Match Report

Beto scored on his Everton debut and Arnaut Danjuma struck an 88th-minute winner as the Blues got themselves out of jail against Doncaster Rovers following one of the worst first-half performances in living memory.

Sean Dyche’s men were trailing the team currently sitting at the bottom of League Two with 17 minutes left having managed a paltry one shot on target when Beto, on as a half-time substitute for his compatriot Youssef Chermiti, atoned for a wild miss a few moments earlier to score the equaliser.

Then, after both he and Beto had hit the woodwork and as the lottery of a penalty shootout loomed, Danjuma picked his way past a couple of defenders and fired home to squeeze Everton into the next round but it was, on the whole, an embarrassingly bad showing from the visitors.

Of most concern to Dyche, perhaps, was that he had named a strong and largerly experienced line-up to face the club sitting 92nd in the pyramid, with Michael Keane returning to the line-up, Vitalii Mykolenko and Ben Godfrey making their first starts of the season and Chermiti making his full debut following a promising cameo off the bench against Wolves on Saturday.

Unfortunately, like fellow youngster Lewis Dobbin, who made his second senior start, Chermiti struggled to make an impact on the game while Everton as a whole looked utterly devoid of purpose and quality for the first hour of the contest.

An early panic at the back had set the tone and Tommy Rowe’s shot from an unmarked position that flew narrowly over with a quarter of an hour gone was a warning sign that the Blues couldn’t be complacent against their League Two hosts.

Not long afterwards, Broadbent’s effort was blocked and Zane Westbrooke lashed the rebound inches the wrong side of the post while Luke Molyneux was unfortunate not to be able to control an awkward bounce in oceans of space in the box as Everton continued to look vulnerable at the back.

It took Everton 40 minutes to fashion their first real opening when Abdoulaye Doucouré and Danjuma exchanged passes and the Dutchman advanced to the near post but he dragged a left-foot shot horribly across goal.

Four minutes later, Doncaster took the lead. Molyneux was afforded all the time he needed to swing a cross back into the area following a set-piece and Joe Ironside rose highest, albeit in an offside position, to glance it past Jordan Pickford who had gambled off his line and been caught cold.

Amadou Onana had a chance in first-half stoppage time off Chermiti’s neat lay-off but his shot was beaten away and it was the home side who almost doubled their lead going into the break but Pickford made a point-blank save to deny Westbrook.

No doubt unhappy with what he had seen in the first 45 minutes, Dyche withdrew Chermiti, Nathan Patterson and Dobbin in favour of Beto, Ashley Young and Idrissa Gueye and it led to a small but perceptible improvement in the display.

Yet it was Doncaster who threatened first and when Modu Faal’s shot struck Mykolenko’s arm on the way to goal and the rebound fell to Molyneux, Gueye had to block the Rovers man’s goal-bound shot to ensure the deficit wasn’t doubled.

Everton started to probe more after the hour mark, though, with Gueye making a world of difference in the  middle, the ball sticking up front more regularly with Beto now leading the line and the Portuguese getting on the end of a Mykolenko cross that he just couldn’t get on top of.

The new £26m had an even better chance a few minutes later then the ball sat up invitingly for him from about 10 yards out by he miscued awfully with his weaker foot, to the delight of a jeering home crowd.

Beto atoned just a couple of minutes later, though, with Everton's first goal of 2023-24 when Doucouré played the ball in behind the Doncaster defence, the Portuguese galloped past the last man and flicked it deftly past the onrushing goalkeeper to make it 1-1.

Tarkowski came on for Mykolenko with 15 minutes to go with the Ukrainian picking up a knock before Young saw a shot parried by Ian Lawlor and Beto thought he had doubled his tally with a terrific, leaping header but the ball hammered off the post and back into play.

Almost immediately afterwards, Danjuma tried to curl one into the far corner but his shot bounced off the top of the crossbar and James Garner’s placed side-foot effort was blocked on the way to goal by Jack Senior.

The winner arrived just in time, however, as Danjuma collected the ball just inside the penalty area, skipped his way along the line of defenders and then cut a shot back across Lawlor that left the keeper wrong-footed and beaten.

There were chances to pad the lead and avoid all doubt but both substitute Neal Maupay and Garner saw attempts charged down and though Beto put the ball in the net deep into stoppage time, the lay-off from Gueye had come too late by which time the striker had strayed offside.

So a huge sigh of relief for Everton who made heavy work of what should have been a routine Second Round cup tie. They’re in the hat for the next round but they and their manager will know they will have to be several orders of magnitude better, both on their return to Yorkshire on Saturday lunchtime to face Sheffield United in the Premier League and in the Third Round against Aston Villa next month.

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Updates

Everton, who sit bottom of the Premier League,  travelled to Doncaster Rovers tonight for a Round 2 encounter in the Carabao Cup with the team that is rock bottom of the Football League, and they trailed the home side for most of the game.

But key changes at half-time finally saw a turnaround with goals from new signings Beto and Danjuma winning the tie.

Sean Dyche has not done much by way of squad rotation, with only Mykolenko and Godfrey as fresh faces, with Chermiti getting his first start, and new signing Beto on the bench.  

Everton tried to create their own peril from the start when Pickford almost gave away a backpass in the opening minute. They tried to remedy things with quick balls forward that were easily soaked up by the home side.

Everton did win a corner but it was cleared. When it came back to Chermiti, he was flagged for offside. Everton were very tentative, and looking to play many long balls that weren't really working, while the home side were making some half-decent attempts to create something. 

