Leighton Baines says his Everton Under-18s players are 'hurting' after their FA Youth Cup defeat to Watford.
Baines’ side booked their place in the fourth round with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Reading at Goodison Park last month, however they were eliminated by the Hornets after suffering a 3-1 defeat at Vicarage Road on Monday night.
Jack Grieves opened the scoring for the hosts when he volleyed Aaron Benn’s cross into the top right-hand corner of the net after just 13 minutes. Blues goalkeeper Sebastian Jensen didn’t stand a chance.
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However, the goal sparked Everton into life and after plenty of first-half pressure, they eventually drew level just after the hour mark. A corner from the right was headed into the path of Martin Sherif by Francis Okoronkwo, with the forward spinning on the spot and firing an effort past Gabriel Ortelli.
But just minutes after restoring parity, the Blues fell behind when George Abbott rose highest inside the box to head the ball past Jensen. Watford then added a third when Adrian Blake’s deflected effort found the bottom corner of the net with 20 minutes of normal time remaining.
"When we equalised we were the team doing the pressing, creating the chances and the game was there for us so it was disappointing to concede a second goal so early," Baines told evertontv post-match.
"Then we got done with a sucker punch for the third goal and gave ourselves too much to do. The players are hurting and they should be because this is a competition that we wanted to do well in, but it’s a learning curve for them and hopefully, they’ll learn from tonight."
Also speaking post-match, Watford boss Charlie Daniels said: “I’m really pleased for the lads, they worked really hard for each other and got their just rewards.
“It was a hard, tough game and we didn’t have much possession, certainly not as much as we would’ve liked or what we would’ve wanted.
“The lads really stuck to the task ahead of them, and we caught them a few times on the counter-attack and scored a lovely goal. We made a few adjustments at half-time, which they responded to.
“We were in control a lot more in the second half compared to the first half. It’s all down to the players. We gave them the information, they took it on board and they executed it. To concede a goal from a set-piece and to have the courage to come back and score a second and then a third goal I thought was the highlight for me.
“Some young players could go the opposite way. I’m really pleased because I told them to be courageous, not only in possession, but out of possession.
“They played the game and the occasion, because it’s a big thing for the club and it’s a big thing for those players. I’m really happy with the way they responded and going forward I’m sure they’ll take that confidence into the next game.”
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