Report: Everton crash out of the Checkatrade Trophy on penalties to BlackpoolBlues first experience in new-look competition ends at the first hurdleEverton went out of the EFL Trophy after losing to Blackpool on a penalty shoot-out at Goodison.
The sides drew 1-1 after normal time but the young Blues lost 5-4 on penalties in a winner-takes-all clash.
Defender Josef Yarney sent Everton's fifth spot-kick over the bar at the Park End which left Blackpool striker Armand Gnanduillet to win it and hand the League Two side the crucial extra point they needed to go through.
Everton required a win in normal time or needed to claim the spoils in a penalty shoot-out to secure enough points to take them through to the knockout stages of the competition as one of the top two in Group A.
David Unsworth's side trailed 1-0 until 11 minutes to go when Harry Charsley levelled the game with a classy finish.
But Everton would suffer penalty heartbreak when Yarney failed to add to successful spot-kicks from Darron Gibson, Charsley, Gethin Jones and David Henen, allowing Blackpool the chance to seal their passage to the last 32.
Defeat left the Blues' second string with just three points from their three EFL Trophy games with Blackpool going through alongside Cheltenham.
Unsworth will reflect on their time in the competition with mixed emotions because though Everton's emerging talents have picked up valuable experience against Football League sides, the scheduling of games left him without a raft of key players and forced him to field younger teams than he would have wished.
The Blues, who played with a back three, were looking to produce a much improved performance following Friday night's disappointing display in the 4-1 defeat to Norwich City in the Premier League Cup.
And in the early stages here they were bright enough but it was Blackpool who carved out the first clear cut chance of the game when Armand Gnanduillet forced Mateusz Hewelt into a smart save at his near post.
The Blues had to wait until past the half hour mark to create their first real opening of the game when Darron Gibson, captaining the side, found Harry Charsley in space on the edge of the area.
Charsley turned and floated an effort on goal which looped over the dive of goalkeeper Myles Boney but came back off the bar.
If Everton considered themselves unfortunate then three minutes later they were counting their lucky stars as Blackpool forward produced a glaring miss.
Tangerines winger Bright Osayi-Samuel raced to the by-line, drove in a low cross into the six yard area but striker Mark Cullen sent his effort wide when the goal was gaping.
Unsworth took Tyias Browning, playing only the second time since undergoing knee surgery last December, and immediately the new-look Blues defence failed their first test.
A poor clearing header from a cross only went as far as Gnanduillet and he produced a fine overhead kick from just inside the area that squeezed past the dive of Hewelt.
Knowing they had to either win in normal time, or claim an extra point through a penalty shoot-out if the game finished level, Everton now faced up to going out of the EFL Trophy.
Their task almost became even harder 10 minutes after going but Cullen prevented Gnanduillet's goal-bound header from crossing the line when he struck out a leg in the hope of getting a touch.
On the hour mark, Unsworth rolled the dice. Having already used one substitute, the Everton coach made a double change as he brought on Antony Evans and Courtney Duffus in the hope of sparking their attack into life.
But Blackpool remained dangerous on the counter-attack, MarkYeates forcing Hewelt into a save, while the Blues struggled to penetrate their well organised defence.
As the rain came down heavier Everton's hopes of rescuing their EFL Trophy hopes looked like being washed away and they required some last-ditch defending from Jack Bainbridge to deny Cullen, after he pounced on a mistake by Josef Yarney.
But with just over 10 minutes remaining, they equalised.
Gethin Jones whipped in a vicious cross from the right, Charsley took the sting out of it superbly, took his time and slotted past Boney.
Everton were level but relied upon Hewelt to keep it that way as he brilliantly palmed out Michael Cain's long range strike with seven minutes remaining.
It would be a vital save but in time added on the Blues rode their luck once again as Gnanduillet swung and missed the ball after Hewelt palmed a shot out to him in the six yard box.
But Everton's luck ran out when Yarney sent his spot-kick over the bar and Gnanduillet made up for his miss by scoring the winning penalty.
Liv Echo
