David Unsworth was left proud of his youthful Everton Under-23s despite a 2-1 loss to Chelsea at Kingsmeadow in Premier League 2 on Friday night.
Rhys Hughes levelled for the young Blues on the stroke of half-time but two goals for Thierno Ballo gave the Londoners victory.
That didn't tell the full story, though, as Everton impressed, especially in the second half, hitting the bar and forcing two smart saves from keeper Karlo Ziger when well-placed.
Unsworth said: "We're disappointed not to win the game. The way we performed, I’m really proud of the young boys.
"We changed the system in the second half and had a real go at them, hit the bar, their keeper’s made two great saves – albeit we should have scored – and I would have been disappointed to have drawn the game. It’s a great learning progress for these young players.
"We came out on the front foot in the second half and I thought we were absolutely terrific. These games now until the end of the season are bonus games for us because that team out there will probably be the team next year. It’s a really young team and if we can get that leap of progress from now until next season, it stands us in good stead."
Everton drop to sixth in the Premier League 2 table and are back in action when they host Arsenal on Sunday 21 March at Southport FC's The Pure Stadium.
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