Paul Tait praised Everton youngsters Matty Apter and Callum Bates after they stepped up to feature for his under-21s in the win over Southampton.
After three straight defeats to Arsenal, West Ham United and Blackburn Rovers, the young Blues returned to winning ways with a 3-2 victory over Dave Horseman’s side in the Premier League Cup on Wednesday afternoon.
Ishe Samuels-Smith fired Tait’s team ahead before two quickfire goals from Luke Pearce and Leon Pambou turned the game on its head. However, Katia Kouyate restored parity before the break.
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Francis Okoronkwo, who spoke about stepping into the void left by Tom Cannon earlier in the week, then bagged the winner seven minutes into the second half. The victory leaves Everton second in Group F - and they will qualify for the knockout stages unless Birmingham City can beat Colchester United by a nine-goal margin when they play on Friday.
"We took the sting out of them and then we dominated the game. It was difficult for them to get the ball off us with our shape and the way we moved the ball,” Tait said afterwards.
“The two young lads in the centre of the midfield, Matty (Apter) and Callum (Bates), were excellent and I am looking forward to giving them more opportunities. They showed real tactical nous and they were quality in the passing.
"And the front two, Katia and Frankie, were a real handful. Both scored and could have had a couple more each and hopefully they are starting to develop a good partnership.
"Southampton can be difficult to handle and the way we chose to play against them worked because they really test you. Tactically we were spot on."
Reflecting on the performance, Tait told evertonfc.com: "It was an excellent win and I thought we played really well.
“Apart from maybe a 10-minute spell in the first-half when we switched off and allowed them to score two goals that could have been prevented, it was really good.
"It was a challenge mentally with the lads being in the dressing room for two-and-a-half hours before the warm-up, but they handled it really well. They were very professional."
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