Three footballers ended up getting sent off as a brawl plays out at the end of the Everton v Man Utd U23s match on Friday night at Southport.
The Red Devils’ youngsters made the trip to Everton in what tends to typically be a fiery encounter and that is exactly what we got this time around.
United started the match quickly, breaking the deadline in just the second minute of the game, which was attended by over 400 spectators.
Charlie Wellens produced an attack, stretching the play out to the right with the ball going to Dillon Hoogewerf, who then played Shola Shoretire into the box.
Shoretire looked composed when cutting back, which left the Everton defender on the ground and allowed him the time to pick out the onrushing two apps Premier League player Anthony Elanga who finished nicely to make it 1-0.
The match slowed down following the early goal, with Everton having to sit deep allowing United to control the match.
Similar to the first team, United’s U23s struggled to break down Everton’s defence despite controlling much of the match.
Nearing the break, Mengi charged through the middle of the pitch and was hit with a blow to the head which forced him off at half time.
After the break, Everton made themselves more attacking, though it was United who first came close with a free-kick from Elanga which forced an full-stretch save from Everton shot stopper Jack Barrett.
Everton looked to test United when it came to aerial balls into the box, but Matej Kovar lived up to the task as he controlled the area and held onto every ball that came his way.
With Everton gaining momentum, the introduction of Joe Hugill offered United a threat on the counter-attack.
First he got down the left from a good ball through from Alvaro Fernandez, Hugill squared the ball, looked for Noam Emeran but it was cut out with a last ditch clearance.
Hugill followed up with a chance for himself but again was denied from a tight angle.
Chaos then broke out as the match neared its final minutes when a melee followed once Elanga pushed Charlie Whitaker who retaliated by throwing the ball at Elanga.
A full team flare up then ensued with shirt grabbing and pushing from both sides. As the dust settled the referee showed three red cards in one go to Everton’s Whitaker and United’s Elanga and Bjorn Hardley for his involvement in the encounter after he looked to have hit Whitaker in the face.
Shortly after, the final whistle was blown and United walked away with the full three points, although celebrations were tempered following the sending offs. See how it all kicked off in the video below…
Twitter users reacted with three sent off as the brawl plays out at the Everton v Man Utd U23s match…
@rossi72: 3:3 learn the hard way. Elanga starting the commotion pushing the lad twice and Hardley came in raising his arms. Hopefully this will teach them a bit of discipline. Although I would say the ref didn’t have the best game. Letting earlier tackles and fouls go it was sure to happen
@jfield03: Definitely not red cards. Rubbish ref.
@nebula1979: You must be joking. These are lads just starting out and need to learning discipline. Whitaker had to go for the reaction but the United lad was an idiot. One shove was bad enough, but the second was just trying to provoke a fight. The other lad struck Whitaker in the face.
@DamianPhipps: I love the refs at this level. A bit of handbags: 3 red cards! A serious of potentially career threatening challenges: play on, he hardly touched you!
@DavidJPritt: Always the way with Everton academy they’re horrible
@leomMUFC: What’s wrong with elanga, shitty attitude take you nowhere
@ChrisEddy_7: Pathetic from the ref
@atanu_74: Might have been the right decision to award the red cards. Everton cause the brawl and our players fell for it. Calmer heads next time. Refreeing in the PL-2 is abysmal sometimes but this decision was correct imo. What exactly did Hardley do
@jb_8521: Grabbed 1 of the Everton players by the shirt & raised his hand a bit when other players started pushing him, probably was a yellow
@efcjacobz: Boss that from Whitaker, watched it live, Elanga was being a twat he deserves it
@J_Griffiths14: Number 9 there starting it then fucking off when it gets ugly, shithouseeee
@RichardWye: 🎵 get into them, fuck them up 🎵
@georgel34620116: Wish the first team had a fucken go like this instead of high fiving or defending there players when they go threw one of ours
@baines_leftboot: When a fight starts on the other side of the school field
@marko_labee: Avvvvvv ittttt 🔵🔵🔵🔵
@BRawcliffe96: Manc twats
@josefoo_77: look how fast garcia legs it 😭 what a guy
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