Match Report Iliman Ndiaye opened his goalscoring account for Everton and Tim Iroegbunam looks likely to have his first for the Club awarded to Dwight McNeil as Sean Dyche’s men booked their place in the Carabao Cup Third Round with a 3-0 win over Doncaster Rovers at Goodison Park. After a goalless first half that saw the returning James Garner smack the post with a side-foot effort in stoppage time, Iroegbunam broke the deadlock with a crisp low drive that clipped McNeil on its way through to goal past Ian Lawlor before a terrific effort from Ndiaye effectively made the game safe. Beto rounded off the scoring with a late third as the Toffees completed the first leg of a two-game sequence at home that supporters hope can provide the spark to kickstart the team’s season after miserable back-to-back defeats to start the Premier League campaign. As expected, Dyche made a number of changes to his starting XI and he finally handed Ndiaye, Jesper Lindstrøm and Jake O’Brien their full debuts while there were surprise returns from injury for Seamus Coleman and James Garner. As expected, the hosts were on the front foot early but looked unconvincing going forward despite McNeil finding Beto in the six-yard box during a promising opening where the striker couldn’t convert. However, Everton grew into their task and started moving the ball around well, Ndiaye laying it off to McNeil whose shot was deflected wide after 12 minutes while the roving winger saw a similar effort meet the same fate on the half-hour mark. In between, Doncaster had been holding their own and after Jack Senior had forced Jordan Pickford to palm his curling shot behind, Luke Molineux spurned a decent chance by firing straight at the goalkeeper. Then, after Beto had failed to meet a whipped Garner cross from the right, Everton finished the half strongly by twice going close. First Garner’s side-foot effort was deflected over and then, from the resulting corner and Michael Keane’s header back from the byline, the midfielder guided a second salvo past a forest of players and off the woodwork. The much-needed breakthrough came eight minutes after the restart, though when Lindstrøm worked his way into the Doncaster box and delayed before cutting it back towards the penalty spot where Iroegbunam arrived to meet it with a first-time strike. McNeil claimed it and he was awarded it by the stadium announcer, Simon Ross, but it remains to be seen whether he will officially be credited for it. Garner swept wide when decently placed, Ndiaye had a shot charged down for another corner and Beto missed with a header when the latter served a peach of a cross on a proverbial platter for the Portuguese before Pickford was called into action again to deny Kyle Hurst with 20 minutes to go. A minute after that, however, Ndiaye lit up the contest with a wonderfully-taken goal that underlined supporter frustration with Dyche for withholding the Senegalese from the starting line-up for the first two Premier League fixtures. With great feet, he easily turned Jamie Sterry and feinted his way past Joseph Olowu before drilling a left-footer past Lawlor to make it 2-0. The Rovers keeper had to tip McNeil’s raking strike over the bar shortly afterwards but after substitute Jack Harrison had blazed over with his weaker foot, Beto completed the scoring. Laying the ball off to McNeil, the striker continued his run into the box as the former picked out Vitalii Mykolenko on the overlap and the Ukrainian found Beto who touched it past the last defender before prodding home with the outside of his boot. Though the opposition were demonstrably inferior, and the scoreline reflected the gulf in stature of the two clubs, this was nonetheless the result that Everton badly needed. Inman Ndiaye in particular staked a strong claim for inclusion in the starting XI against Bournemouth on Saturday while O’Brien played with Branthwaite-esque calm and Lindstrom’s assist for the second goal demonstrated what he can bring to the table on the right flank as an alternative to Harrison. Most importantly, breaking the duck for the season with three goals will, hopefully, inject the requisite confidence into the team's collective vein ahead of an important Premier league fixture at the weekend. Lyndon Lloyd top Matchday Updates Sean Dyche includes the three new summer signings yet to be handed their full Everton debuts in the team to face Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup