Toffees Victorious In A Stressful Occasion Against Spurs!
- Spirit of The News
- Jan 19
- 3 min read
Three goals in the first half gave Everton a huge advantage at the break. However, Spurs’ two goals in the second half were not enough to create an impressive comeback; with a stressful end, Everton won 3-2!
Going into the game, some said it was a relegation 6-pointer. The Toffees, prior to kick-off, sat 16th, with Tottenham having 7 points more; however, they only sat one place above, in 15th. A win for Postecoglou’s side would have put them into twelfth place.
Lineups:
Everton:
Pickford
Mykolenko
Tarkowski
Branthwaite
O’Brien
Gana
Mangala
Lindstrøm
Doucoure
Ndiaye
Calvert-Lewin
Tottenham Hotspur:
Kinsky
Dragusin
Gray
Davies
Bergvall
Porro
Spence
Sarr
Son Heung-Min
Maddison
Kulusevski
Everton started strong, something unusual for the fans in Goodison, providing a bundle of attacking opportunities. So unusual, in fact, that within the first half, the Blues had six shots on target, more than in 18 full Premier League games this season, showing clear signs of improvement.
It took 13 minutes for Everton to take the lead, as the ball was at Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s feet. Shuffling left and right, manipulating three of Postecoglou’s defenders before slotting it into the bottom left-hand corner. It’s no secret Calvert-Lewin has struggled this season, having the lowest xG out of every Premier League forward this season. Is this perhaps a turning point for the 27-year-old?
Dominic Calvert-Lewin Stats This Season:
(Before Everton vs Tottenham)
Appearances: 20
Goals: 2
Assists: 1
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
A now fired-up Everton crowd pushed Moyes’ selected eleven to grab another as Tottenham Hotspur were looking extremely vulnerable and lacklustre at the back, a huge problem for Spurs this season. In the 30th minute of action, Idrissa Gana Gueye played a through ball into Iliman Ndiaye, who sparked a great counterattack for the Toffees.
Running against Romanian defender Radu Dragusin, Ndiaye got a lot of Evertonians out of their seats, a common theme for the Senegalese international this season. A couple of stepovers and shrugs past the defender later, Ndiaye struck the ball into the roof of Antonín Kinsky’s net, extending the advantage to two!
Iliman Ndiaye Stats This Season:
Appearances: 23
Goals: 5
Assists: 0
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0
Elation dispersed across Goodison Park was evident by the positive team performance, with constant pressure while Spurs had possession and winning duels. A lobbed cross by Jesper Lindstrøm fell onto an isolated James Tarkowski, who headed it across Tottenham’s penalty area. A subtle flick on by goal scorer Calvert-Lewin forced a moment of confusion and madness between Dragusin and 18-year-old Archie Gray. Whilst Dragusin was attempting to clear the ball, it hit Gray bouncing back into the net, giving a three-goal advantage to the Toffees going into the halftime break!
However, come the second half, the run of play switched completely on its head. Instead of the extremely exciting Everton display in the first half, Andre Postecoglou’s side were on top. A mix of nerves and also a positive Spurs display made for a stressful conclusion of the game…
Spurs’s attempt at a comeback really began in the 77th minute as Jordan Pickford attempted to come out of his comfort zone to face James Maddison. Unfortunately, England’s number one was caught between two minds, and a layoff to Dejan Kulusevski, who chipped it over a few of the astray Everton players, gave Spurs some hope and Everton a whole bunch of stress.
As if it weren’t uncomfortable enough for Everton already, former Toffee Richarlison scored 2 minutes into additional time, making the game 3-2, with Moyes’ team more than likely reminiscing of the disastrous leads the squad has bottled, including Bournemouth and Aston Villa, towards the start of this Premier League campaign.
Richarlison Stats This Season:
Appearances: 9
Goals: 2
Assists: 1
Yellow Cards: 1
Red Cards: 0
However, hard work and determination by the Everton squad when needed emerged, and referee Darren England blew the whistle, marking David Moyes’ first win in his second era as Everton manager, and a horrible day for Ange Postecoglou, who stated that his side “struggled to gain any traction in the first half.”
Everton now sit 4 points clear of relegation with a better goal difference than all the teams below them. Spurs sit one place above Everton, in 15th, on 24 points with a positive goal difference, ahead of everyone towards the bottom. Something to build on for Everton, with David Moyes expressing in his post-match score that he isn’t a magician, showing that there are still things to build on.
Premier League Gameweek 22:
Saturday 18 January:
Newcastle 1 - 4 Bournemouth
Brentford 1 - 2 Liverpool
Leicester 0 - 2 Fulham
West Ham 0 - 2 Crystal Palace
Arsenal 2 - 2 Aston Villa
Sunday 19 January:
Everton 3 - 2 Spurs
Man Utd 1 - 3 Brighton
Nott’m Forest 3 - 2 Southampton
Ipswich 16:30 Man City
Monday 20 January:
Chelsea 20:00 Wolves
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