It didn’t look like it was going to be Tom Cannon’s night.
Bandaged up, the forward cut a frustrated figure as his side chased the game in the closing stages at Goodison Park.
But sometimes some things are just meant to be. Cannon has enjoyed one hell of a November that will live long in his memory.
READ MORE: Tom Cannon fires new Everton first-team reminder as managers and scouts watch on
And as milestones go, this was another to add to the list. In the third minute of added time, he kept his composure when it mattered most.
Collecting Sebastain Quirk’s through ball, the forward composed himself before firing past Scott Flinders and into the Gwladys Street net. The goal sparked wild scenes inside Goodison.
And it was no more than the former Maricourt pupil deserved. He’d battled hard all night and looked the most likely player to score for Paul Tait’s side.
Cannon impressed in his first season as a fully-fledged Everton under-23 player last year, scoring eight goals in 23 appearances to finish as the team's leading marksman.
But he looks well on his way to surpassing that total now. The only way he won't is if he remains part of Lampard’s first-team plans or heads out on loan in January.
The last time Cannon featured for Tait’s side he did so just 24 hours after making his first-team debut against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup. He replaced Neal Maupy with nine minutes remaining in the 4-1 defeat.
Then, just days later, after a brace against Paris Saint-Germain at Walton Hall Park, Cannon made his Premier League debut. Again, he replaced Maupay at the Vitality Stadium.
He was then selected for the club trip to Australia, played against Scottish giants Celtic, and then came on against Western Sydney Wanderers and did precisely what he does best - score goals.
He bagged Everton’s fourth during their 5-1 victory at the Accor Stadium. In an Everton side that has struggled so far this season, Cannon thinks he can help.
After the game at the Accor Stadium, still delighted with his goal, he told the ECHO: 'I'm ready for this level'.
"It is important to reward them and it was nice to see them on the pitch, even if the circumstances were difficult," Lampard said when asked about Cannon and Stanley Mills after Bournemouth.
"The ideal is you do that when we're winning or you're comfortable but the reality is that we're not in that position at the minute as a club - to be able to play young players in that way.
"So they have to go and keep doing what they're doing in the under-21s and whenever they get a sniff of a chance, or in training, show us what they can do."
And not for the first time this season, that is exactly what Cannon did here. He sent the perfect message to Lampard.
January transfer hint dropped
It perhaps wasn’t the bumper Goodison Park gate Paul Tait was hoping for on Wednesday night.
Speaking in the build-up to this last 16 Papa John's Trophy clash, the Everton under-21 boss appealed to Evertonians starved of live football to get down and roar his side to victory.
“The players absolutely love to go and play on Goodison’s pitch and everything that it brings,” he said.
“I am hoping a few Evertonians who need that live football fix can come down and watch Everton again. It would be brilliant to get a few through the gate to cheer the lads on.”
And while a couple of hundred responded to the plea, it was those who were sitting facing the Everton supporters in attendance that hinted what might be next for many of Tait's side who started here.
During the summer, the young Blues allowed Lewis Warrington, Lewis Gibson, Nathan Broadhead, Lewis Dobbin, Ellis Simms, Ryan Astley and Harry Tyrer to all depart on loan in order to gain more first-team experience.
Speaking to the ECHO back in October, Tait revealed the plan for many of his squad was for them to head out on loan in the upcoming January transfer window in order to gain experience in a first-team environment.
“When these boys go out on loan in January, which will be quite a few of them, the opportunities then arise for the under-18s,” he said.
And if the Everton directors box for this game was anything to go by then the Blues are set to be inundated with loan offers over the coming weeks. Preston North End boss Ryan Lowe was again the most high-profile figure in attendance, just like he was when Tait’s side beat PSG at Walton Hall Park last month.
But there were plenty of other Football League representatives watching on from the Main Stand. Fleetwood Town boss Scott Brown and Dave Challinor of Stockport County were also in attendance, with scouts from Wigan Athletic, Salford City and numerous other EFL clubs also present.
Mills, Isaac Price, Cannon, Reece Welch, Joe Anderson and Seb Quirk were all back for Tait's side, and one imagines James Vaughan, Everton’s loans pathway manager, will be a busy man over the next couple of weeks
Godfrey boost for Lampard
In addition to an incredible result for the youngsters, Lampard also received a welcome boost with Ben Godfrey completing his first 90 minutes of the season.
Godfrey’s return from a broken leg remains on schedule for the resumption of the Premier League campaign later this month. The defender was stretchered off the Goodison Park pitch after suffering the fracture in the early stages of his side’s season opener against Chelsea.
He sustained the injury while challenging Kai Havertz in front of the Gwladys Street end and has been working his way back to full fitness since. He took a major step in his comeback here.
Godfrey had already featured twice for Tait’s side in recent weeks, but on both occasions had come off at different points in the game. However, here he completed the full match and operated on the right of a back three.
And midway through the second half, with the young Blues chasing the game, Godfrey produced a great tackle on the recovery as Mansfield looked to break away. It was the perfect reminder of what he can offer Lampard’s side.
Everton’s first team are next in action on Boxing Day at home to Wolves, and Lampard will have no option but to break up his trusted centre-back pairing of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady for the game. That is due to the fact the latter is on loan from the Molineux club and isn’t allowed to play due to Premier League rules.
Whether the game at Goodison will come too early for Godfrey remains to be seen, but Lampard will be delighted that his defender has managed to take another major step in his return to full fitness.
READ MORE:
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Duncan Ferguson's x-rated response to David Moyes that left Everton dressing room laughing
- Mohammed Kudus and four other forwards Everton could target in January transfer window