Apart from the long balls, Everton were having difficulty playing any football, with Doncaster doing a good pressing job to create passing jeopardy. After 20 minutes, Everton hadn't had a single touch in the Doncaster penalty area.  

Chermiti, with a chance to run at the Doncaster goal, passes it straight to a defender. Not good. Doncaster countered and won a corner that was so nearly converted, the unmarked Rowe firing inches over Pickford's bar. 

Everton's football continued to be shockingly poor, pinned in their half for spells, with out-balls doing just that – getting hoofed out of play. Danjuma had his pocket picked and gave away a free kick. From this, Everton cleared and Dobbin had a chance to break but stumbled on the ball and then gave it away. 

Chermiti couldn't control the ball and lost it to his marker, who he then fouled, setting another spirited Doncaster attack with one shot blocked and the second, heading for the corner of Pickford's goal was very fortunately deflected just past the post. 

Dobbin showed some passion to tackle his man and win the ball back but still no real attack on the Doncaster goal. Everton won a free-kick wide left, and the ball at least bobbled around inside the home penalty area, although without a chance being created. 

More Doncaster pressure needed to be repulsed, a deep cross surprising the unmarked Molyneux who could not fashion a shot,  but there was zero continuity in Everton's ragged play. Onana was too strong on his man but Doncaster got themselves offside on the free-kick.   

Everton finally created a good chance, Danjuma on a great one-two with Doucouré but he lashed his shot across the face of goal and past the far post with only the keeper to beat. 

The pressure remained on the Everton goal, Mykolenko giving away another corner that was played out and scooped forward for Ironside to head easily past Pickford, albeit from an offside position, but no VAR here! Goal to Doncaster Rovers. 

From the restart, Everton worked a chance for Onana who shot at Lawlor, the Doncaster keeper. The home side attacked again and won a deep free-kick wide right that fell to Rowe who powered in a superb shot that forced a tremendous save from Pickford. 

Dyche reacted to the abysmal display by making three changes at the break.

Even so, Everton almost came unstuck. Everton at least fashioned an attack but the ball from Young to Beto was intercepted and then Beto fouled the defender. Doncaster got free down the left again and Garner had to give up the corner with another shot on goal from an unmarked man.

Everton attacked down the left but Mykolenko's cross was woefully overhit. Beto tried to drive by himself through the middle and was called for a foul.

Everton had possession that ended with Doucoure passing the ball out of play and Doncaster fashioning another hugely threatening attack, Mykolenko blocking a shot with his arm. 

Everton tried to fashion another attack but again Mykolenko's cross was dreadful. More scrappy football got the Blues somehow into the home area but the ball was hacked away from Garner. 

The lack of enterprise was underlined by a long Keane hoof forward from deep that Danjuma could not stop going over the byeline. Danjuma then gave away a foul on the Doncaster left that was cleared. Everton got forward and Garner put in a better cross.

Mykolenko put on one that Beto should at least have got on goal. Mykolenko then ran a ball in that forced a desperate defensive lunge that won Everton a corner and finally there was some steady pressure from Everton but no clear chances created. 

Beyto showed great acceleration and put a fine ball into the box for Young but it was flagged out of play before he fashioned the cross. Garner tried to play in Danjuma but overhit the pass. 

A decent passage of play started by Mykolenko in midfield saw Beto set up to shoot but he made a dreadful mess of it. But a good ball forward from Doucouré saw a tremendous burst of speed from Beto and an exquisite touch that flicked the ball past the outrushing Lawlor and into the empty Doncaster net. Unbelievable. An Everton goal!

Mykolenko had gone down with an injury and was replaced by Tarkowski.

From a thwarted Doncaster attack, Everton attacked with more pace and Young forced a save with a shot from wide left. It was now a more even contest with Everton finally playing something approaching football but Doncaster still by no means humbled by their illustrious visitors. 

Garner put in a great cross that produced a towering header from the giant Beto, cannoning off the post. Then a fine shot from Danjuma skipped off the top of the crossbar as the Everton players it seemed finally realized they were in a game.  

But the minutes were ticking relentlessly toward penalties with Everton frustrated but the ball was laid in to Garner whose first-time shot was blocked. 

But Everton kept at it and a better sequence of possession saw Danjuma get a one-two and run along the 18-yard line before firing a difficult shot past Lawlor for what must surely be the winning goal for the Blues. 

Doncaster were given 6 minutes of added time to get back into it and did their best to do just that, a shot needed blocking and a corner given away that almost saw another chance created. 

At the other end, a chance for Danjuma was thwarted, Beto scored again but was flagged offside, and Maupay drove a shot at Lawlor before the final whistle went to signal a much-needed Everton victory. 

Doncaster Rovers: Lawlor, Senior, Westbrooke (90+3' Sotona), Olowu, Maxwell (90+3' Goodman), Broadbent, Rowe (71' Roberts), Bailey, Molyneux, Ironside, Faal.

Subs not Used: Wood, Jones, Long, Faulkner, Straughan Brown, Kuleya.

Everton:   Pickford, Mykolenko (74' Tarkowski), Keane, Godfrey, Patterson (46' Young), Garner, Onana, Doucoure (84' Maupay), Dobbin (46' Gana), Danjuma, Chermiti (46' Beto).

Subs not Used:  Virginia, Lonergan, Branthwaite, Onyango. 

Michael Kenrick

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