PREMIER LEAGUE
MONDAY 3RD APRIL, 2023
(8PM)
EVERTON 1(0) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1(0)

Everton scorer:-
Keane, 90

Spurs scorer:-
Kane (pen), 68

Attendance:- 39,294

Referee:- David Coote
Assistants:- Timothy Wood, Mark Scholes
Fourth official:- Graham Scott
VAR:- Michael Oliver
Assistant VAR:- Eddie Smart

Teams:-
Everton (4-1-4-1):- Pickford; Coleman (Capt.) (sub Mykolenko, 76), Keane, Tarkowski, Godfrey; Gueye (sub Garner, 84); Iwobi, Doucoure, Onana (sub Davies, 83), McNeil; Gray (sub Simms, 77)

Subs not used;- Begovic; Holgate, Mina, Coady; Maupay

No bookings

Sent off:- Doucoure (58 mins) – Violent conduct

Spurs (3-4-3):- Lloris (Capt.); Romero, Dier, Lenglet (sub Sanchez, 77); Pedro Porro, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Kulusevski, Kane, Son (sub Lucas Moura, 82)

Subs not used:- Forster, Austin; Tanganga; Sarr, Devine, Mundle, Danjuma

Booked:- Kane (unsporting conduct), Lenglet (foul on Iwobi), Romero (foul on Onana)

Sent off:- Lucas Moura (88) – dangerous tackle on Keane

Spurs blow it again

Thanks to Andy Park for this picture

It turns out (unsurprisingly) that a Cristian Stellini side is no different from that of Antonio Conte. Spurs played the same old 3-4-3. At least three times they struggled to play out from the back. They would have been punished more severely by a better team. It turns out that the urge for Premier League survival was far greater than Spurs’ desire for a Champions League place. Spurs were closed down in all areas of the pitch, and more often than not failed to make best use of the ball when they did find a little space.

Everton have not beaten Spurs at home in a Premier League game since December 2012. That result came after Spurs had opened the scoring, but Everton scored two late goals. Urged on by an angry home crowd that felt Doucoure had been unfairly sent off and that Spurs had theatrically won a penalty (they are very, very partisan at Goodison!), ten-man Everton equalised through a sensational Michael Keane goal and looked the more likely winners. By this time, Spurs were also down to ten men after late substitute Lucas Moura recklessly lunged at Keane and landed on his ankle.

Everton were unchanged for a fourth successive game. That hasn’t happened since 1995. Sean Dyche’s “Burnley” element of Keane, Tarkowski and McNeil was there in full. Stellini made three changes. Hugo Lloris was back for the first time since 5th February. Our other changes were enforced due to injury with Perisic in for Ben Davies and Kulusevski replacing former Evertonian Richarlison.

Spurs kicked off and played towards the Gwladys Street End, but Everton had the first shot on goal after only two minutes, following an error by Skipp. Demarai Gray hit a right footed shot just outside Lloris’s left post. Everton mustered more shots on and off target than did Spurs.

Poor old “Sonny” was getting booed at every touch by the home crowd who won’t let go of his challenge which indirectly led to Andre Gomes’ leg injury in November 2019. Son had been sent off after that incident, but his red card was subsequently rescinded.

Pedro Porro was on to an early long b all down the right wing, but his cross was cleared too easily. Perisic received a long ball on the other flank, and he tried an adventurous right foot shot, but that passed outside the target. Skipp made a run down the middle, but Everton broke up the play. The ball did run for Kane, but his shot was blocked on the line by Keane and picked up by Pickford.

Keane had a shot on goal after an Everton free kick at the other end, but this was off target. Spurs fans taunted the home crowd with “Going down with the West Ham” . Eric Dier picked out Perisic with another long diagonal pass. The Croatian’s cross was met by Kane, but he headed wide of the back post. Iwobi got through on the Spurs left flank, but his effort was blocked. McNeil cleared a cross from the left just in front of Pedro Porro and Spurs had a corner. That came to nought.

There was a brief pause midway through the first half to allow those observing Ramadan to break their fast.

Romero was pulled up for a foul on Iwobi and after McNeil’s free kick, Doucoure ultimately hit a poor header over the target. Kane was correctly flagged offside after receiving a good ball down the left channel. Kulusevski and Pedro Porro did not make the best of a move towards the goal-line on the right. Whenever he received the ball, Son seemed too slow to move the ball on and was too often closed down and deprived of the ball.

Onana had a shot from distance which was easy for Lloris. Everton skipper Seamus Coleman got off scot-free when he was late on Perisic and landed on his ankle. In truth, the challenge was little different than the one for which Lucas Moura was sent off late in the game.

Spurs were now slow getting the ball out of their own half, but Son did have a shot after a Kulusevski pass but was then called offside. Tarkowski was lucky not to be carded for a cynical foul on Kane. Doucoure’s second-half red was the only card shown by referee David Coote to Everton’s players.

In first half added time, after a pass from Hojbjerg, Kane forged some space on the left side of Everton’s area, but hit his right foot curler wide of the far post.

Early in the second half, after poor pass-out play, Dier was caught in possession but thankfully Gueye couldn’t hit the target. At the other end, after a Perisic corner, Kulusevski passed to Pedro Porro to his right, but the shot was also too high. Onana hit a shot straight at Lloris after McNeil’s pass at the other end. Both teams were trying to find a way to win, but the quality of play was not great.

Doucoure won a corner after another error by Skipp allowed Everton to attack. It wasn’t long through before Doucoure was shown a straight red after a contretemps with Kane in which the Everton man raised his hand to Harry’s face. Kane did go to ground theatrically, but the red card was inevitable. The incident took place in front of the dug-outs where personnel were incensed. Kane was sown yellow for his part in the build-up to the incident.

Pedro Porro’s deep cross was headed back by Perisic into the middle of the Everton area but was cleared. Two minutes later, Spurs were awarded a penalty for Keane’s foul on Romero after another Perisic header inside. There was plenty of psychological pressure applied to Kane, but his penalty was a killer, hitting the net just inside Pickford’s right post with the keeper going the wrong way.

Ironically, Spurs now sat back against the ten men. Lloris had to make a decent save from Gray after yet more poor, slow and pedantic play in their own half. It drives me mad!

Pedro Porro hit the side netting after a Son pass from a central position, but Lloris was forced into good action at the other end when he tipped over a shot by Gueye. Keane headed down McNeil’s corner at the back post, but Lloris held.

A raft of substitutions followed, including Sanchez for the booked Lenglet and Lucas Moura for Son. Sanchez was soon pulled up for a foul on Everton sub Garner, whose free kick passed out of play without any danger. Lucas Moura didn’t last long and was off after a late lunge on the man who had been villain for conceding the penalty but would be hero for scoring a great goal. I felt Skipp could have closed Keane down, but the centre-back was allowed room to hit an unstoppable piledriver from 25 yards inside Lloris’s left post.

There were six added minutes. Perisic hit the side netting and Dier blocked a shot by Tarkowski. Kulusevski won a corner, but the final whistle was blown immediately after that was taken and the points shared. It was enough to put Spurs back in the top four (on goal difference above Manchester United), but I doubt we will be in that position by the time we play Brighton on Saturday. The point was enough to lift Everton back out of the bottom three and continue their fight against relegation.

Spurs had the chance to go third, but they do not look like a top four side. In their last four away league games, they’ve lost twice and drawn twice – all against teams threatened by the drop.

· John Ellis offers his eye-witness views.

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