucial to Silva’s own ambitions is the idea of making progress on the field.

His desire to reach the last four was underlined by a strong starting line-up. Harrison Reed stiffened up the centre of midfield, to try and nullify the physicality of Sean Dyche’s outfit, with Willian returning on the left flank and Rodrigo Muniz preferred up front. Those decisions were vindicated with a wonderfully taken opening goal. Muniz’s chest control and pass out to the left bought his compatriot into the game and when Robinson drilled a low cross towards the centre of the penalty area, it sped past Jordan Pickford off Michael Keane.

Jubilation and a rearguard action to rival anything we’d seen under Scott Parker followed. There was time for plenty of humour, with the travelling supporters regaling Pickford with a cheeky ditty focusing on his ‘little arms’. It would, of course, prove prescient. It seemed like the Whites had thrown their advantage away when Beto headed home after pinball in the area, but that was the catalyst for an intriguing tactical switch. Silva sent on Issa Diop as a third centre half, pushing De Cordova-Reid forward to partner Carlos Vinicius, and the Jamaican international spurned a great chance in stoppage time.

The never-say-die attitude that Silva has imbued in this squad was evident again during a dramatic penalty shoot-out. Heads didn’t drop on the field after Pickford pushed away a poor penalty by De Cordova-Reid, even if the fatalistic fans sat near me found that development very Fulhamish. What happened next will live long in the memory. Andre Onana gave Bernd Leno an early Christmas present with an atrocious spot-kick before Idrissa Gana Gueye slammed one against the far post. Suddenly, Tosin had the chance to win it. After an interminable wait, he squeezed his penalty past those little arms of the Everton keeper to spark delirious celebrations in the away end.

Moments like this are few and far between for long-suffering Fulham fans, which is why we must savour them. Silva is convinced of the club’s potential to compete at the highest levels of the English game – as evidenced by the fact that he signed a new contract despite being perturbed by a wasted summer transfer window. He’s already altered the culture of the club and now has a semi-final to look forward to. The only thing that could make last night better is the news that penalty hero Tosin, totally transformed after his lengthy injury lay-off, has put pen to paper on a new deal.

In the words of the old TOOFIF cartoon strip, ‘we can dream’.