EVERTON  2  (1)  TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR  2  (1) 
Date : –  16th April 2021 Kick off : –  20.00
Competition : – Premier League Venue : –  Goodison Park
Crowd : –  0,000
Referee : –  Michael Oliver (Northumberland) Linesmen : – Mr. Simon Bennett; Mr. Stuart Burt
Fourth official : –  Craig Pawson
VAR official : –  Andre Marriner VAR Assistant : –  Sian Massey-Ellis
Weather : –  Dry, chilly
Spurs kicked off the first half attacking the Gwladys Road end
Playing time : –   90 + 7 minutes

 

EVERTON TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
GOAL-SCORERS
    Sigurdsson  (p)  30m 39s   Kane  26m 03s
    Sigurdsson  61m 18s   Kane  67m 53s
CARDS
  Davies  (persistent fouling)  21   Hojbjerg  (foul on Sigurdsson)  7
 

 

EVERTON TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
1.   Jordan PICKFORD 1.   Hugo LLORIS (c)
     
22.   Ben GODFREY 4.   Toby ALDERWEIRELD
5.   Michael KEANE 14.   Joe RODON
4.   Mason HOLGATE 15.   Eric DIER
 
17.   Alex IWOBI   ( 23.  Seamus COLEMAN  61) 24.   Serge AURIER
6.   ALLAN 17.   Moussa SISSOKO
26.   Tom DAVIES    ( 11.  Josh KING  84) 5.   Pierre-Emile HOJBJERG 
10.   Gylfi SIGURDSSON  (c)    (p)  3.   Sergio REGUILON  ( 27.  Lucas MOURA  64)
12.   Lucas DIGNE  
28.   Tanguy NDOMBELE  ( 11.  Erik LAMELA  64)
19.   James RODRIGUEZ  
  7.   Heung-Min SON
7.   RICHARLISON 10.   Harry KANE      ( 20.  DELE Alli  90+3)
Substitutes Substitutes
31.   Joao VIRGINIA 12.   Joe HART
33.   Robin OLSEN 25.   Japhet TANGANGA
48.   Kyle JOHN 6.   Davinson SANCHEZ
60.   Isaac PRICE 8.   Harry WINKS
18.   Niels NKOUNKOU 9.
  Gareth BALE
64.   Reece WELCH 18.   Giovani LO CELSO
34.   Nathan BROADHEAD

 

Manager : –  Carlo Ancelotti Manager : –  Jose Mourinho
Kit Supplier : –  Hummel Kit Supplier : –  Nike
Shirt Sponsor : –  Cazoo Shirt Sponsor : –  AIA
Shirt Sleeve Sponsor : –  Cazoo Shirt Sleeve Sponsor : –  cinch
Colours : –
Colours : – Worn with navy socks
Images of kits courtesy of the marvellous Colours of Football website

 

MATCH REPORT

Orson Welles might have written Citizen Kane, but this was the Sigurdsson-Kane show, with both players scoring two goals for a share of the points at Goodison Park.  After a placid first half when Spurs had taken the lead only to be pegged back by Gylfi’s penalty, given for a soft contact on Rodriguez, the second half was better with chances shared and Tottenham hitting the woodwork twice as Kane equalized a Sigurdsson strike to make it 2-2 before limping off, after Richarlison fell on his ankle.

It wasn’t a classic like Welles’ masterpiece, because it was scattered with errors, mistakes and inconsistencies – probably like Orson’s first draft.  It made for a game with goal-scoring opportunities, saves and near misses, but, in truth, the draw helped neither side, who on this showing will struggle if they get anywhere near the Champions League. 

Apart from a shot from Gylfi Sigurdsson that swerved wide and too high, nothing happened in the first 20 minutes apart from PEH getting a booking for pulling Gylfi back in what was a slow and uninspiring start to the game.  It was 21 minutes before Richarlison hit a shot that Lloris dived low and left to push it aside.  Spurs got forward and moved the ball across from right to left in front of the Everton box, with Reguilon and Ndombele involved before Tanguy crossed the ball.  Keane got underneath it and got a faint touch that took the ball over Holgate’s attempted diving header to fall for Harry Kane in the middle of the goal, six yards out.  He had the presence of mind to take a touch, then sweep it powerfully past Pickford into the bottom corner to the keeper’s right with his left foot.   It was another expert finish from Harry with a chance that was presented to him by some comedy (not too much of that in Citizen Kane) defending.

Not that going ahead means much and Everton had a penalty a few minute later, when James pulled his foot back to shoot as the ball came across and Reguilon was behind him.  The Colombian hit the floor and the referee pointed to the spot.  So, half an hour gone and Gylfi Sigurdsson sent Lloris the wrong way with the ball nestling in the bottom left hand corner of Hugo’s net.

