0-1 Stoke City Everton: Amadou Onana scores in the 96th minute, while Dwight McNeil limps off the field, raising concerns over a vital player’s injury.
Sean Dyche’s squad faced a challenge in the form of Stoke City ahead of the new season.
Arnaut Danjuma, a loanee from the Netherlands, made his debut.
Dwight McNeil’s concerns are rising after he was observed limping off the field.
Everton won a close game against Stoke City in an away friendly ahead of the new Premier League season.
The hard-fought victory put Sean Dyche’s team to the test, with new acquisition Arnaut Danjuma making his debut for the Toffees after joining on loan earlier this month.
Dyche started Nathan Patterson, Michael Keane, James Tarkowski, and new Aston Villa signing Ashley Young in a 4-3-3 formation against the Championship club.
Jordan Pickford of England returned to the starting lineup and faced limited shots on goal against Stoke City.
Stoke City played well against Everton, but winger Dwight McNeil walked off the field midway through the second half, raising concerns.
Jordan Pickford has said he has no plans to leave Everton this summer, despite interest from other English clubs, after signing a new contract with the Toffees in February 2023.
Toffees midfielders Idrissa Gana Gueye, James Garner, and Abdoulaye Doucoure started, with Alex Iwobi, Dwight McNeil, and Dutch attacker Danjuma up front.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was missing from the squad as the 26-year-old looks to join Roma, who are looking for a replacement for Tammy Abraham, who is out with an ACL injury.
Stoke made a good start to the game, but Everton created the first great chance of the game. Ashley Young, a former Aston Villa full-back, delivered a free-kick in towards Keane and Doucoure, but the shot was blocked.
Young put on a great performance, making many vital interceptions. The Blues displayed some concerning signals while the opponent was pressing hard, but they improved as the game went.
Amadou Onana’s substitution had an immediate impact for the Toffees, with an immediate attempt on goal that went just wide of the post.
Stoke piled on the pressure, forcing England’s No. 1 to make a penalty-area save, though the Championship side continued to press high against Everton’s defense.
Dwight McNeil, a winger, was taken down on the edge of the box and was subsequently substituted off and seen hobbling down the tunnel.
McNeil was the Blues’ leading scorer previous season, and he provided a significant lift to a fragile Everton side fighting to avoid relegation in the 2022-23 league season.
The game was scoreless after six minutes of added time until a 96th-minute corner allowed Amadou Onana to drive the ball into the net from Tarkowski’s header, clinching a victory for Sean Dyche’s side.
Everton will play Sporting CP at Goodison Park on Saturday, August 5th, before the start of the 2023-24 Premier League season.
