Late last week, Paul Tait’s Everton Under-21 team took to a bitterly cold Walton Hall Park pitch on Friday night having named just four substitutes for the Premier League Cup game against Cardiff City. Calls from the first team (Harrison Armstrong and for the first time, Callum Bates made the bench) and the under 18s, who played Saturday, severely stretched the available resources.
That said, it took around 80 seconds of play for skipper Luke Butterfield to put the Toffees ahead and notch his first of the season. It followed neat play from Matty Apter and Jacob Beaumont-Clark and Butterfield’s left footed shot was well placed and strong enough to beat the outstretched hands of the visiting goalkeeper. 1-0.
It was easy to think Cardiff would just roll over at this point as Everton moved the ball around confidently. Apter fired just wide then hit the post after a storming run by centre back Bradley Moonan.
The 10th minute, when Toffees’ keeper Fraser Barnsley made the first of 6 top class saves later in the game, was a clear sign that it was not to be one way traffic.
The half saw Cardiff dominate possession from the midway point and the second half started in similar fashion. The difference between the two halves was that Everton never got into any rhythm at all in the second. Yet bizarrely, a rare quality move between Isaac Heath and substitute Charlie Whitaker saw the latter’s goalbound shot handled by a falling defender. Whitaker expertly sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with a powerful drive into the left corner of the net. That’s his 7th goal of the season and at 2-0 the lead looked secure.
Throughout the game, besides the numerous fine saves from Barnsley, defenders Moonan and Roman Dixon (twice) cleared off the line, there were some glaring misses by the young Welshmen, a harsh offside prevented an equaliser and the Blues got away with a blatant penalty when the out-of-sorts Dixon clearly upended a Cardiff player in the penalty area.
The good fortune was not to last however as a Cardiff striker was allowed an 85th minute free header from a free kick wide on the left and the otherwise impressive Barnsley failed to hold the ball and it was level scores. There was a feeling that the goalscorer had kicked the ball out of Barnsley’s grasp. We may well have seen a different outcome under the glare of VAR had it been a Premiership game but in truth it was a deserved goal. End scoreline 2-2 and the highlights are below:
Meanwhile, on a quite sobering weekend after all the excitement of recent games, Leighton Baines’ Under 18s were well beaten away to Manchester United on Saturday. You’d have to say they were good goals, the goal below (their first after just 6 minutes) saw the young Blues fail to get any touch on the ball from a flowing move from their goalkeeper into the back of our net.
Similarly, an inch perfect free kick in the 54th minute meant there was nothing that could be done to prevent the second goal below. United scored a 3rd in the 2nd minute of added time to rub salt in the wounds, 0-3. There will undoubtedly be better days ahead for the young Toffees who appear to have been beaten by a top side:
The Under 18s play again on Saturday November 23rd away to Nottingham Forest while the Under 21s don’t play again until Monday November 25th when they travel to Watford.
