An Everton side featuring eight first-team players were beaten by National League North outfit Chester in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Tuesday afternoon.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin were amongst those to feature as the forward made his long-awaited return to action. He played 70 minutes against the non-league side as he stepped up his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Yerry Mina, Conor Coady, Nathan Patterson, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Tom Davies, Ellis Simms and Mason Holgate were also involved for the Toffees, according to Liverpool Echo. Despite the wealth of the Premier League and even European experience in the Everton line-up, they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Chester at Finch Farm.
Although he didn't find the net, Everton fans will be buoyed by Calvert-Lewin's return given their struggles in front of goal so far this season. The Toffees have scored the joint-fewest in the Premier League (24) alongside fellow relegation rivals Southampton and Nottingham Forest.
When asked about Calvert-Lewin's fitness following the 3-1 defeat against Fulham on Saturday, boss Sean Dyche said: "Dom's going well which is a positive.
"He'll be back hopefully in the thinking this week as long as the week goes well. He's had a very good week this week and we want him to have another very good week next week and then we'll see how he's feeling."
Calvert-Lewin scored 21 goals during the 2020/21 campaign and was called up by Gareth Southgate to England's Euro 2020 squad. He played a major role off the bench as the Three Lions reached the final, with several Premier League clubs interested in the striker that same summer.
The 26-year-old simply hasn't been able to stay fit in the past two seasons, making just 26 top-flight appearances as Everton struggle for goals at the top end of the pitch. Dyche will be hoping valuable minutes for Calvert-Lewin could put him in contention for the trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Simms, who has featured sporadically under Dyche since his loan spell at Sunderland was cut short, also played some part against sixth-tier Chester. The ex-Blackpool frontman scored his first top-flight goal last month when he struck a late equaliser against Chelsea to rescue a valuable point.
Mina, Davies, Doucoure, Coady, Patterson and Holgate completed the line-up of experienced stars who featured as the Toffees fell to a narrow loss against Chester. The Seals had a free mid-week and currently sit third in the National League North, with a play-off place already confirmed heading into their final two fixtures.
As for Everton, Dyche's men travel to Palace in the Premier League on Saturday. They sit 17th, level on points with Forest inside the relegation zone. After the game at Selhurst Park, the Toffees host Champions League-chasing Newcastle, before facing Leicester in what could be a defining week in their season.
