Gylfi Sigurdsson spoke of the importance of Everton's FA Cup progression to the quarter-finals after a "fantastic" and thrilling 5-4 victory over Spurs at Goodison Park.

Sigurdsson was instrumental in the Blues' triumph against his former club, providing assists for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and matchwinner Bernard in extra-time, while netting a first-half penalty to put the hosts 3-1 up.

The playmaker conceded Everton did not defend well enough on the night but, after fighting back from 1-0 down early on and then letting leads of 3-1 and 4-3 slip, praised his teammates for showing the character to move on to the last eight of the competition.

Sigurdsson said: "It was too open-ended, too many goals - it was probably good to watch. It was fantastic to come back. We conceded, I think, three goals probably from corners or set pieces, which is something we need to have a look at and work on, but the spirit in the team to come back and eventually go through is fantastic.

"We started slowly, caught in between pressing and sitting back and they took advantage of that. They were much better in the first 20-30 minutes but I think after our goal we came out a little bit and obviously got the 3-1 lead but disappointed to then concede just before half-time.

"It was probably fantastic to sit at home and watch the game but, for our liking, it was too open. But a fantastic Cup game and obviously fantastic to still be in the competition."