Tottenham’s aerial prowess under Thomas Frank brought Everton back down to earth at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Three headed goals condemned Everton to a first defeat at their new home and elevated Spurs to third in the Premier League. A correction of their home form and Frank’s team can contemplate staying up there.
The disconnect at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium stands in stark contrast to the ruthless efficiency and resilience of Spurs away from home. Victory on the banks of the River Mersey made it 13 points from a possible 15 on the road. The outstanding Micky van de Ven led the way.
Captain in the absence of Cristian Romero, the Spurs defender made it five goals in 13 appearances this season by converting two first-half corners. The substitute Pape Matar Sarr banished any prospect of an Everton recovery with another close-range header in the 89th minute. Given the glaring absence of a quality striker in David Moyes’s squad, the prospect of an Everton comeback always appeared remote despite the intelligent probings of Iliman Ndiaye, James Garner, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish.
“Going here to Everton, a very good team and unbeaten here so far, and winning 3-0 away is a very good result,” said Frank. “I’m very happy with the set pieces and the clean-sheet mentality is a good foundation. We need to do more but it is an inexperienced Champions League squad so to go every three or four days and keep the energy and focus showed a lot about the mentality.”
The contest was shaped by corners and Van de Ven’s domineering presence at both ends of the pitch. Everton matched Spurs for enterprising approach work but had no answer to the quality of the visitors’ set-piece delivery or their captain’s aerial strength. The boos that greeted the half-time whistle were aimed squarely at the referee, Craig Pawson, however.
Grealish almost started where he left off last time out at Hill Dickinson Stadium by putting Everton ahead. The impressive Ndiaye scorched past Djed Spence to set up Beto but, after the hapless centre-forward failed to connect, Grealish arrived at the back post and saw a goal-bound drive blocked in front of the line by Pedro Porro.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Xavi Simons both troubled the Everton defence as an open, flowing game allowed the respective midfields to impress. But it was a central defender who took centre stage. From a Mohammed Kudus corner swept high to the back post, Bentancur directed the ball back across goal with his shoulder for Van de Ven to nod in from a yard out.
It was the first goal Everton have conceded from a set piece all season. A second followed in first-half stoppage time when the visitors’ accuracy punished Moyes’s team again. Porro was the provider, this time from the left with a brilliant, vicious corner that demanded a finish. Van de Ven applied it once the inswinging delivery sailed over James Tarkowski and before Jordan Pickford’s fists could connect.
The defender’s two first-half headers must have come from a combined distance of two yards out. “I told him at the start of the season he should be scoring more goals with his head,” said Frank of Van de Ven, who did not score once for Spurs last season.
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Spurs’ second arrived during seven minutes of time added on mainly for the decision to disallow a towering header by Jake O’Brien shortly after Van de Ven’s opener. The Everton defender thought he had equalised from a Dewsbury-Hall corner, and a header that gave Guglielmo Vicario no chance in the Spurs’ goal. Everton celebrations were diluted when the video assistant referee sent Pawson to the pitch-side monitor. They were spoiled completely when the match official deemed that Ndiaye and Grealish were both offside and interfering with Vicario. The pair were clearly in offside positions when O’Brien connected but the extent to which they interfered with the goalkeeper was debatable. Pawson’s on-field explanation was inaudible amid the jeers.
Moyes had no complaints. “I think the goal we got chalked off for offside was the correct decision,” said the Everton manager. “We have been undone by set pieces. I’m not happy about it but overall there were some positives to the performance.”
Everton responded well to the blows, particularly after the restart when Vicario’s superb reflexes were required to preserve a clean sheet from a Beto overhead kick. But the hosts were exposed late on when the former Everton striker Richarlison cushioned a header from Porro’s delivery back across goal for Sarr to convert beyond Pickford.