while Seamus Coleman and James Garner return following injury. James Tarkowski is rested in an effort to get him fully fit for the weekend, while Paterson, Branthwaite and Chermiti are still out injured. The visitors kicked off but Everton had plenty of the early possession, Coleman swinging in the first cross that was repelled. Beto won a free-kick that was wasted and it needed a fine tackle by Iroegbunam to get the ball back. From a decent ball forward by Mykolenko, McNeil eventually played a fine cross to Beto that he could not convert, sliding in with the goal at his mercy. A slack backpass avoided a repeat of Pickford's weekend error. Garner tried to play in Beto but the ball didn't reach him. Garner played forward to Lindstrøm but his cross was blocked behind for a corner, taken short and then wasted when the ball back to Lindstrøm found him offside. McNeil needed to dribble past a defender, but couldn't and Doncaster built half-decent attack. At the other end, a McNeil shot was deflected behind for another Everton corner, delivered well by McNeil and fingertipped away by Lawlor under pressure. Everton looked to build but Ndiaye was inexplicably offside. From a Doncaster free-kick, Senior sent a fine shot goalward that Pickford launched himself to turn away. Beto got the ball out to Lindstrøm but his cross was poor, going behind. McNeil tried another shot from the edge of the Doncaster area, the ball hitting Beto. McNeil delivered a ross too far in front of Beto but close enough to Lawlor that he needed to push it behind for a corner, played to the far post but defended away. Doncaster got themselves in a right pickle at the back but Everton couldn't profit. Then Mykolenko and Pickford conspired to gift the visitors a corner through miscommunication when dealing with a high ball. Senior dragged down Beto at the expense of a yellow card and dangerous free-kick, Lindstrøm seeming to pick out Beto who completely missed it. Garner then crossed in well for Beto but the ball came off him and away from goal. Ndiaye got down the right and crossed in for Garner to place his shot toward the lower corner but it was blocked. A corner but Lindstrøm was dragged away from Lawlor into the net. When the corner came over, it was headed back nicely to Garner who volleyed onto the post! The play in the first half had been largely shapeless and scrappy from both sides with many a turnover, and inspiring only that classic cliche: you could not tell which side was from the Premier League. The second half just continued with poor play all over until Lindstrøm laid the ball nicely for Iroegbunam to strike goalward, with Dwight McNeil apparently getting the final touch. Everton had finally scored their first goal of the new season. Lindstrøm played forward to Beto but he just could not keep possession of the ball, just running into trouble, and not for the first time. Garner drove down the inside right channel and powered his shot across goal. Ndiaye attacking down the left channel saw his shot blocked for a corner that didn't really come off. Ndiaye skipped away from his marker and crossed perfectly onto the once of Beto but he could only glance it well wide when it looked easier to burst the net and it was time for some substitutions, Young getting booked almost immediately after he came on. Hurst just didn't hit his shot strong enough to beat Pickford. At the other end, Ndiaye drove forward and fired low to beat Lawlor in off the near post and score Everton's second. McNeil then drove down the middle and saw his shot tipped over. A Doncaster corner yielded a free header on target, blocked clear. Some nice interplay building around the Doncaster area ended with Harrison blasting over. Finally, a flowing passing move, McNeil to Mykolenko, ended with Beto poking in the third goal. Everton players could finally relax a little and start to express themselves, knocking the ball around with unaccustomed accuracy and aplomb. But O'Brien was called for a softish free-kick and it was headed over Pickford's bar. At the other end, McNeil wellied one well wide as 3 minutes were added at the end. Everton: Pickford, Coleman (67' Young [Y:69']), Keane, O'Brien, Mykolenko, Garner (66' Gueye), Iroegbunam [Y:58'] (85' Armstrong), Lindstrøm (66' Harrison), McNeil, Ndiaye (79' Dixon), Beto. Subs not Used: Virginia, Holgate, Doucouré, Calvert-Lewin. Doncaster Rovers: Lawlor, Nixon (56' Sterry), Olowu, McGrath, Senior [Y:37'] (75' Sharp), Bailey, Kelly (64' Broadbent), Molyneux, Westbrooke (63 Sbarra), Gibson (46' Hurst), Ironside. Subs not Used: Sharman-Lowe, Anderson, Yeboah, Close. Kick-off: 7:45 pm, Tuesday 27 August 2024Referee: Simon Ross Attendance: 37,245 This game is being streamed via Sky Sports+ in the UK (Channel 412 and the Red button, also on the Sky Sports App on smartphones and tablets) Michael Kenrick top Match Preview Sean Dyche has indicated that the three new summer signings yet to be handed their full Everton debuts will be in the team to face Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup tomorrow. Just like last year, the Blues will be looking to use a cup tie against League Two Rovers to spark their league campaign into life following back-to-back defeats to start the season and, coincidentally, it's the same opposition as a year ago, albeit this time at Goodison Park. That time, two of Everton's 2023 summer signings, Arnaut Danjuma and Beto, came off the bench and scored their first goals for the Club against the Yorkshire side at Eco-Power Stadium and Dyche will be hoping for a similar impact from the likes of Jesper Lindstrøm and Iliman Ndiaye. The attacking pair were introduced at Tottenham on Saturday in an attempt to salvage something from a 2-0 deficit but while Ndiaye showed some really nice touches on the ball and Lindstrøm had the team's only shot on target in the match, the Toffees ended up on the end of a 4-0 thrashing. Dyche is facing mounting criticism from fans for refusing to start his new signings, which include defender Jake O'Brien who has yet to see any minutes, with only Tim Iroegbunam selected in the line-up so far because of injury to James Garner. However, it looks as though all four will play in tomorrow evening's Second Round tie under the lights in L4. "[I]t is fair to say we are going to have to use players to get them fit and fit for task," the manager said. “The players have come in and had not as many minutes game-time wise. So, we are obviously going to be playing some of those players, but I’ll certainly be putting out a team that I believe can win. “I just want to see good performances. People laying down markers. If they haven't been playing, they got to lay down a marker and make sure you're playing on Saturday [against Bournemouth]. “It’s a message I say generally. Every day is a chance to show us what you can do, whether it’s in training or in a game. Obviously, games are more relevant because it's a more visually measurable part of what we do, but even in training players lay down marks. “They keep that high level consistency. We think they're pushing. We want players to do that every day, but of course when games come around, show us what you can do. That’s what you want, especially the new players because they have only had a limited time with us.” O'Brien can also expect to start, therefore, perhaps in place of James Tarkowski who has been managing a minor hamstring complaint while Beto will be hoping to also be in the starting XI as he presses his case for more minutes. Dyche will likely hand opportunities to some of Everton's up-and-coming Academy players, with Roman Dixon a good candidate to keep his place at right back where he can build on a hugely encouraging display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after being thrown into the deep end against a talented Spurs attack. Meanwhile, another very promising teenager, Harrison Armstrong, made a late cameo to get his first senior appearance and he, too, could feature against Doncaster, as could Jenson Metcalfe who has only been an un-used substitute so far. Rovers gave Everton an almighty scare a year ago and came very close to an upset and they will travel this time with little to prove against top-flight opposition. They have made a good start to their League Two campaign, winning two of their first three matches. Kick-off: 7:45pm, Tuesday 27 August, 2024Last Time: Everton 2 - 0 Doncaster Rovers (FA Cup, January 1985) Predicted Line-up: Virginia, Dixon, Keane, O'Brien, Mykolenko, Gueye, Iroegbunam, Lindstrøm, McNeil, Ndiaye, Beto This game is being streamed via Sky Sports+ in the UK (Channel 412 and the Red button, also on the Sky Sports App on smartphones and tablets) Lyndon Lloyd top * Unfortunately, we cannot control other sites' content policies and therefore cannot guarantee that links to external reports will remain active.