Beto Strikes As Blues' Pre-Season Gets Going

Everton created plenty of chances and got their first pre-season match minutes in the tank in a 1-1 draw at Accrington Stanley on Tuesday evening. Despite missing a host of key players, including summer internationals Jordan Pickford, Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gana Gueye and recent signings Thierno Barry and Mark Travers, the Blues gave Stanley keeper Ollie Wright – named player of the match – a busy workout. Youssef Chermiti, Nathan Patterson and Harrison Armstrong went closest in an encouraging first half and, despite the hosts taking the lead soon after the interval, Beto levelled from the penalty spot 12 minutes from time after fellow substitute Isaac Heath have been brought down in the area. The Blues return to this part of Lancashire on Saturday with a trip to Championship side Blackburn Rovers (3pm BST). CLICK HERE TO BUY A MATCH PASS FOR BLACKBURN V EVERTON Pre-season friendlies are all about building fitness but the Blues showed plenty of attacking quality in their opening 45 minutes of the summer. A swift move down the right involving Dwight McNeil and Harrison Armstrong ended with the Academy graduate cutting a pass across the box for Nathan Patterson to break free with a fine first touch, only to put his low angled finish inches past the far post. Accrington keeper Ollie Wright then went on a one-man mission to keep the ball out of the back of the net. On 23 minutes, another impressive sequence of play from Everton, this time down the left flank, saw Armstrong’s pinpoint through ball pick out Vitalli Mykolenko whose excellent first-time cross was well controlled by Youssef Chermiti, the striker spinning and hitting a shot that was held by Wright. The same two players were involved in the next chance just before the half-hour mark, Armstrong – so impressive on loan with Derby County in the Championship last season – teeing up Tim Iroegbunam to whip in a tempting cross that found the head of Chermiti whose goalbound effort was denied by Wright’s acrobatic save. And Wright was at it again before the break, diverting Armstrong’s curling 20-yard shot that was destined for the top-right corner behind after the 18-year-old had been picked out on the edge of the area by Charly Alcaraz. Moyes made three changes for the start of the second half – Beto, Jake O’Brien and Under-21s defender William Tamen coming on for James Garner, Jarrad Branthwaite and Mykolenko. O’Brien partnered Keane in central defence, with Tamen at right-back and Patterson switching to the other side of the four. Having dominated the opening half, Everton fell behind minutes into the second, a deep corner picking out Benn Ward at the back post to squeeze a header over the line. More substitutions came just past the hour point, Under-21s attackers Isaac Heath and Justin Clarke replacing Alcaraz and Chermiti. The three young Blues linked up to create Everton’s best chance of the second half so far, Heath sprinting down the left flank, squaring to Tamen, who in turn played a pass out wide to Clarke. The 2024 signing from AFC Wimbledon showed his pace to jink into the area and lay off to McNeil, who turned and thumped a fierce drive into the palms of Wright. Seconds after Jenson Metcalfe came on for the impressive Armstrong, Everton grabbed a leveller with 12 minutes to go. Heath continued his encouraging cameo with a rapid dart into the area and, when he was chopped down, Beto made no mistake from the penalty spot with a sweet finish into the top right-hand corner. Heath and Clarke were doing their best to show boss Moyes their talents, the duo linking up again with five minutes to go to give Patterson another sniff at goal. Once more, the Scotland international opted to take a touch before smashing his shot over the bar in what proved the final chance of a lively encounter.