After signing his new contract, Tim Howard believes Everton are a top four contender.

"We're going in the right direction," USA goalkeeper Howard told evertonTV. "We just hope this [reaching the final] gives us the framework to build on next season.

"We came up against the best that this country has to offer at a very high level, and we competed, we succeeded and we fell at the final hurdle. But that gives us confidence next season no matter who comes out of the hat, because we know we've done it already.

"We've set the bar high and the expectations are there."