Live Blog

Fulltime Thoughts - As expected Salford tired in the second half and Everton really got going then. 3-0 is probably as fair a scoreline the visitors can expect when the Blues also hit the woodwork an astounding five times. Can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like it before.

90+3’ - Gordon must be wondering what it will take for him to finally score his first senior team goal. And there’s the final whistle, a comfortable win in the end. 3-0 to the Toffees, off to Fleetwood Town next week.

90’ - Kean header off the post, Gordon rebound off the bar!! WHAT IN THE WORLD!! Five shots off the woodwork I make it.

86’ - Post!! Gordon jinks past Gibson and fires off a shot, this one comes back off the far post!!
Penalty! Gordon pulled down by Andrade in the box, and no question there, that’s a spotkick.
Kean to take.. Goal!! 3-0 to the Blues. Stutter step penalty is perfect sending Hladky the wrong way.

84’ - Gordon finds Siggy just outside the box, his snapshot goes through the defender’s legs and clips the outside of the near post. Perfectly hit, Hladky was rooted to the goal line.

81’ - Now Bernard pops up on the right and finds Kenny inside, and his first-time shot is just over the bar. Almost his first Everton goal there.
To his credit, Moise Kean is still full of running and wants that elusive goal so bad.

79’ - Lining up to score but denied by Hladky! Ball was pinging about in the box, and Kean was blocked but Walcott’s shot is parried away for a corner. It’s cleared away though.

74’ - Two changes for Salford, with former Evertonian Darren Gibson coming on.

71’ - Sigurdsson scores! There’s the goal that has been coming for a while now. Lovely run from Nkounkou who is developing some chemistry with Gordon on the left, and the young Scouser’s diagonal into the box is met perfectly by an onrushing Sigurdsson, in at the far post. The Icelander appears to have switched roles with Davies, and it’s worked.

69’ - Another lovely move comes to nothing as Everton switch play from right to left and Bernard finds Gordon rushing in, his shot is well-saved by Hladky.
Cross into the box for Henderson, and he beats Digne in the air, but heads feebly wide.

65’ - Nkounkou with a delightful cross across the face of the goal, Kean and Walcott are the furthest forward but the ball is inches away from both.
A second Lion in the book now, with Asante raking his studs down Kenny’s heel. Turnbull was the other yellow card.

61’ - Gordon is having an unfortunate day. He got wiped out by a sliding Threlkeld which the ref didn’t see, and then bundled over in the box and again the ref has no issue with.
Sigurdsson rushes forward and bowls over a charging marker. Put that down in the list of statements I never thought I would make in my lifetime, along with “here’s James Rodriguez in royal blue spraying a ball across the pitch to Richarlison” and “Carlo Ancelotti applauds his winning Everton team off the pitch”.

59’ - Now Asante fires off a shot from the right that is partly blocked by Kenny sliding in well. Corner is cleared by Keane.

56’ - Gordon with a delightful run down the left, finds Bernard inside the box and somehow the Brazilian flays the ball wide when there was more goal in front of him to hit. If you’ve ever wondered why his goal numbers are so low, now you know.
Lovely cross into the box for Salford, Hunter heads it down for Towell around the penalty spot, completely unmarked and he hoofs it well over and then hangs his head in shame. That was a chance for the Ammies.

53’ - Walcott and Kenny combine to win a corner. Cleared away, eventually comes to Nkounkou who has a pop at goal from the outside of the box, well over.

50’ - Oh Kean! Cracks the crossbar with a snap header from a delightful cross by Sigurdsson. Just won’t go in for the lad will it?

46’ - Underway again.

Halftime Thoughts - The Blues have pretty much gone to sleep after scoring. This looks a lot like last season’s midfield, oh wait, it is last season’s midfield.

45’ - There’ll be two minutes added on.
There’s the halftime whistle, nothing new to report.

42’ - Walcott and Gordon appear to have switched wings.
Bernard fires off a shot from distance and it’s a stunning save from Hladky, that was swerving and dipping in, and he palms it away for a corner. Swung in and cleared away.

39’ - It had gone a bit quite there for the last few minutes, then Gordon cut in from the left and swung in a curler to the far post, deflected for a corner.
Keane gets his head to this as well but is being held as he hits it, goes wide.

32’ - Walcott with a shot from the right, but it’s high and wide.
If you had a mention of “Everton have never won the League Cup” from the commentator on your Bingo card, there it is.. drink!

28’ - After being involved in everything early, Bernard has faded away as the Blues are mostly moving up through the right through Davies and Walcott.