Richarlison won a free-kick shortly after the goal and Gylfi took it, but hit the wall from 22 yards out, then Rodriguez had a shot from outside the box that was straight into Hugo’s midriff and a minute later, Sigurdsson returned Rodriguez’s pass and James drilled a shot at goal that Lloris reacted to well to push away.  Tottenham’s only effort on goal during the spell of Everton pressure came from 45 yards out, when Kane tried to catch Pickford off his line, but the shot went a long way wide.  In added time, Rodriguez swung in a left wing free-kick and Godfrey raced in behind everyone, but couldn’t control his header that went wide and then unsurprisingly,  Richarlison adopted his favourite position … flat out on the ground … after he ran into Toby and Rodon in the box next time the ball came in.

The start of the second half saw Everton have a couple of corners, the last of which Richarlison headed over, but then Tottenham won a couple, the second from Son’s run into the box when he tried a shot from a narrow angle.  He played the corner in, which skidded in low through a mass of legs, but it dropped for a home shirt to clear.  Harry turned Allan well and played it square for Ndombele to shoot from the edge of the box, with a heavy deflection off Digne taking the ball just over the bar with Pickford struggling.  The keeper was also struggling when Alderweireld won the header at the near post from Son’s corner and the ball hit the outside of the post.  

Richarlison soon had the ball in the net, but was a mile offside, but it didn’t matter, as substitute Coleman had only been on for a minute when he played the ball in from the right wing to be met by Sigurdsson just inside the box, who opened up his body to strike it left footed past Lloris to give the home team the lead.
Mourinho made a double substitution with Lamela for Ndombele and Moura for Reguilon.  Lamela’s first three interventions were to give away a free-kick and give the ball away twice.   His fourth was a bit better.  When his right wing deflected cross came in, Keane and Holgate messed up with the former heading against the latter providing Harry Kane with the chance to drill home a second with his right boot, without having to take a touch this time.
Kane nearly completed a perfect hat trick with a header to Lucas Moura’s cross that hit the top of Pickford’s post, with the keeper worriedly looking for the bounce away for a goal-kick.  
It was a giveaway by Spurs that almost let Everton in again.  Giving the ball away in midfield, Rodriguez played the ball through for Josh King, whose low shot was blocked by Lloris’ legs and it ran out into Richarlison’s path inside the box, but he blasted it over the bar.  Everton pressed as the 90 minutes was coming to an end, but Keane failed to make anything from two corners.  At the end of the second corner, Richarlison threw himself to the ground (again) and knocked Harry Kane over, forcing him off with an ankle problem.  Dele came on, as Rodriguez fired a shot wide in the last threat on goal.
Keystone Cops defending allowed us to retrieve a point and soft penalty for Everton helped them out, so, on the balance of play, both sided probably earned their point out of the game.  It helps neither in the quest to gain a finishing place to get into Europe, but for Spurs, it means that the midweek match will see them take the field without Kane and maybe Ndombele, who also went straight to the changing room.  As for the performance, there was little forceful play from Spurs and the way the first twenty minutes was played out, you could have been forgiven for thinking that both sides had little to play for.  Any more displays like this and that may well be the case.
Pete Stachio

 

MATCH NOTES

Moussa Sissoko plays his 200th Spurs game.
Lucas Moura makes his 100th Premier League appearance for Tottenham.

 

OTHER RESULTS
Fulham
Leeds United
Manchester United
Woolwich Wanderers
Sheffield United
Chelsea
Leicester City
Aston Villa
Wolverhampton Wanderers
South Coast Big Club  
Manchester City  
Newcastle United  
Burnley  
Crystal Palace  
West Ham United London  
Brighton & Hove Albion  
Liverpool  


Premier League Table 2020-21

Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Points Goal difference
1 Manchester City 32 23 5 4 67 23 74 +44
2 Manchester United 31 18 9 4 61 34 63 +27
3 Leicester City 31 17 5 9 55 37 56 +18
4 West Ham United London 31 16 7 8 51 39 55 +12
5 Chelsea 31 15 9 7 50 31 54 +19
6 Liverpool 31 15 7 9 53 37 52 +16
7 Tottenham Hotspur 32 14 8 10 54 37
50 +17
8 Everton 31 14 7 10 43 40 49 +3
9 Woolwich Wanderers 31 13 6 12 49 49 45 +8
10 Leeds United 31 14 3 14 43 33 45 0
11 Aston Villa 30 13 5 12 31 41 44 +10
12 Wolverhampton Wanderers 31 10 8 13 39 56 38 -10
13 Crystal Palace 31 10 8 13 33 52 38 -19
14 South Coast Big Club 31 10 6 15 39 56 36 -17
15 Brighton & Hove Albion 31 7 12 12 33 38 33 -5
16 Burnley 31 8 9 14 25 42 33 -17
17 Newcastle United 31 8 8 15 32 51 32 -19
18 Fulham 32 5 11
16 24 42 26 -18
19 West Bromwich Albion 31 5 9 17 28 59 24 -31
20 Sheffield United 31 4 2 25 17 55 14 -38