Everton’s under-23 side were beaten 1-0 by Derby County, and David Unsworth could only pick out two performances that he was happy with.
Everton put out a strong side for their game against the Rams, but fell to their first defeat of the season as George Thorne’s goal midway through the first-half helped the home side move themselves onto the same number of points as Unsworth’s men in Premier League 2.
It was a disappointing night for the Toffees boss, and he admitted that only two Everton players came away from a contest that they did not deserve to win with any credit.
“We were poor in possession and didn’t threaten their goal enough,” he told the club’s official website. “When you perform like that you can’t expect to win games.
“Other than Tyias Browning and Matty Foulds, who came on at half-time, I’m struggling to think of any of our players who outperformed his rival tonight.”
With just one win coming for Marco Silva’s side in the league so far this season, Unsworth will perhaps be reminding his players that there is potentially an excellent opportunity for the youngsters to edge themselves onto the first-team radar with their performances.
The likes of Fraser Hornby and Antony Evans have huge potential, but they may well have to smash the door down with their displays for the under-23s, and unfortunately, they missed the chance to impress on this occasion.
But perhaps Browning has done his chances of getting back towards the senior fold no harm at all, while Foulds has staked a claim to get back into Unsworth’s starting lineup with his performance.
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