Everton Under-18s’ hopes of a top-four finish suffered a setback after goals from Tre Pemberton and Daniel Butterworth handed Blackburn Rovers all three points at USM Finch Farm.
The Blues fielded a youthful starting 11 with regulars Callum Lees, Alex Denny and Shayne Lavery all absent.
Both sides, however, cancelled each other out in the opening stages of the game with neither managing to create a clear-cut chance.
To their credit, though, Kevin Sheedy’s side grew into the game and went close to opening the scoring through Fraser Hornby on 23 minutes.