A last-minute equaliser denied Everton victory in their friendly against Blackpool at USM Finch Farm despite a dominant first half performance and goals from Lewis Dobbin, Stanley Mills and Tom Cannon.
Everton were scheduled to face Leeds United in a Premier League fixture but a number of the Yorkshire club's young players are self-isolating as a coronavirus precaution.
Dobbin had the Blues' first real chance on Saturday. Played in by Charlie Whitaker, the striker weaved between a line of Blackpool defenders but could only fire wide of the post.
Lewis Warrington then forced the Blackpool keeper to acrobatically tip over the bar. A bright start for the Blues, with all this happening inside the first five minutes.
Everton's pressure paid off in the 12th minute. After some excellent play in midfield from Luke Butterfield, Dobbin found himself through on goal and confidently dispatched the chance.
Mills doubled the Blues lead on 20 minutes when he was threaded through by Dobbin to finish with ease.
Dobbin was consistently causing problems for the Blackpool backline and could have grabbed his second but was unable to convert from a tight angle.
Manager Paul Tait’s side came close to adding a third just before the half hour but Warrington was denied by a superb last-ditch tackle.
A combination of goalkeeper Zan-Luk Leban and the Everton defence kept Blackpool out 10 minutes into the second half.
Neither team created much more until Blackpool pulled one back as the game neared the final 15 minutes.
Some good interplay in and around the Everton area opened up the opportunity and Leban had no chance with the finish.
Tom Cannon won a penalty five minutes later and stepped up to confidently bury the spot-kick to make it 3-1.
The away team pulled another one back on 82 minutes, Leban powerless to prevent a drive flying into his top-right corner.
Blackpool missed a chance to equalise with five minutes remaining – but the Tangerines were rewarded for their persistence in the 89th minute when Leban produced a great save but couldn’t keep out the rebound.
Everton return to league action with the season's first Merseyside derby at USM Finch Farm next Saturday.
