By the 70th minute, Blackburn had made all their substitutions, while Everton had brought on about half of their bench. The two teams have a history of being preseason opponents, and this match also shared some common denominators. Both teams had already played away at Accrington Stanley, with Blackburn winning 2-1 and Everton drawing 1-1.

Both teams are also under new management, with David Moyes returning to Everton and Valerien Ismael taking the reins at Blackburn. Moyes led Everton to a 13th-place finish in the Premier League, while Ismael guided Blackburn to within two points of a playoff spot.

Everton made several changes to their squad, including the departure of players like Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. They have also signed new players, including French striker Thierno Barry and Irish goalkeeper Mark Travers.

Travers made his debut for Everton and made a crucial save from a free kick in the second half. The second half substitutions seemed to benefit Everton, who showed more attacking urgency and created several scoring chances.

The goal that won the game for Blackburn came from a flowing first-half move, with new Belgian winger Dion De Neve scoring on his debut. The match was marked by several ring-rusty performances, with both teams struggling to find their rhythm.

Despite the lack of intensity, the match was not without its moments, including a robust tackle that led to a booking for both captains, Lewis Travis and Idrissa Gueye.

In the end, the result was not as important as the opportunity for both teams to gain valuable experience ahead of the new season.