Everton U18s were dumped out of the FA Youth Cup on Friday evening, but they still managed to impress Emile Heskey.
Keith Southern’s side suffered a 3-0 defeat. The scoreline does not tell the full story though,
Everton were level going into the second-half, but some controversial refereeing decisions awarded Manchester City a penalty and the Young Blues a red card.
Does David Moyes need to put more trust in Everton’s academy players? 😤
Surely some of these players can do better than Beto and Dwight McNeil! 😡
Everton striker Braiden Graham. Everton manager David Moyes.
Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Kearns – CameraSport/Visionhaus.
Although Everton have come to the end of the road, there are still positives to be taken from the game in Manchester.
Manchester City v Everton - FA Youth Cup
Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images
Emile Heskey impressed despite Everton U18s defeat
Malik Olayiwola was controversially sent off and the penalty given against Demi Akarakiri completely turned the tie on its head.
Nevertheless, there were a lot of positives to be taken from how Everton played against a very talented Man City side.
Which player do you think could be next to shine in Everton’s first team? 🤩
There's some really exciting youngsters currently at Finch Farm 🔥
Everton's Braiden Graham inspecting the pitch before the match during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Everton. Everton midfielder Malik Olayiwola. Justin Clarke of Everton looks on during the pre-season friendly match between Accrington Stanley and Everton.
Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Kearns – CameraSport/Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto/Matt McNulty.
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“What I love about Everton is they go into this block, but they’re not just standing there; they’re very aggressive,” Heskey said during the YouTube coverage of the game.
“They’ll come out and press and put the City players under pressure.”
It was a difficult evening for Braiden Graham, who was unable to build on the early promise he showed in the game.
Paul Tait has tipped Graham for his Everton debut under David Moyes in the not-so-distant future.
For what feels like the first time in years, Everton have some really talented players coming through the ranks at Finch Farm.
In months gone by, Moyes has complained about Everton’s lack of academy talent bolstering his first team.
Now, the 62-year-old is going to have to carefully decide the next steps for their development, with Harrison Armstrong already demonstrating the power of a loan.
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