Everton played out a 3-3 draw with Blackburn Rovers in a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Friday. The match was a six-goal thriller, with Everton leading 2-0 at half-time before a second-half comeback and a late equaliser from 16-year-old Jonathan Nsangou.
Charly Alcaraz opened the scoring inside eight minutes with a penalty, and he then assisted Thierno Barry for a close-range finish just before the break. Blackburn responded with two quick goals after the restart, and they took the lead with a penalty of their own three minutes from time. Nsangou, born in Poland to a Polish mother and Cameroonian father, then levelled the scores late on.
Manager David Moyes was without 11 players due to international duty, handing minutes to youngsters like Joshua van Schoor, John Dodds, and Ezra Carrington. The friendly served as a useful workout ahead of Everton's return to Premier League action. The Blues sit seventh in the table with nine points from five games, and their next fixture is away at Hull City on 11 October.
Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray said his side "got a valuable workout under their belts before the Championship returns next weekend." Everton's last competitive result was a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town, maintaining an unbeaten start to the league season.
This story first appeared at Lancashire Telegraph
