Everton Under-18s on wrong end of ‘horrendous’ penalty call v Man Utd
Everton Under-18s were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday (9 February) as Manchester United proved too much at Old Trafford.
The young Toffees took the lead thanks to Francis Okoronkwo but they came undone moments later thanks to a controversial decision.
Luke Butterfield thought he had made a stunning last-ditch tackle to deny Alejandro Garnacho but the referee was perhaps the only man who saw differently, pointing to the spot. You can see the incident in the clip below.
Charlie McNeil converted for the Red Devils but the decision did not impress The Athletic’s Everton correspondent Patrick Boyland who tweeted: “Horrendous decision to award hosts penalty.”
Kobbie Mainoo, Sam Mather and Garnacho added further wounds to the youthful Everton side who bowed out of the FA Youth Cup by a score of 4-1.
Tough assignment
It couldn’t have been a much more difficult tie to get in the round of 16 given the likes of Cambridge United and Blackpool were still in the draw.
They certainly haven’t disgraced themselves despite the 4-1 scoreline and they can rightly feel hard done by with the penalty decision.
It would have been handy for the group to play a couple more rounds to really put themselves on the radar of Frank Lampard and challenge themselves against the country’s best youth sides.
Okoronkwo was the star for the Toffees, scoring the opening goal, but 15-year-od Ishe Samuels-Smith will be the one who excites Toffees fans in the future.
The 15-year-old has already featured for the Under-23s side and is one of the very few proper left-backs at the club.
He stood up to every task he was given at Old Trafford and that bodes well for his future.
The signing of Vitaliy Mykolenko on that side shouldn’t impact his development with another few years in the youth setup or out on loan in the offing for Samuels-Smith.
In other Everton news, the club are pursuing two men for a crucial role at the club with a front-runner identified.