Young Blues win FA Youth Cup tie at Goodison

Live now on YouTube just in case anyone doesn't know.

1. Tyrer
2. Zuk
3.
4. Astley
5. Anderson
6. Iversen
7. Adedoyin
8. Carroll
9. Simms
10. Hunt
11. Gordon

I may have the two centre backs' numbers (4 & 5) the wrong way round, I'm not sure.

2-0 and coasting with Simms getting both.

That's his 24th and 25th goals of the season to date... and it's only 1st December! In all the highlights I've seen, he always looks the biggest player on the pitch. As he only turns 18 in January, there must be some growth left in him yet.

Hope his goal-scoring is matched with sound development of his all-round game.

Everton totally, TOTALLY dominant.

#3 is Tom Warren. They finally named him.

Sunderland pressed a lot higher in the 2nd half and we were wobbling a bit due more to our own sloppiness at the back when they made it 2-1.

But a sublime finish by Gordon and Simms second made it comfortable by the end.

A pleasing performance the way we played the ball around but at times the final cutting ball was lacking and we didn't really create that many chances apart from the goals.

Last season, Simms would have 4 or 5 chances and scored one, now he gets two maybe three chances and scores two well-taken goals. It's still hard to judge what he'll be like at U23s and “men's football” but he's doing all that could be expected of him, an impressive young man.

His second created by a superb first touch just beyond the centre circle in the second half from a through ball down the middle. Still not sure if he controlled the dropping ball with his thigh, or an even defter touch with the outside of his boot (no slow-mo replays) so it ran perfectly into his path at a perfect weight and pace.

The keeper came out. Simms second touch, fired in low and hard beyond the keeper.

This boy is good. And Phil, hasn't he already played for the U23s this season, scoring within 10 minutes of his debut at that level?

The fact they beat them so easily last week maybe put them in a very casual mood. They were good in spells but lacked the energy and effort to really put Sunderland out of the game and Sunderland offered little to upset them.

At the start of the second half, the defence were very sloppy and not paying attention and fully deserved the stupid goal scored against them.

Gordon is a good prospect but was in and out of this game; he scored a very good goal but needs to get more involved in the game. I hope he is not another Dowell.

Sunderland should have scored a couple more, all down to the sloppy play of Everton.

Simms is a goal machine, his record proves it, but I would have to see him a bit more before having a good opinion of him. He's got Lukaku's bones, the lazy ones... never won a header all afternoon and, for his weight and size, doesn't seem very aggressive – but goals will always count and maybe he didn't play his usual game. That is the first time I have seen him live.

I wasn't impressed by the team; possibly I expected too much. They will have to play a lot better to win this competition.

The players who impressed me, especially in the first half, were Carroll and Iversen the captain, plus Zuk, the right back.

I think your take explains why. I mean, great that they won, but this should have been a big occasion that gets the fans in at Goodison Park and generates some real interest amongst the followers of the club... Well done to you, Dave, for making the effort, though!!!

Nothing it seems is enough to really energise these lads. Let's face it, they are so far away from the Premier League, it is now a bit of a joke that they are required to play these games at an empty first-team stadium.

Then again, in the last few seasons, the players don't seem to go all out in this competition. It doesn't seem to mean anything to them. You would think that these lads would motivate themselves, or maybe I'm living in the past.

Exciting to see.

For the first 30 minutes we were totally, but totally, dominant. Faster, sharper, more gifted and permanently camped in Sunderland's half.

After Simms' first blistering goal you thought it could be a cricket score. But possibly because we were so dominant, just needing to breath to cruise the game, the intensity dropped off and sloppiness crept in as the half closed.

The second goal on the stroke of half-time put us further in the comfort zone, but the untidy play continued into the 2nd half and Sunderland clearly got in our faces more.

Still, they were gifted an appalling – truly appalling – goal.

A Sunderland player made a right dog's dinner of a throw-in near the half-way line and the referee gave the thrown-in to us. Instead of taking our time over things, Everton took a quick throw-in about 30 yards closer to our goal, than near the half-way line where they could have taken it from.

The receiving player – under no pressure whatsoever – rolled a square pass on the edge of our area to... a Sunderland player with no Everton player within 15 yards of him!! He took full advantage of the yawning space in front of him to score.

I'm sure that glaring error will register in the players' minds for the rest of their careers it was so bad, that they don't ever repeat it.

After that wobble, we settled again and closed out with two top-quality goals from Gordon and Simms.

A 4-1 win achieved at half-throttle. There was a lot to enjoy, I thought...

U23s start International Cup with a draw

He's only had a couple of lateish sub appearances since then. I guess they need him in the U18s as Fraser Hornby is still out injured. But at some point, he will be elevated, no doubt.

Nevertheless, some of these lads will be second-year apprentices and are playing for their future, that is why I was very disappointed in the lack of energy and spirit in their performance. As I said, maybe it was a one-off and I will definitely be back to see the next round, if it is at Goodison and it is not on a Monday night.

Hope we are all in second heaven later on today and me and Mike are dancing down to Lime Street Station in time for him to get his train to London. I hope he is sitting with a load of downhearted Reds.