FA Cup defeat for Peterborough United, but they left Goodison Park with heads held high

A goal late in each half, the second from the penalty spot, eased the Premier League side to a 2-0 win at Goodison Park, but, for a Posh team struggling in League One, to stay in the game for so long was a creditable effort.

Posh saw plenty of the ball at times, but created very little in a game that was often played at a funereal pace with neither goalkeeper finding it easy to stay warm on a chill night on Merseyside.

Posh manager Darren Ferguson made three changes to the side that battled hard in defeat at Wrexham with James Dornelly replacing cup-tied newcomer Carl Johnston, teenage centre-back George Nevett coming in for Oscar Wallin and Donay O’Brien-Brady in for Bradley Ihionvien as midfield numbers took precedence over attacking intent. Wallin joined fellow Swede Gustav Lindgren on the substitutes’ bench and they were both joined by Tyler Young, a player likely to attract plenty of attention with his father Ashley in the Everton squad, albeit also on the bench.

Everton’s pre-match news was dominated by the sudden departure of manager Sean Dyche three hours before kick-off. Club full-backs past and present Liam Baines and Seamus Coleman picked a side with one eye on important Premier League matches to come. Only five of those who started the last top-flight match were risked against Posh. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was given the night off as the hosts named eight subs rather than the nine allowed.

The roar that greeted the caretaker-managers suggested the departure of Dyche wasn’t unpopular, but he left a side in poor form and they didn’t exactly sparkle in the first-half. Indeed Posh enjoyed more possession in the opening 15 minutes as they found clever angles, but always in their own half. Manny Fernandez was particularly good on the ball, while also defending his box well, and George Nevett was impressively cool.

Posh goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic wasn’t called into action until the 20th minute when a big paw kept out a 20-yard shot from Idrissa Gana Gueye. Three minutes later a kneed clearance from Nevett reached Orel Mangala who thundered a shot against the crossbar.

Everton did take control of the ball without creating much, while the best Posh moment arrived on the break on 38 minutes when Chris Conn-Clarke and Cian Hayes did well to find Ricky-Jade Jones in the penalty area, but his shot was blocked for a corner. Somehow, given the difference in size, Conn-Clarke’s corner reached Hayes at the far post. His shot beat goalkeeper Joao Virginia, but not Jarrod Braithwaite close to the goalline.

It was a brief respite. Beto sent a header from a fine cross straight at Bilokapic on 40 minutes, but the Portuguese centre-forward made amends two minutes later when drifting behind the Posh defence and scoring after going round Bilokapic to give his side a narrow half time lead.

Ferguson responded by sending on two Swedish substitutes. Oscar Wallin replaced Nevett and Lindgren was handed his Posh debut in place of Jones. It was a tough baptism for Lindgren who was starved of meaningful service until firing a shot into the side-netting from an acute angle towards the end of the game.

The second-half also failed to catch fire. Everton always had matters under control as Posh threatened only when Hayes picked out Dornelly at the far post, but the teenager failed to get the ball under control and the chance was gone.

Everton also did very little, dragging 11 men back at corners and picking up a caution for delaying a re-start. Marauding right wing-back Nathan Patterson was their biggest threat and his run and pull-back deserved a better finish than Gueye managed in the 52nd minute. The long legs of Fernandez came to the rescue of Bilokapic after a mad dash from his area as the game meandered to an inevitable conclusion with a second goal arriving after Jadel Kantongo was penalised for hauling an opponent down enabling Iliman Ndiaye to score from the penalty spot in the eighth of 10 added minutes.

It was a disappoint end, but Posh left the field with heads held high.

Posh: Nicholas Bilokapic, Cian Hayes, George Nevett (sub Oscar Wallin, 46 mins), Emmanuel Fernandez, Jadel Katongo, James Dornelly (sub Abraham Odoh, 77 mins), Hector Kyprianou (sub Ryan De Havilland, 63 mins), Archie Collins, Donay O’Brien-Brady (sub Malik Mothersille, 88 mins), Chris Conn-Clarke, Ricky-Jade Jones (sub Gustav Lindgren, 46 mins).

Subs not used: Will Blackmore, Jack Sparkes, Tyler Young, Bradley Ihionvien.

Everton: Joao Virginia, Nathan Patterson (sub Ashley Young, 73 mins), Jake O’Brien, Michael Keane, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitali Mykolenko, Idrissa Gueye, Orel Mangala (sub Jesper Lindstrom, 89 mins), Iliman Ndiaye, Harrison Armstrong (sub Jack Harrison, 68 mins), Beto (sub Armando Broja, 68 mins, sub Abdoulaye Doucoure, 89 mins).

Unused Subs: Asmir Begovic, Luke Butterfield, Zan Luk Leban,

GOALS: Everton – Beto (42 mins), Ndiaye (90 + 8 mins, pen).

REFEREE: Thomas Bramall 6.

ATTENDANCE: 38,955 (2,976 Posh).