Tottenham Hotspur 4 – 0 Everton [90+5']
Everton’s first away game of the 2024-25 season is a difficult one at Tottenham Hotspur with the Blues injury crisis thankfully not getting any worse and rookie Roman Dixon getting his debut at right-back.
The injury list still includes Jarrad Branthwaite, James Garner, Seamus Coleman, Youssef Chermiti and Nathan Patterson, with the one-match suspension of Ashley Young for last week’s red card infringement adding to the selection challenge for this game against a pretty strong Spurs side.
Young is replaced by Roman Dixon for his premier League debut who starts in the problematic right-back slot, with the rest of the starting line-up showing no other changes from the naive line-up that began well against Brighton before the rot set in.
But James Tarkowski, who was said to be a major doubt for this game, starts as captain, while Richarlison for Spurs is not 100% fit but was on the bench.
Spurs kicked off but held off a little and lost the ball briefly to McNeil who passed poorly behind Calvert-Lewin. Spurs then attacked with pace down their left and crossed in by Maddison with danger, winning a corner that Everton failed to clear. The ball fell to Romero who fired straight at Pickford.
Son pressed Pickford and very nearly embarrassed him. Spurs attacked again, winning another corner that came out to Son. His shot took a wicked deflection that required a full-length save by Pickford as Everton rocked under the early onslaught.
Everton finally got the ball in midfield and almost broke down the right with Dixon pressing high. Then a nice move by Iroegbunam who was quickly closed down when he broke through the Spurs back line. A ball over the top found Maddison onside but Pickford was out quickly to block him.
Maddison crossed well despite Dixon trying to block him but the header flew wide. But Spurs pressure won another corner, defended clear. More pressure saw Kulusevski torment the Everton defence before laying it back for Bissouma to smash it into the top corner off the bottom of the bar.
A goal down but Calvert-Lewin should have done better when his first touch let him down and no chance materialized.
McNeil crossed very well to the far post where Harrison should have done a lot better, missing the target. It was very competitive in the midfield, too much so for Calvert-Lewin who had the ball stolen off him.
Calvert-Lewin intercepted the ball high up but McNeil took it bizarrely half-way back to Pickford. Gana then passed the ball behind Mykolenko and out of play. Iroegbunam brilliantly fed Calvert-Lewin but the centre-forward had run offside.
Dixon produced a superb tackle to stop Odobert passing him. Odobert won the next contest on points, getting a corner, which Maddison drove high over everyone. Son again tormented Pickford who took a terrible touch on a backpass and gifted the second goal to a rampant Son. Shocking from Pickford.
The game tempo slowed from the frenetic opening pace that had blown Everton away, with Spurs holding midfield possession and Everton failing to advance on the rare occasion that they saw the ball.
Calvert-Lewin had a Son-like chance to embarrass Vicario but it didn’t come off. Keane released McNeil who put in a cross onto Calvert-Lewin’s head but it cannoned off a defender. A clearance hit Mykolenko and spun behind for another Spurs corner but Kulusevski’s cross was headed high over the bar.
Dixon did well to stop Odobert and turn the pay, Van de Ven falling awkwardly after fouling McNeil, the Everton free-kick coming to nought. Gana was fouled for another Everton free-kick, floated in by McNeil, winning a soft corner off Romero.
McNeil’s excellent corner looked to be headed in at the far post but it was headed away before winning a second and then a third corner, this one causing absolute chaos but Everton unable to score after Doucoure’s goalbound shot was blocked on the line.
At the other end, a Spurs corner was cleared but a long ball from Bissouma won another corner off Mykolenko that Porro curled just beyond the far angle as the whistle went for the half-time break.
Everton tried to drive through from the restart but the ball was easily taken off Calvert-Lewin’s feet. Dixon gave away the first corner of the second half but Gana was in quickly to clear. Doucoure tried to release Mykolenko but his pass was too far ahead.
Maddison could have easily beaten Pickford but his touch wasn’t enough to get the ball past the Everton keeper. Johnson was released in acres of space down the left but Mykolenko did well to close him down, the corner being cleared.
Dyche decided it was time to risk the Premier League inexperienced new boys, Lindstrøm and Ndiaye on for Harrison and Doucouree. And Jesper Lindstrøm’s first touch was a fabulous snapshot to test Vicarrio. At the other end, Odogie was again stopped by Dixon.
Everton were having a lot more of the ball but still struggled to get close again, Ndiaye getting in a good cross that Vicario plucked out of the air before it could reach Calvert-Lewin.
Son drew a foul in the dee after Maddison was blocked from shooting. Maddison shot wide from a very dangerous location. Everton had more forward possession but the key passes were going astray.
Dixon and Trakowski had to thwart Son for another Spurs corner, Maddison swung it in to the centre of goal where any keeper but Pickford would be out to claim it. But no, Pickford backed to his line, and Porro had no problem climbing high enough to nod it home. Poor again from Pickford.
Everton were working the ball forward nicely until McNeil’s pass was intercepted and Van de Ven ran the length of the field unopposed to play in Son who nutmegged Pickford for Spurs’ 4th.
Ndiaye did well to win the ball on occasion but there was no support for him and he could do nothing with it as the game petered out in grim defeat for Dyche’s “hard to beat” side. Harrison Armstrong was given a taste late on as a sub for Gana in the 5 minutes of added time.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie (72′ Spence), Kulusevski (67′ Sarr), Bissouma (72′ Gray), Maddison (78′ Bergvall), Johnson, Son, Odobert (57′ Richarlison).
Subs not Used: Forster, Dragusin, Werner, Davies.
Everton: Pickford, Dixon, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Gana (90′ Armstrong), Iroegbunam, Doucoure (57′ Ndiaye), McNeil, Harrison (57′ Lindstrøm), Calvert-Lewin (72′ Beto).
Subs not Used: Virginia, Holgate, O’Brien, Maupay, Metcalfe.