ALBION got the outcome they just didn’t want or need.

Nothing to do with elimination from the Carling Cup, more the need to play extra-time.

Roy Hodgson’s men were just a couple of minutes from reaching the next round thanks to Chris Brunt’s second-half penalty after Peter Odemwingie was fouled.

But Marouane Fellaini equalised just before the end of normal time for Everton before Phil Neville scored the winner.

How it affects Albion against Fulham this Saturday remains to be seen, but the extension to the game will not help them, not least as Jonas Olsson was forced off with cramp late on.

The Baggies made nine changes, with Jonas Olsson and Peter Odemwingie surviving the Swansea defeat.

Albion started with Somen Tchoyi playing centrally up top, with Simon Cox dropping to the left and Peter Odemwingie on the right.

It was Tchoyi who had the first sniff of goal. The Cameroonian had a wild shot in the ninth minute. His long range-effort was more likely to trouble the fans stuck behind the goal, with Jan Mucha waving the ball past him.

Tchoyi was to get another sniff minutes later. Olsson steamed into Denis Stracqualursi, sending the ball up the field. Everton’s centre-halves John Heitinga and Phil Jagielka dithered over whether to clear the ball or run into each other.

They chose the latter, allowing Tchoyi to barge past and slam a high, angled shot over the bar with only Mucha to beat.

The home side were teasing Albion to shoot. Ross Barkley was the next Everton man to ‘assist’ a Baggies attack when he sent a low pass across the field straight into Odemwingie’s path. The Nigerian carried the ball forward but, like Tchoyi before him, lifted his shot over Mucha’s goal.

It wasn’t all Albion during the first-half. Leighton Baines’ excellent 28th minute cross fell sweetly for Fellaini. The Belgian managed to get his wild curls onto the ball but the lack of fizz and direction didn’t threaten to panic Fulop.