It was honours even in the mini-derby at the Halton Stadium last night.
Andy Holden’s side had been looking to complete a club hat-trick of wins following recent victories for David Moyes’s first team and Neil Dewsnip’s under-18s.
It looked possible when Scott Spencer scored a freak opener midway through the first half, but the visitors hit back immediately with the unfortunate Hope Akpan heading in at the wrong end.
With Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling now fighting for first-team places and Lukas Jutkiewicz and John Paul Kissock away on loan, Holden was deprived of experience.
It gave the bulk of Everton’s Under-18s side the chance to impress, alongside lone old-head Carlo Nash.
Three minutes in a neat interchange between Liverpool’s Dani Pacheco and Gerardo Bruna fashioned an opening for Victor Palsson. The right-sided midfielder beat Carlo Nash but James McCarten was well positioned to hack off the line.
Nathan Craig and Jay Spearing then took it in turns to lash speculative volleys off target.
A neat backheel from Spencer allowed Craig to cross from the left, but when the ball eventually fell for James Wallace, Reds keeper Martin Hansen did well to smother.
At the other end Dani Pacheco found Andras Simon unmarked in the box soon after but the save for Carlo Nash was simple.
However, as the half-hour mark approached the strangest of goals gave Everton the breakthrough. Receiving the ball from Spencer following an injury stoppage, Martin Hansen contrived to miss-control and allow the ball to trickle across the line.
But Everton’s lead was short-lived, Akpan glancing Pacheco’s free-kick into his own net just four minutes later.
Luke Powell, handed a late start following Tom McCready’s withdrawal looked to keen to make the most of the opportunity, providing a constant outlet down the right.
But the visitors continued to threaten, Pacheco cutting in onto his right foot early in the second half and fizzing a shot inches wide of the post.
Half-time appeared to have galvanised the hosts and Eunan O’Kane saw a bullet header tipped onto the crossbar by Hansen.
At the back the unfamiliar centre back pairing of McCarten and John Irving proved water-tight, while Seamus Coleman looked solid on his reserves home debut.
Twice Irving went close from Craig set pieces as Everton continued to probe. But the game petered out, both sides tiring, and understandably so, given the nature of the occasion.
And tired legs perhaps accounted for late openings for either side. With four minutes remaining Simon produced a fearsome shot on the turn only for Nash to muster a stunning reaction save.
It allowed Everton to launch a counter which resulted in the impressive Luke Powell hitting the upright – the woodwork forcing Everton to settle for just a share of the spoils.
Andy Holden’s side had been looking to complete a club hat-trick of wins following recent victories for David Moyes’s first team and Neil Dewsnip’s under-18s.
It looked possible when Scott Spencer scored a freak opener midway through the first half, but the visitors hit back immediately with the unfortunate Hope Akpan heading in at the wrong end.
With Jack Rodwell and Dan Gosling now fighting for first-team places and Lukas Jutkiewicz and John Paul Kissock away on loan, Holden was deprived of experience.
It gave the bulk of Everton’s Under-18s side the chance to impress, alongside lone old-head Carlo Nash.
Three minutes in a neat interchange between Liverpool’s Dani Pacheco and Gerardo Bruna fashioned an opening for Victor Palsson. The right-sided midfielder beat Carlo Nash but James McCarten was well positioned to hack off the line.
Nathan Craig and Jay Spearing then took it in turns to lash speculative volleys off target.
A neat backheel from Spencer allowed Craig to cross from the left, but when the ball eventually fell for James Wallace, Reds keeper Martin Hansen did well to smother.
At the other end Dani Pacheco found Andras Simon unmarked in the box soon after but the save for Carlo Nash was simple.
However, as the half-hour mark approached the strangest of goals gave Everton the breakthrough. Receiving the ball from Spencer following an injury stoppage, Martin Hansen contrived to miss-control and allow the ball to trickle across the line.
But Everton’s lead was short-lived, Akpan glancing Pacheco’s free-kick into his own net just four minutes later.
Luke Powell, handed a late start following Tom McCready’s withdrawal looked to keen to make the most of the opportunity, providing a constant outlet down the right.
But the visitors continued to threaten, Pacheco cutting in onto his right foot early in the second half and fizzing a shot inches wide of the post.
Half-time appeared to have galvanised the hosts and Eunan O’Kane saw a bullet header tipped onto the crossbar by Hansen.
At the back the unfamiliar centre back pairing of McCarten and John Irving proved water-tight, while Seamus Coleman looked solid on his reserves home debut.
Twice Irving went close from Craig set pieces as Everton continued to probe. But the game petered out, both sides tiring, and understandably so, given the nature of the occasion.
And tired legs perhaps accounted for late openings for either side. With four minutes remaining Simon produced a fearsome shot on the turn only for Nash to muster a stunning reaction save.
It allowed Everton to launch a counter which resulted in the impressive Luke Powell hitting the upright – the woodwork forcing Everton to settle for just a share of the spoils.
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