Everton 1 Charlton Athletic 0Tobias Linderoth's first goal for Everton saw them into the last 16 of the League Cup at the expense of Charlton last night at Goodison Park. The goal came in the first half after Wayne Rooney's drive had hit the bar, allowing the Swede to nod into an empty net.

Although Charlton saw Jason Euell miss a sitter in each half, Everton deserved this victory and could have had more had not another Rooney effort not come back off a post.

Everton recalled outcast Alex Nyarko for his first match since April 2001, the game at Arsenal where he was confronted by an angry fan who offered to swap shirts with the midfielder. Nyarko afterwards vowed to never play for the club again.

Nyarko got plenty of welcoming support from the home fans, and saw one angled drive skim wide of the far post as Everton made most of the first-half running.

Charlton recovered from a rocky start to produce two efforts from Euell which were held by Nigel Martyn, and a 20 yarder from Jonatan Johansson that the Everton goalkeeper also had to watch carefully.

Only a block from Martyn stopped Charlton taking a 40th-minute lead. Radostin Kishishev's long ball saw Euell go clear but from eight yards the striker saw his low drive turned away. Euell's miss was compounded a moment later when Linderoth turned in the winner

EVERTON: Martyn; Hibbert, Yobo, Weir, Naysmith, Linderoth, Nyarko (Stubbs 89), Gravesen (Li Tie 90), McFadden (Radzinski 75), Ferguson, Rooney. Subs Not Used: Jeffers, Simonsen. Booked: Naysmith. Goals: Linderoth 42.

CHARLTON ATHLETIC: Kiely; Kishishev, Perry, Fish (Fortune 45), Hreidarsson, Stuart (Svensson 72), Holland (Campbell-Ryce 82), Parker, Jensen, Euell, Johansson. Subs Not Used: Powell, Royce. Booked: Parker.

Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire)