Paul Tait says his Everton Under-18 side deserve enormous credit for a performance brimming with “effort, quality and determination" after being reduced to 10 men against Manchester United – and the young Blues will recover quickly from the “kick in the teeth” of losing to a last-ditch penalty.
The two teams traded chances during an explosive opening period of the game at USM Finch Farm. But Everton were dealt a blow when defender Josh Hosie was red carded after collecting his second booking on 26 minutes.
Manager Tait promptly shifted midfielder Einar Iversen to right-back, with forward Korede Adedoyin asked to operate on the right flank and lend support to lone striker Ellis Simms.