SECOND HALF
Gabriel and Nathaniel-Junior Brown both made promising attempts on goal early in the second half, but it was Everton who first broke through. Helafu was deemed to have fouled Robert in the penalty area, allowing Robert to confidently convert the resulting penalty.
From that moment on, United intensified their efforts, dominating possession and pushing into the visitors’ half. They nearly scored directly from a corner, as Lukjanciks was forced to save both Gabriel’s and Bailey’s attempts, deflecting them out of play.
However, against the run of play, the Toffees capitalized on a corner opportunity. Kean Wren sent in the delivery, which was initially cleared by the young Reds, but it fell straight to Matos, who fired a powerful shot into the bottom-left corner, just out of reach of Byrne-Hughes.
Fletcher’s team fought hard to claw back into the game, but the contest was ultimately sealed when Loney scored Everton’s third goal during stoppage time.
