Everton Under-23s recorded a third consecutive victory with a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Southport.
The Blues took the lead in the eighth minute when Matthew Foulds’ cross from the left was flicked on by Bassala Sambou and Fraser Hornby converted from close range.
There was no shortage of endeavour from both sides in the opening period but not many genuine goalscoring opportunities.
Jacob Maddox came close to a leveller when he spun inside the Everton area and pulled a low shot wide. For the hosts, Antony Evans picked out Sambou with a fine cross-field pass but the Blues striker was well wide with his long-range effort.