Hayden Hackney played a major role as Everton secured their place in the final eight of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 victory over Newcastle United.

Handed a rare start by David Moyes after last appearing from the off in the previous round against Wolves in September, the summer signing showed his manager just what he is about by having a huge influence on the final scoreline.

Registering an assist in the 34th minute with a smart pass to James Garner that his fellow midfielder finished off in style, Hackney then grabbed a goal for himself nine minutes later on the stroke of half-time.

Everton took full advantage after the referee waved play on following a foul on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, with Thierno Barry picking out Hackney's brilliant run for the midfielder to volley home into the bottom corner.

Following a number of fouls throughout the game, Hackney was finally shown a yellow card in the 60th minute of the contest and that ultimately paved way for his exit as Harrison Armstrong replaced him minutes later with Moyes not wanting to take any risks with a quarter-final showdown against Fleetwood Town firmly in their grasp.

Following plenty of loud calls from Everton fans to see more of Hackney in the team, the 24-year-old was excellent in the middle of the park with his energy and quality on the ball a huge plus point to give himself a shot of starting away at Newcastle in the Premier League on Monday evening.

Given the success of Moyes' midfield trio of Hackney, Garner and Dewsbury-Hall in the cup win against Newcastle, the Toffees boss may well stick with them and hand Hackney his first Premier League start since the opening day win over Crystal Palace back in August.

Hackney's game in numbers (via FotMob)

Hackney's patience has been rewarded

Hackney, who was described as "unbelievable to work with" by former Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg, has had to remain very patient over the past couple of months with his only starts coming in the Carabao Cup since a strong debut at home to Palace.

“I’ve had a bit of time on the bench,” he told Everton's official website after the win. “The lads have been playing really well, so I can’t complain. I kept working hard and hopefully, I took my chance tonight."

The ex-Middlesbrough man certainly did that and it has left Everton fans wanting more in the process.

Hackney was also full of praise for the fans after the game, stating that they "really helped" and were "unbelievable".

“I’m delighted with that. It was a special night," he explained. “I think us as a team and the fans knew it was a big game. After losing the last two games – I know it was against good opposition – but I feel like that was a big moment tonight.

“I think it was an important night against Premier League opposition. The fans really helped. They were unbelievable.”

Hackney added: “I’m always working on arriving in the box at the right time. It was a great ball from Barry, and I managed to put it in the corner.

“It was a great feeling to get my first goal for this amazing club and hopefully there’s many more to come.”