City's Under 18s survived a second half fight-back by Everton to run out 4-2 winners in the Barclays Premier Academy League.

Adam Sadler's side were looking to bounce back from last weekend's 4-2 home defeat by Blackburn and that's exactly what they did, with a controlled display at Finch Farm.

It was all City from the start, with  Adam Drury's free-kick poked home by defender Greg Leigh after just three minutes. Everton almost struck back immediately, but Blues' goalkeeper Tom Halsall produced an impressive save from Toffees striker Chris Long'

City soon doubled their lead after clever play from Drury set-up George King who flicked the ball over the on-rushing Toffees' 'keeper James Fitzgibbon.

Courtney Meppen-Walter was proving an imposing figure in defence and winger Alex Henshall was at the heart of a number of impressive raids down the left.

It came as no surprise when the Blues grabbed a third goal just 30 minutes into the game.

Inevitably, it was leading scorer Jordi Hiwula who found the net, clocking up his ninth of the season after being played in by Albert Rusnak. There seemed to be no way back for an Everton side who had been brushed aside by the quality of the visitors.

After such a comfortable first period, there was an air of complacency after the break and Everton were allowed a route back into the game after 70 minutes when Ellis Plumber's attemped clearance ended up in the net after pressure from Toffees substitute Ryan Higgins.

A nail-biting finish was on the cards when Everton scored their second goal. 

Halsall spilled Long's shot, only for Toffees' midfielder Hallam Hope to fire in from close range to make it 2-3 in favour of City, but substitute  Devante Cole eased any nerves with a last-minute strike to calm the nerves after good build-up work from King.

Head of Academy Mark Allen was quick to praise the side and was thrilled with the performance after the disappointment of last week.

“It really was a fantastic performance from the boys today,” he said. “The lads played some excellent football for 75 minutes of the game with some fantastic movement and goals.

"It was a great response to last week. Everton is always a difficult place to visit and to try and get a result, but we played with a lot of confidence today and the boys got their just rewards.”