A last minute equaliser denied Everton U18s victory in a 3-3 draw against Blackpool at USM Finch Farm.
The Blue’s put on a dominant performance in this weekends friendly, but was let down by lackluster defending in the final quarter which allowed Blackpool to keep their foot in the door.
Everton were scheduled to face Leeds United in the League however that fixture has been rescheduled. A number of Leeds players have had to self-isolate due to COVID-19.
Lewis Dobbin had the Blues first real chance. Put in by Charlie Whittaker, the striker weaved between the Blackpool defence but could only fire wide of the post.
Lewis Warrington then forced the Blackpool keeper into an acrobatic save to tip the ball over the bar. A bright start for the Blues, with all of this happening within the first five minutes.
The Blues’ pressure paid off in the 12th minute. After some excellent play in midfield from Luke Butterfield, Lewis Dobbin found himself one on one and confidently dispatched the chance.
Stan Mills doubled the Blues lead on 20 minutes. A through ball from Dobbin found Stan Mills and he converted the chance with ease.
Lewis Dobbin was causing problems for the Blackpool backline. He could have grabbed his second but was unable to convert from a tight angle.
Paul Tait’s side came close to adding a third just before the half hour. However, Lewis Warrington was denied by a superb last ditch tackle.
Blackpool should have clawed one back just before half time. A mistake by Harry Hagan wasn’t capitalised upon and the half ended with the young Blues 2-0 up.
A combination of Luk-Leban and the Everton defence kept Blackpool out 10 minutes into the second half.
Neither team created much 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 chance. Luk-Leban was left with no chance with the finish.
Tom Cannon won a penalty five minutes later. He then stepped up and confidently buried the spot-kick to make it 3-1.
Blackpool then pulled another one back on 82 minutes. Luk-Leban was helpless to stop a drive which flew into his right hand top corner.
Some more lackadaisical play at the back gifted Blackpool with a chance to equalise in the 85th minute but they couldn’t convert.
The Tangerines were rewarded for their efforts in the 89th minute. Luk-Leban produced a great save but couldn’t stop the rebound.
A good game but Paul Tait will be disappointed with the result. Next up for the young Blues is the Merseyside derby next week.
