U23s return to winning ways at Chelsea

I've been very impressed how resolute and calm under pressure the defence and midfield has played this second half.

Thumping curling shot off the post which would have made it 4-0.

Impressive, result and performance.

Funny ole game, football. We absolutely pounded them in this fixture last season and came away with just a 2-2 draw.

Under the cosh for most of tonight's game and we win 3-0.

Go figure...

Chelsea lost - eat it.

Good bad or indifferent he would be giving his all for the whole game. I know he was the captain but even if he wasn't he would be urging the team on and giving instructions to all of them.

Can't wait to see him in the first team, he will liven it up.

he played lots of fist time passes under control, pressed and harried and kept shape well.

He was he difference on several occasions - had quite a few duels with Hazard .

They played hazard in the 10 whole and he had a good game ish - drive into our area 4-5 times and was well shepparded . Chelea had a number 9 that kept dropping and had little else but switching the play from side to side with no penetration apart from Hazard.
Beni and Liam kept the middle quiet, whilst linking well for our second - very well drilled shot from Beni .

Feeney was a rock and at just 18 man handled their number 9 and had him in his pocket - a very competitive defender and very confident - another for the conveyor belt of Central Defenders .

Loads of Everton there - (50/50) and you could hear when the goals went in!!

Read and link to the following to see the goals.

Enjoy!
*****

Just for you Dave. Check out the following link:

Link

It's the whole game, so to see the goals fast forward to these times:

21mins - watch how canny Walsh is from the throw in, pushing the Chelsea defender away in the chest to give himself more room to receive the ball. He plays a sharp one-touch 1-2 with the thrower, Jones, takes a couple of touches before curling a delightful left footed pass in behind the Chelsea defence for Charsley. Charsley holds up the ball then plays it back to the advancing Walsh near the corner of the right side of their penalty, who now with his right foot whips a dangerous ball into their 6-yard area and the Chelsea defender can only turn it into his own net.

Next, fast forward to 1 hour 16 mins. From a bitty throw in down our left flank, close to their penalty area, Foulds feeds the ball to Liam. Walsh holds off the challenge from a Chelsea defender whilst taking 2-3 touches before rolling the ball across the edge of the penalty area to Banginime and from the 'D', Beni angles a first time daisy cutter back across the keeper into the left hand corner, helped a tad by Sambou jumping over the ball and possibly unsighting the keeper.

Finally, go to the 1 hour 46 minutes mark. It's worth it to see from where the 3rd goal starts. Gibson, on as sub, wins the ball well deep in his full back position and carries the ball deep into the Chelsea half before playing it inside to another sub Nathan Broadhead. He carries it to the edge of the Chelsea penalty area on the right, and lays it wide into the path of Niasse. He lets fly with a thunderous shot, well saved low down by the keeper, but Niasse is quicker to the rebound and from a tight angle wellies it into the roof of the net.

Watch until the end from here, the final 5 minutes, because you will also see Broadhead create a curl a beauty of the right post.

I was very impressed by how resolute and calm the defence played under the cosh for most of the match.

And Niasse may be crap, but has pace and a knack for getting goals, surely an option from the bench when we are Just kicking the ball long in Hope, until we sign a real striker If course.

He looks bigger, taller, stockier, than even from just last season.

He certainly wasn't getting knocked off the ball easily by some of the big units in the Chelsea side tonight.

I didn't watch it all but thought Liam Walsh looked very good. It was th first time I'd seen him for any length of time. At one stage, towards the end of the first half their commentator paid him a compliment and then said he looked like the next kid off the block, the next one to break into the first team squad.

The way we're losing midfielders, Barry, Klaassen, Schneiderlin, Barkley and McCarthy to injury and maybe for good we could maybe do with an injection of something like what Walsh can offer.

How come Bowler can't get in that side?

I expect he will go on loan somewhere with option to buy.

Watch him take corners, free kicks, you know he has put many hours rehearsing these, Rooney is getting praise for getting in the referee's face, Liam, I think practices this as well.

I don't know the lad, never met him, but knew, absolutely knew he is going to make a very good footballer, never mind the injuries he has had, he should have at the very least been in the first team squad before now, what's stopping you Mr. Koeman, get him in there and Jonjoe Kenny as well, energy plus talent.

And the only Everton player to score two goals in a single game against Liverpool in many many years.

We all agree about how good Walsh is, though. He looks like he's added a lot of upper body muscle. He is totally committed on the pitch and, just like Tom Davies, sees opposition players as objects that just get in his way and so are fair game to get pushed around, whatever their size. He must get a first team game this season.

Everything we created went through Walsh and Foulds was also impressive at the back, with Barry now gone Liam is the only true passer we have in the midfield and I think he could be useful against teams that sit deep hopefully he gets a chance because I'm sure he will take it.

And all this when Eden Hazard is on the pitch, I mean ffs.

Good to see Feeney get a start and play well. I hope we get the chance to see him and Gibson start together soon.

Surprised Jose Baxter was not in the XVI.

Thanks again.

It's always great to see what the youngsters are about.

Dave

I watched it last night - it doesn't start until about 1-40 in so you need to fast forward.

Walsh had a good game as others have said. With Barry gone and the number of games he may hopefully get a breakthrough in whatever the Carling Cup is called this year, and Koeman can then see what he's made of.

I was also impressed with the two boys that came on - Gibson and Broadhead.

Gibson looked to get stuck in and to me composed on the ball in his short cameo. He just had a look of a quality player and I believe he's only 17 atm?

Broadhead showed some lovely touches and set up the 3rd, he had that look of class about him and almost scored a Worldie hitting the post in the last minute.

I know he's highly rated by the Welsh Management and will probably get capped before he makes his first team appearance.

I very much doubt either will breakthrough this season, if at all, (you can never be 100% sure) and probably not the season after where they'll probably go on loan at a Championship club to pick up experience, but I'd hope could break through after that.

And with my Welsh hat on I was also impressed with Ampadu of Chelsea who looks a lovely composed player.

No sign of Bowler (big things tipped for), Donkor only got a minute (apparently he's been impressing in games), and anyone know what happened to Markelo and Mathis?

I haven't heard either play game yet for U18 or U23's.

Injured or still settling in perhaps?