23’ - Branthwaite is on the ground holding his left calf. Looks like he’s twisted an ankle. His evening is done unfortunately, and Lucas Digne is coming on. No break for the left back. after playing an excellent ninety on Sunday.

20’ - Nkounkou again jinking about and fires in a low cross that the goalie fumbles, but recovers.

16’ - Nkounkou looking quite the player I’ll say. Does a bit of a juggling act and gets into the box, fires in a shot from a narrow angle and tests Hladky here.
Kean has a shot but it flies wide. Now Davies with some nifty footwork and has a chance but is shepherded away from the ball.

14’ - Lovely long ball from Keane, finds Walcott cutting in, he sets up Davies for a shot and it’s just wide of the far post.

10’ - Salford get a shot on goal, but it’s straight at Virginia. They are getting some joy on the left.

9’ - Everton win a corner on the left, Sigurdsson inswinger and Keane scores!! Lost his man easily and put in a towering header past the goalie.

7’ - Looks like a 4-3-3, with Bernard and Tom Davies as the #8s, and Gordon and Walcott on either side of Kean.
Joao Virginia has his first meaningful touch catching a cross. I held my breath for a second there, I won’t lie.

4’ - Tom Davies still can’t find a blue shirt in the opposing team’s box, no matter what level the opposition.
A Bernard cross is met well by Theo Walcott running in behind, but he heads wide.

1’ - All Everton early on, stroking the ball about comfortably. Anthony Gordon has had a shot charged down, and Salford have a shot ballooned way over.

Lineups - Ancelotti makes ten changes! Only Michael Keane keeps his place.

Preview

The early rounds of the League Cup (or EFL Cup, or Carabao Cup, take your pick) always tend to be a potential banana-skin for bigger teams. Everton are of course entering the competition at this stage because they failed to qualify for Europe last season.

Today’s Second Round clash at Goodison Park against League Two side Salford City could be a problem for the Blues if they play down to their opposition. However, in all reality, anything but a big, comfortable win would be an incredible surprise; the bookies agree, with the Toffees 1/6 odds on to win, and offering 6/1 odds on a draw and 16/1 for an away win.

The bigger question to most Evertonians’ minds will be who lines up today for Everton. Carlo Ancelotti is likely to rest most of the lineup that played so well on Sunday in the 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur with just two days rest in their legs, and keeping in mind there will only be two days again before the Premier League home opener on Saturday against West Bromwich Albion.

For the manager though, this is also an opportunity to get some minutes under the belt of some fringe players after not having much of a preseason, as well as an opportunity for Marcel Brands to show off potential suitors eyeing the players in Everton’s shop window - Theo Walcott, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Fabian Delph, Bernard, Cenk Tosun, Muhamed Besic, Sandro Ramirez, and possibly Moise Kean & Alex Iwobi.

The Lions have been around since 1940, but shot to prominence in 2014 when a group of former Manchester United players formed a consortium to purchase the franchise. Since that time backed by financier Peter Lim they have shot up from what is the equivalent of the eighth tier of English football to League Two, which is three levels below the Premier League. For more information on the players and what to expect, check out the Blogger Q&A and Match Preview below.

Match Details

Competition: Carabao Cup Second Round

Date and start time: Wednesday, September 16th at 12:15 p.m. PT / 3:15 p.m ET / 8:15 p.m. BST

Stadium: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 39,572

Weather: 60°F/16°C, mostly cloudy, 3% chance of precipitation, 11 mph winds

How to Watch/Listen

TV: N/A - United States; Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event - United Kingdom; DAZN - Canada, beIN Sports HD 2 & 11, SuperSport Premier League ROA

Radio: evertontv, TalkSport 2 Radio UK, BBC Radio 5 Live

Live stream: ESPN+, SKY GO Extra, ESPN Play Sur, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, DStv Now, RUSH, SuperSport Maximo

Gamethread: Live blog above starting one hour before game time

*Royal Blue Mersey has affiliate partnerships and may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links provided.

Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Lineups

Everton

Starting XI: Virginia; Kenny, Keane, Brathwaite, Nkounkou; Davies, Sigurdsson; Walcott, Gordon, Bernard; Kean

Subs: Pickford, Allan, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin, Digne, Doucoure, Coleman

Salford City

Starting XI: Hladky, Touray, Lowe, Eastham, Hunter, Turnbull, Towell, Threlkeld, Wilson, Thomas-Asante, Henderson

Subs: Evans, Armstrong, Gibson, Elliott, Andrade, Denny, Golden

Last Meeting

The Blues have actually never played Salford City before, so this is one of the archives.