Match report | Everton’s heroic comeback erases Under-18s’ four-goal lead

Everton responded well and created a good chance of their own. Playing through a congested midfield, Melvin Matos fed the ball to George Morgan, whose shot at goal resulted in a fine save from Hammers defender Dondre Abraham to preserve his side’s lead.

As the first half progressed, West Ham looked increasingly dangerous on the counter-attack. Captain Fearon engineered a quick break, feeding Sounmi into the penalty area on the verge of missing. The momentum continued to build and just a minute later the Hammers doubled their lead. Fearon’s high free-kick from the right was met by Halim who hit the far post.

Halim isn’t done yet. Just two minutes later he completed his brace with another goal from close range, thanks to excellent work from Gabriel Calista in midfield. Coming out of pressure, Kalist found Fearon in space, who released Sounmi into the penalty area. Sounmi’s initial attempt was blocked but Haleem was on hand to convert the rebound.

With their tails up, West Ham’s fluid passing and efficiency in possession kept Everton at bay. Kaliste nearly added a fourth with a powerful long-range strike that the Everton goalkeeper managed to save. Soon after, Hargan tried his luck with a volley from outside the area, but Lukyanchiks was again up to the task.

The Hammers’ relentless pressure soon bore fruit as they found a fourth man. Hargan released Fearon over the goal line and his shot towards goal was met by Golambekis, who scored his fifth goal of the campaign. West Ham seemed firmly in control.

However, Everton pulled the ball back before the break through a corner and Braden Graham found himself unmarked and headed home. There was a hint of a storm to come, but West Ham still went into the break with a comfortable lead.

With renewed determination, Everton started the second half as West Ham had started the first. By withstanding pressure, they allowed the opposition to control the ball and were extremely effective on the break. Eleven minutes after play restarted, Justin Clarke latched on to George Finney’s brilliant cross, beating his marker and curling the ball past Abraham.

Clarke’s strike still looked like a consolation but six minutes later Everton’s comeback was complete. Taking advantage of the congestion in the penalty area, Clark scored his second goal with a precise shot into the net. Despite the setback, Everton somehow found a foothold in the game and looked most likely to score again.

Looking to level the scores, Finney continued to fire probing balls into the box, with the best result coming in the 86th minute. He caught the ball smartly from the right flank and Graham, who had found space between West Ham’s central midfielders, delivered a perfectly timed header to send the ball into the top corner to complete a remarkable comeback.

With neither side content with just one point after all the work they had put in, the game became an end-to-end affair with both teams equally likely to secure a winner. Sounmi was not allowed to have a one-on-one with Lukyanchik after Chukwuemeka Obi gave him the slip. Moments later, Everton had a golden opportunity to take all three points but Abraham denied Graham before Kaliste heroically blocked Demi Akarakori’s shot from the rebound. At the other end, Kaliste was once again in the middle of the action but his close-range shot was blocked by Luca Davies.

After a thrilling battle, both teams are now tied for first place in the group, with Everton top in terms of goals scored. Loris Coggin’s young Hammers turn their attention back to Southern Premier League action when they host Southampton on Saturday. Their next Premier League Cup match will also be at home to Saints in four weeks. With only the group winners and top runners-up to advance, a win will be important to keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Everton U18: Lukyanczyks, Finney, Davis, van Schoor (Poland HT), Lambert, Gardner, Matos, Ren (Akarakiri HT), Graham, Clark (Olayiwola 78), Morgan (Stuart 85)
Unused substitute: Patrick (G)

Goals: Morgan 36, Clark 56, 66, Graham 86.

Booked: Matos, Graham, Lambert.

West Ham United U18: Abraham, Medin, Kamara, Golambekis, Scanlon, Hargan (Beckford 78), Fearon ©, Sounmi, Kaliste, Balogun, Haleem (Oyebade 68)
Subs not used: Ayesta (B), Omotoye

Goals: Sounmi 10, Halim 21, 23, Golambekis 26

Warned: Sounmi, Abraham, Medin, Fearon.