Everton Under-21s' quest to record an unbeaten pre-season came to a halt at the final hurdle as the Young Blues slipped to a 3-1 defeat at Tranmere Rovers on Wednesday.
Having recorded wins at Burscough, Wrexham, Bohemians, Glenavon, Rhyl and Southport, David Unsworth's side were looking to chalk up an eighth straight victory to take with them into their 10 August league opener away at Tottenham Hotspur.
And things began well when 17-year-old Tom Davies charged forward to slot into an empty net on 13 minutes after Michael Donohue had seen his shot parried by goalkeeper Scott Davies.
Unsworth was able to call on three players who had been handed first-team run-outs away at Dundee just 24 hours earlier, with Matthew Pennington, Ryan Ledson and Antonee Robinson all in from the start.
However, the hosts were back level on 25 minutes when Jonny Margetts found himself unmarked inside the box and kept his cool to slot low into Mateusz Hewelt's bottom left corner.
Ledson might have troubled Rovers stopper Davies with an ambitious half volley soon after but saw his blistering effort deflected away from danger, before Unsworth was forced to send on Calum Dyson for the limping David Henen with nine minutes of the half still remaining.
The Blues coach would have been hoping to see his charges come in at least level at the break but those hopes were dashed on 41 minutes when Cole Stockton darted across the box and powerfully met a corner to head in at the near post.
Rovers defender Michael Ihiekwe blew a golden chance to extend his side's lead before the half was out and the interval saw another two changes for Everton, as Jack Bainbridge and James Yates replaced Pennington and Gethin Jones.
But it was Donohue who almost got the second period off to a flier, the winger unfortunate to see his thumping attempt from the edge of the box flash wide after brilliantly dancing past two opposition defenders.
Instead, on 49 minutes, Tranmere went up the other end and, after good work from Stockton, Margetts swept in his second of the night from close range.
After Liam Walsh and Harry Charsley replaced Ledson and Joe Williams, Margetts might have completed his hat-trick but for a fine low stop from Hewelt, the Toffees keeper getting down quickly to deny the Rovers new boy after he'd got through one-on-one.
For Everton, substitute Walsh came closest to halving the deficit on 81 minutes when he forced Davies to go full-stretch to tip over his dangerous free-kick, and the same player teed up Conor Grant late on for a shot that trickled agonisingly wide.
Despite the defeat, the Young Blues can reflect on an encouraging summer. They play a behind-closed-doors game at Finch Farm next week before the real action gets underway in earnest.
Everton Under-21s: Hewelt, Jones (Yates 46), Robinson, Pennington (Bainbridge 46), Ledson (Walsh 63), Connolly, Grant, Williams (Charsley 63), Henen (Dyson 36), Davies, Donohue. Subs Not Used: Stanek, Graham, Evans.
Tranmere Rovers: Davies, Ihiekwe, Hill, Jennings, Sutton, Hogan (Riley 64), Maynard, Harris, Stockton, Margetts, Trialist (Norwood 64). Subs Not Used: Ramsbottom, Trialist, Duggan, Jago, Gumbs, Ridehalgh.
