Lewis Dobbin stepped up his recovery from an ankle injury as he played 68 minutes for Everton Under-21s as their Premier League 2 season ended in disappointment with a 3-0 defeat at Pride Park against Derby County.
However, the scoreline doesn’t tell the full story and certainly flattered the home side.
After a lacklustre first 45 minutes, Everton grew into the game and were well on top in search of an equaliser when two rapid Derby goals midway through the second period took the contest away from them.
Derby started brightly and George Pickford had to be alert on a couple of occasions – one of which was Everton’s own doing when they were caught out trying to play out from the back.
Reece Welch was then well-positioned to deal with a goal-bound effort from Alex Stepien-Iwumene.
Everton’s first attempt was a header by Charlie Whitaker from a Jenson Metcalfe cross that was easily gathered by Harry Evans in the home goal.
The opening goal came on 18 minutes – Nial McAndrew finishing off an excellent passing move with a low drive.
Midway through the first half, Katia Kouyate lifted the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net but he was correctly flagged offside.
Everton came close on the hour when Metcalfe’s shot from 20-yards took a deflection and Evans had to readjust quickly to dive to his right and push the ball behind for a corner.
Kouyate came even closer not long after when he glanced a header from a Dobbin against the crossbar.
Everton were completely bossing the game midway through the second half and Derby were grateful to Evans for preserving their lead. He saved well to deny Luke Butterfield when the Everton midfielder was through on goal and from the subsequent corner, he stopped a near-post header from Tyler Onyango.
Then Whitaker curled a direct free-kick narrowly wide of the target before Derby County scored a second goal in the 73rd minute. Riley Moloney found space on the left of the Everton box and drilled the ball past Pickford.
It was completely against the run of play – and so was the third Derby goal three minutes later. This time it was Eno Not who smashed home from close range.
It was cruel on the Blues. The two quick-fire goals certainly knocked the stuffing out of the visitors and the game drifted towards its inevitable conclusion.
On the defeat, manager Paul Tait said: “I’m disappointed because the intensity in our game wasn’t there from the beginning. We weren’t pressing as a team and we got the basics totally wrong at times. In possession, we weren’t much better.
“A few things were said to them at half-time, and rightly so, as a group and to some individuals. They responded for twenty minutes in the second half but we just couldn’t score a goal. You leave yourselves open when you cannot score and we gave away two soft goals.
"The goals knocked the stuffing out of the lads. When you’re on top you have to score. That’s where you make the difference – at the top end of the pitch and then you defend your own box. But we didn’t do that tonight and Derby did.”
By Darren Griffiths
