Young Blues Narrowly Beaten In National League Cup

Everton Under-21s interest in this season’s National League Cup is over after a narrow 1-0 Group A defeat at Rochdale.

The young Blues gave a decent account of themselves against the National League leaders, but they couldn’t find a way back into the contest after conceding the game’s only goal. Jake Burger’s deflected strike on 51 minutes was enough to separate the sides

Summer signing Adam Aznou started the game, featuring for the full 90 minutes.

In a closely fought opening period, it was 19 minutes before either goalkeeper was called into action – George Pickford keeping out an angled drive from Devante Rodney.

The Blues keeper was also in the right place at the right time on 26 minutes when he made a terrific save to deny Liam Hogan, whose header from a delightfully delivered free-kick seemed destined for the bottom corner of the net.

Everton’s first attempt came late in the first half but Braiden Graham couldn’t get anywhere near the power he needed to trouble Tom Myles in the Rochdale goal.

Almost immediately, Levi Amantchi found himself through on goal at the other end, but Pickford was brave and decisive to block the effort and Luca Davis reacted sharply to poke the loose ball behind for a corner.

The goal came in the 50th minute when a shot from Burger from 10 yards took a deflection that lifted the ball over Pickford.

Five minutes later, Jack Patterson swung a deep cross towards the back of the Rochdale box and Davis wasn’t too far away with his first-time half-volley.

Then Burger tried his luck again, this time from further out and Pickford was able to make another smart save.

A triple substitution for the Blues and with it a subsequent tweaking of the formation was the catalyst for their best attacking spell of the game.

One of the replacements, Coby Ebere, had a great chance to level on 62 minutes but he couldn’t find a way past Myles from close range and another one, Omari Benjamin, squandered an even better opportunity not long after.

Aznou dribbled the ball out of defence and played a lovely sweeping pass to Callum Bates on the right. Bates lofted the ball into the area but Benjamin steered his header wide of the target.

Joe Pritchard thought he’d clinched it for Rochdale in the 75th minute but although his shot beat Pickford, it struck the foot of the post.

With six minutes to go, Graham forced Myles into a low stop at his near post after Patterson had won possession by the halfway line with a typically robust challenge.