Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5.0m) was the standout performer for Everton on Saturday, as David Moyes’ side were defeated 1-0 by Roma at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
In this Scout Notes article, we’ll cover the key notes and quotes from this clash.
The friendly involving Fulham is also summarised.
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EVERTON 0-1 ROMA
DEWSBURY-HALL THREAT
Everton remain a work in progress but there were positives to take on Saturday, particularly from debutant Dewsbury-Hall.
Playing in a No 10 role, the £5.0m midfielder demonstrated his ability to drive forward with the ball and create, registering four key passes in just over an hour of football.
He was on set-pieces, too, another string to his bow.
“I thought Kiernan did well. I thought he gave us some quality and you could see the difference in his levels with some of the things he did, which were very good, so I’m really pleased with that part.” – David Moyes on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
With Carlos Alcaraz (£5.5m) and Iliman Ndiaye (£6.5m) deployed on the flanks, Everton were the better side for large periods and did create several opportunities.
Thierno Barry (£6.0m), however, squandered the most significant of those chances.
With neither Barry nor Beto (£5.5m) truly making a strong impression during pre-season, Moyes has a difficult choice of who to start up front against Leeds United in Gameweek 1.
As for Ndiaye, he missed a decent chance shortly after half-time and later forced a save from the Roma ‘keeper.
BRANTHWAITE RETURNS/MYKOLENKO INJURY
Jarrad Branthwaite (£5.5m) missed the Premier League Summer Series through injury but returned to the starting XI here, lining up alongside James Tarkowski (£5.5m) at the back.
The pair looked assured for the most part, with Tarkowski’s header from a Dewsbury-Hall corner shaving the woodwork.
Notably, both centre-backs would have hit the defensive contributions (DC) threshold in this match, with 11 and 14 respectively.
But Everton did lose Vitalii Mykolenko (£5.0m) to injury, as he walked off gingerly after only 10 minutes.
His replacement, Adam Aznou (£4.5m), showed some good touches but was caught out of position for the goal.
The extent of Mykolenko’s injury is yet to be determined.
“We’ll wait to see what the report says, we’ve not had chance yet.” – David Moyes on Vitalii Mykolenko
Everton XI: Pickford, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite (Keane 79), Mykolenko (Aznou 11), Garner, Gueye (Iroegbunam 62), Alcaraz (Chermiti 80), Dewsbury-Hall (McNeil 61), Ndiaye, Barry (Beto 61)
FULHAM 1-0 EINTRACHT FRANKFURT
- Goal: Jimenez
JIMENEZ GOAL/£4.5M KING STARTS
Raul Jimenez (£6.5m) scored a superb free-kick as Fulham triumphed 1-0 over Eintracht Frankfurt.
In the absence of Rodrigo Muniz (£5.5m), who apparently took part in a behind-closed-doors friendly between the two sides earlier in the day, the Mexican proved the difference maker, firing home from just under 30 yards.
Harry Wilson (£5.5m) was later denied when his low shot was smothered, while Josh King (£4.5m) performed well in the No 10 role and was slightly unfortunate not to win a penalty.
Influential in the middle of the park, King has now racked up 164 minutes of pre-season football as he aims to become a regular starter under Marco Silva.
ROBINSON + SESSEGNON INJURY LATEST
In his post-match presser, Silva confirmed Antonee Robinson (£5.0m) will not be ready to face Brighton and Hove Albion in Gameweek 1, simply saying “Jedi is not ready”.
In a further blow, Ryan Sessegnon (£5.5m) was taken off after just 22 minutes against Frankfurt.
“He felt something. Let’s see in the next few hours or few days how he reacts. We’ll do some exams on him.” – Marco Silva on Ryan Sessegnon
Losing both players would be a major blow to Fulham, with Jorge Cuenca (£4.5m) or Timothy Castagne (£4.5m) likely to fill in at the Amex Stadium. That could be good news for Brighton right winger Yankuba Minteh (£6.0m).
Fulham XI: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon (Amissah 22), Berge, Lukic, Wilson, King (Cairney 73), Iwobi, Jimenez
