10-man U23s the heroes as McCarthy returns

Virginia
Holgate Browning Feeney Charsley
Dowell McCarthy Baningime Adeniran Broadhead
Sambou

Sambou won it. He got clattered, but not sure it definitely was a pen. He did a strange run up and buried it.

1-0 Everton.

We have a team full of first team experience. City have a side full of kids. We should be winning this.

Update: Everton by far the better side. It's men against boys. City are dangerous on the counter. McCarthy is going full gas. Baningime looks good and is the one running the game. We're knocking it around nicely.

Commentators talking about Hoddle's collapse.

Turned over to 00:01 dead on 60 minutes!

Shame to see Anthony Gordon subbed off moments after coming on as a sub.

Soft 2nd yellow card for Mason Holgate.

Nice to see James McCarthy go the distance on his return.

My first real look at Adeniran. Impressed.

Curiously, we looked so much bigger and as a result stronger on the ball than City I thought.

We had bona fide first teamers like McCarthy, Holgate and Baningime, and several fringe players. Man City played a bunch of teenagers.

So, yes. We were much bigger and stronger and all round better. They had some good little players though.

Shame Gordon got taken off, he's grown a bit over the last six months, need to see him more at this level. Beni and Feeney were our best youngsters for me.

Still not convinced Sambou is going to make it with us, he'll probably end up our top goalscorer but could have had two tonight — the real prospects turn 'could' into 'had'.

Maybe harsh on him, but I'm looking to see which of these kids can be first team prospects in the future; this is the age they start to show they have something different.

There was a lot of quality throughout the Everton team tonight, and no little experience, also.

I thought McCarthy did pretty well, got stuck in and made numerous important tackles and interceptions to stop Man City from getting going – but he was playing against boys tbf.

Graham Stuart noted more than once that his performance would be irrelevant as it is all about getting his fitness back, but he did well.

Like Steve, I was pleased to see Beni running the midfield – Dowell was a little too quiet for my liking. Feeney also did well on his own little comeback trail.

I rate him and he's had no luck, but when he's played he's always does his best and has never shirked a challenge.

Good to have the whole squad fighting for a place.

Best player on the park tonight by a mile, covered lots of ground, won the ball time and time again, and always looks to pick the clever forward pass instead of the easy sideways/backwards pass. Very, very impressed.

Jimmy McCarthy will be buzzing with 90 mins under his belt, grew into the game and even made a few slide tackles later on, even after such an horrendous injury.

Dowell looks an issue though: seemed comfortable on the ball when it came to him but never really looked interested in grafting for the team. If he's looking to force his way into the first team, he's a million miles off on today's run out.

I genuinely thought Holgate had much more to offer at full-back, especially at this level, but he offered very little going forward but was solid enough defensively. Harsh 2nd yellow card imo.

Feeney led them well, always shouting from the back.

Virginia looked comfortable in goal but his kicking was woeful.

Can't see anyone bar Beni or Jimmy McCarthy being used in the first team any time soon, if I'm honest – although I do think Holgate shouldn't be forgotten as I believe he's an excellent prospect.

I like the midfield options that we have right now: Siggy, Gomes, Gueye, Davies, McCarthy, Baningime. I am afraid time is up for Schneiderlin at Everton, hopefully we can recover a good amount of his purchase value from someone like Crystal Palace, Burnley, Brighton, Watford, Huddersfield, etc

As 1st team spots are limited this season, I think a few (Baningime, Feeney and Sambou) should be loaned out so that their development doesn't stall in the 2nd half of the season.

For me, Dowell is looking a bit low on confidence and could do with either a loan or being given more responsibility to push him on.

Browning looks too strong at this level but not at the standard for our 1st team so his time is probably up – expect him to make a good Championship career and possibly step up like Duffy.

I agree with all the praise given ro Beni and his extra bulk has given him an extra dimension on his play last year.

Time is up for Sambou and Browning and Galloway.

It's not worth the risk for many managers now. As for the older players, like McCarthy, he was never that good a player and can go... along with Schneiderlin.

By the time Barkley left, a lot of fans were glad to see the back of him. He was careless, profligate, lacked a "football brain", over-indulged etc. His first six months at Chelsea led to similar criticism from Chelsea fans.

All of a sudden, Saari has somehow turned Ross into an important player. That oft-discussed "potential" seems to have evolved into a sustained end product.

I realize Dowell is a different kind of player than Barkley but there are stark similarities. Both were widely hailed as kids; both are accused of being slow, not tackling, letting the game pass them by and waiting for the perfect moment to do something spectacular.

I was hoping Silva might be able to push Dowell along. But he is so far down the pecking order now that he is playing for the U23s the day before a big Premier League game. Maybe Chelsea should make a cheeky bid for him?

Have you ever seen McCarthy play for Everton? If so, then you need to check out your actual football knowledge as it is severely lacking.

I agree, mate, Dowell needs to be pushing on pretty soon, either at us or out on loan, or he's just going to fizzle out.

To me he didn't look like a guy who was too serious about standing out on Saturday evening.

Maybe in January he will go out on loan and find himself; if not, he will end up like Browning, Galloway and Pennington were they would slip away into obscurity.

True.

A grafter he was. A hard worker. No one worked harder. But, as you described him accurately, never that good a player.

Anyone disputing your description needs to check out their actual football knowledge as it is severely lacking.

Although I doubt anyone who watched Macca play would call you wrong.

He does the job that nobody else does which resulted in his horrendous leg break. We need him. We still have a soft underbelly which allows opposing attackers to breeze through. Won't happen if Macca is playing. At his best, he's as good as having an additional player.

"Commitment" certainly describes James' application on the pitch. The rest describes him variously through his career, except the "fear of God" one. Attacking or defending, James McCarthy has never put the "fear of God" in any Everton opponent.

"He does the job that nobody else does... We still have a soft underbelly which allows opposing attackers to breeze through."

Have you not been watching? We have the Premier League's #1 defensive mid-fielder in Gueye.

The only first-rate season of James' career was 5 years ago. The best thing he can do now for Everton is return to perfect health, so Brand can get a good price for him.

Justin is correct: "He was never that good a player" – and he needs to go.

Given the Everton midfield situation, that is to say not quite a dominant force, I don't think he would look out of place once he is match fit.

The ability to work hard and shut down the opposing threats before they get to the back three or four is something Everton have been lacking despite some good showings by the lads who have been selected and this is something that Silva and his staff have to get improvement on before Everton can seriously contemplate the top six.

Opposition players know what to expect when Macca plays & don't like it. Last season in the derby, Liverpool waltzed through us. Wouldn't have happened if McCarthy was playing.