Preston North End's youngsters were knocked out of the FA Youth Cup at the fifth round stage in a game which many will argue that they outplayed their Premiership academy opposition.

North End enjoyed the better possession and created the better opportunities but could not convert those chances into goals on a night when Everton scored from three set-pieces, two of which were awarded rather controversially.

Everton opened the scoring on the half hour mark when a low free-kick was played into a crowd of players before fortuitously deflecting off a bunch of players, the last touch of which was North End's Aussie centre-half Bailey Wright.

Preston's never-say-die spirit took them close to an equaliser on several occasions with Jamie Proctor at the heart of most positive PNE moves. But the killer blow came in the second half when the Lilywhites conceded a highly doubtful penalty and Sean Duffy fired home from the spot.

Everton's third and clinching goal came once again in controversial circumstances. The referee awarded a corner when the ball looked to have deflected off an Everton boot and from that corner Ross Barkley smashed the ball home on the half volley.

The 3-0 scoreline was harsh on the Lilywhites who put up a proud, battling and in parts highly impresssive display. On another night the scoreline could quite easily have been reversed but as so often in knock-out competitions the team with the rub of the green on the night was the one which progressed.

North End took a while to find their feet but with a quarter of the game gone they had the ball in the back of the net. Sam Hart knocked a fine diagonal ball over the top of the Everton defence and Jamie Proctor was in behind the Everton full-back Jake Bidwell. Proctor was 12-yards out and opted to feed the ball into the path of Ryan McGreevy who was less than five yards from goal. McGreevy squared the ball into the path of Neil Dougan.

Preston North End had a great penalty shot in the 25th minute of the match. Proctor again in on the diagonal ball, he fed the ball inside into the path of McGreevy who had a shot through a crowd of players. North End had packed the box and after the ball was half-headed clear the ball fell kindly onto Scott Davidson's trusty left foot. Davidson slammed a volley at goal and the strike appeared to hit Ross Barkley on the arm. Match referee Mr Martin ignored North End's pleas for a penalty kick.

Ryan McGreevy had a sniff of goal on 28 minutes. The Manchester born striker running onto a fine Sam Hart ball through the channel, for a moment it looked like McGreevy was clean through but Duffy coming across and Nsiala combined to cut shot McGreevy's run on the edge of the box.

The opening goal of the game came in the 31st minute of the game and somewhat against the run of play. The Toffees won a free-kick midway inside the North End half and Adam Forshaw hit a flat free-kick, chest height into a scrum of players on the edge of the six yard box. The ball looked to have deflected off at least three players with Bailey Wright stood inbetween Shane Duffy and Shkodran Mustafi, Dominic Comrie was wrong-footed and the ball bounced into the unguarded net.

Dominic Comrie was forced into a fine in the 38th minute of the match. Everton won a corner from 30 yards out and Jose Baxter stepped up to hit a curling, powerful effort over the wall and towards the top corner, Comrie was perfectly placed to tip the effort over the crossbar for a corner.

Bailey Wright picked up the first yellow card of the game, rather harshly, after he got caught in a tangle with Everton striker Hallam Hope.

Everton started the second half as brightly as they had started the first and they were fortunate that Hallam Hope had a weak left foot when he ran in behind the North End defence. His effort trickled towards Comrie's goal as he hit it with his left boot.

Jamie Proctor got an early sight at goal in the second half, Neil Dougan looping a cross from near the corner flag on the left and Proctor had isolated Mustafi and was able to nod a header towards goal but the Everton keeper saved comfortably.

End to end action in the 56th minute of the match. Dominic Comrie pulled off a fine save from when Jose Baxter ran onto a long ball over the top of the Preston defence, the PNE keeper brave to meet Baxter and block the ball with his chest. North End wasted no time in getting themselves up the other end of the field and Jamie Proctor went on a slalom-like run from the half-way line, ghosting past the challenge of two wood-be challengers and whilst he shaped up to shoot he instead opted to slot the ball into the path of Scott Davidson who had made a late run into the box. Davidson was challenged but he still managed to poke the ball beyond the keeper, unfortunately it fell the wrong side of the post for the Lilywhites.

Proctor was again the dangerman for Preston on 58 minutes, a wonderful ball on the angle from left-back Sam Hart from one side of the pitch to the other. It caused all sorts of confusion in the Everton defence and Proctor got to the ball first to nod the ball over the top of the onrushing keeper, but once again the ball fell the wrong side of the post for PNE.

North End were enjoying some good pressure on the hour mark and Neil Dougan almost got the home team back into the game with a fantastic individual effort. The diminutive Irishman cut in from the left flank and his pace got him clear of any potential challengers and Dougan unleased a powerful arrowed shot which drifted just a yard or so wide with the Everton keeper rooted to the spot.

Everton were awarded a penalty in the 68th minute of the match in controversial circumstances. Everton played a long throw-in into the feet of Hope in the North End penalty area, Hope twisted and turned before falling to the ground in a heap rather easily. The referee swiftly pointed to the spot and quickly booked Daniel Devine.

Everton's Northern Irish international centre-half Shane Duffy stepped up to slam the penalty kick home down the middle of the goal.

Preston refused to give up the game though and Jamie Proctor crafted a fine chance in the 70th minute. The Ingol striker getting down the right flank before picking out substitute Michael McLellan in the box. Unfortunately the Northern Irish striker side-footed towards goal and it was deflected behind for a corner.

Everton's third and clinching goal came in the 77th minute of the match. A controversially contested corner for Everton was drilled in from the right and the ball fell for Ross Barkley just in front of the penalty spot and he drilled the ball home.

Dean Ramsdale's boys continued to show the never-say-die spirit and in the 78th minute they almost grabbed a consolation goal when Dougan's free-kick on the left was swung to the back post, the keeper couldn't get a clean hand to it and Daniel Devine hooked the loose ball over the cross-bar from just five yards out.