Stoke 0 Everton 1 – 29/07/23 3pm
A last-second winner ended an inconclusive friendly that only came to life when Stoke fielded their exciting new strikers late on. Here’s how this travesty unfolded in real time:
City’s only home friendly is against almost-relegated Premier team Everton. 4 changes from massacring Burton by, er, 1-0. Chiquinho starts on the wing and DJ Johnson in midfield, but newbie strikers Vidigal, Wesley and Mmaee are on the bench. Starting are the old-crew Brown and Campbell.
7.10 Wilmot saves the day twice in a minute, blocking shots and crosses. He’s showing quality. Can the rest of the team match it? Hm.
40.00 Chiquinho tries to lob England No.1 keeper Jordan Pickford from the half way line. It sails way over, but is typical of an unfulfilled game.
HT 0-0. Uneventful. Yawn.
45.00 Everton make the number of substitutions that a side with 2 weeks left before season-start can do. Stoke persist with the starting lineup.
48.50 Chiquinho bursts down the right and takes a shot from a narrow angle. Crowd taken by surprise by such initiative.
Attendance 10,841
53.37 Chiquinho sets up Jacob Brown, but despite fluffing his first effort badly he eventually brings out a save from Pickford.
62.00 On come Josh Tymon, trialist Josh Onomah, Andre Vidigal, Wesley and Ryan Mmaee!! (For Stevens, Brown, Tyrese, Chiquinho and Thompson)
75.10 Mark Travers actually makes a save. Looks solid. Meanwhile, Sol Sidibe replaces Daniel Johnson.
78.00 Suddenly Stoke get competitive in the final 3rd with Vidigal, Mmaee, Onomah, Sidibe and Wesley scaring the hell out of the Everton defence with the help of Tymon.
83.36 Everton’s first real chance is by Lewis Dobbin, who fails to convert a cross from the right. Wesley goes down in a heap. He is a BIG guy.
86.00 Dobbin goes for a 1 to 1 with Travers, but it all ends tamely.
90+5 0-1!!!! Onana pokes home a winner for Everton from a scrappy corner!! Travesty!
FT 0-1! How did that happen?!
