Everton 3 – 0 Doncaster Rovers
Sean Dyche includes the three new summer signings yet to be handed their full Everton debuts in the team to face Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup while Seamus Coleman and James Garner return following injury.
James Tarkowski is rested in an effort to get him fully fit for the weekend, while Paterson, Branthwaite and Chermiti are still out injured.
The visitors kicked off but Everton had plenty of the early possession, Coleman swinging in the first cross that was repelled. Beto won a free-kick that was wasted and it needed a fine tackle by Iroegbunam to get the ball back.
From a decent ball forward by Mykolenko, McNeil eventually played a fine cross to Beto that he could not convert, sliding in with the goal at his mercy. A slack backpass avoided a repeat of Pickford’s weekend error. Garner tried to play in Beto but the ball didn’t reach him.
Garner played forward to Lindstrøm but his cross was blocked behind for a corner, taken short and then wasted when the ball back to Lindstrøm found him offside. McNeil needed to dribble past a defender, but couldn’t and Doncaster built half-decent attack.
At the other end, a McNeil shot was deflected behind for another Everton corner, delivered well by McNeil and fingertipped away by Lawlor under pressure. Everton looked to build but Ndiaye was inexplicably offside.
From a Doncaster free-kick, Senior sent a fine shot goalward that Pickford launched himself to turn away.
Beto got the ball out to Lindstrøm but his cross was poor, going behind. McNeil tried another shot from the edge of the Doncaster area, the ball hitting Beto. McNeil delivered a ross too far in front of Beto but close enough to Lawlor that he needed to push it behind for a corner, played to the far post but defended away.
Doncaster got themselves in a right pickle at the back but Everton couldn’t profit. Then Mykolenko and Pickford conspired to gift the visitors a corner through miscommunication when dealing with a high ball.
Senior dragged down Beto at the expense of a yellow card and dangerous free-kick, Lindstrøm seeming to pick out Beto who completely missed it. Garner then crossed in well for Beto but the ball came off him and away from goal.
Ndiaye got down the right and crossed in for Garner to place his shot toward the lower corner but it was blocked. A corner but Lindstrøm was dragged away from Lawlor into the net. When the corner came over, it was headed back nicely to Garner who volleyed onto the post!
The play in the first half had been largely shapeless and scrappy from both sides with many a turnover, and inspiring only that classic cliche: you could not tell which side was from the Premier League.
The second half just continued with poor play all over until Lindstrøm laid the ball nicely for Iroegbunam to strike goalward, with Dwight McNeil apparently getting the final touch. Everton had finally scored their first goal of the new season.
Lindstrøm played forward to Beto but he just could not keep possession of the ball, just running into trouble, and not for the first time. Garner drove down the inside right channel and powered his shot across goal. Ndiaye attacking down the left channel saw his shot blocked for a corner that didn’t really come off.
Ndiaye skipped away from his marker and crossed perfectly onto the once of Beto but he could only glance it well wide when it looked easier to burst the net and it was time for some substitutions, Young getting booked almost immediately after he came on.
Hurst just didn’t hit his shot strong enough to beat Pickford. At the other end, Ndiaye drove forward and fired low to beat Lawlor in off the near post and score Everton’s second.
McNeil then drove down the middle and saw his shot tipped over. A Doncaster corner yielded a free header on target, blocked clear. Some nice interplay building around the Doncaster area ended with Harrison blasting over.
Finally, a flowing passing move, McNeil to Mykolenko, ended with Beto poking in the third goal. Everton players could finally relax a little and start to express themselves, knocking the ball around with unaccustomed accuracy and aplomb.
But O’Brien was called for a softish free-kick and it was headed over Pickford’s bar. At the other end, McNeil wellied one well wide as 3 minutes were added at the end.
Everton: Pickford, Coleman (67′ Young [Y:69′]), Keane, O’Brien, Mykolenko, Garner (66′ Gueye), Iroegbunam [Y:58′] (85′ Armstrong), Lindstrøm (66′ Harrison), McNeil, Ndiaye (79′ Dixon), Beto.
Subs not Used: Virginia, Holgate, Doucouré, Calvert-Lewin.
Doncaster Rovers: Lawlor, Nixon (56′ Sterry), Olowu, McGrath, Senior [Y:37′] (75′ Sharp), Bailey, Kelly (64′ Broadbent), Molyneux, Westbrooke (63 Sbarra), Gibson (46′ Hurst), Ironside.
Subs not Used: Sharman-Lowe, Anderson, Yeboah, Close.
Kick-off: 7:45 pm, Tuesday 27 August 2024
Referee: Simon Ross
Attendance: 37,245
This game is being streamed via Sky Sports+ in the UK (Channel 412 and the Red button, also on the Sky Sports App on smartphones and tablets)