Key events
“It’s very unusual to get to the Everton half-time without a nervous/annoyed/sometimes pleased email from Mary Waltz on the West Coast of America,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “I can understand those Spurs fans who have already given up on ghosts this season, but Everton seem to have righted the ship so apparently they have something more important to do today.”
Jamie Redknapp has the courage to disagree with Chris in Corfu and says on Sky Sports that “Savio looked sharp, he was the smartest one on the pitch.”
Half-time: Tottenham Hotspur – Everton 0:0
A sloppy half comes to an end and an Everton corner is cleared easily. “Spurs” spend another half, already three on the rebound, but without a shot on target. Everton returned to the game after being out for the first fifteen minutes, De Zerbi’s men started quickly with blocks but had no killer pass or finish.
46 minutes: Close! Garner takes the free-kick without much venom and it goes wide, but Kinski can hit it without much alarm. Another minute of stoppage time and an Everton corner.
45 minutes: Dewsbury-Hall attacks the Spurs box on the left flank and Fernandes takes a unnecessary free-kick with his arms wrapped around an Everton player. Free kick in a dangerous position for the visitors…
43 minutes: “Savio is really frustrating, just like at City, his last ball is really bad,” Chris chatters in Corfu. Both teams were guilty of sloppy play in the final twenty minutes. It wasn’t the vintage half, the quick start turned into a bombastic affair.
41 minutes: Everton failed to maintain possession at all, the ball was sloppily sprayed, and Spurs could regroup at the back.
40 minutes: Some whistles and jeers from the home fans showing their disappointment. “I can’t help thinking that it would be helpful if one of the huge legion of coaches, set-piece experts and other guys on their respective benches suggested maybe aiming the little white thing in the general direction of the big white things at both ends of the pitch. Just a thought.”
Have you received your Stephen McCrossan coaching badges yet?
38 minutes: Spurs continue to have no shots on target despite plenty of attacking play as another scoreless half approaches.
37 minutes: Gah. A bad corner, a shot that was too strong and the ball went over the back post.
36 min: Fernandes shows some urgency in the right corner, giving the ball away he wins it back, Tonali fires in from range and the powerful deflection leads to another Spurs corner.
34 minutes: Closer! Robertson plays in the overlap on the left flank after Marmouche puts him in… ah, the return isn’t accurate enough and Pickford takes it cleanly. That last goal let Spurs down.
32 minutes: And here again Spurs with Fernandes on the right…
30 minutes: Spurs are once again comfortable in possession deep in Everton’s half but they just can’t find the final ball to convert a clear chance.
28 minutes: Bruno Mateus Fernandez sent his shot wide from the corner.
27 minutes: Tonali sends the ball from midfield for Archie Gray to run onto. He takes it in stride, but Garner is ready to vacuum, although it results in a corner for Spurs.
26 minutes: Everton are seeing much more of the ball and there is a growing sense of uneasiness among the home fans. Spurs should have taken the lead in this crazy first fifteen game.
25 minutes: Harrison Armstrong and Tierno Barry block long shots.
24 minutes: Now Tottenham will have to be under cover for some time.
22min: Thanks to those of you who noticed that Bruno Fernandes has made his way into the Spurs team in place of Mateus. Corrected since then, long day for Jimbo, ok? Everton have a lot more possession now and Moyes has calmed down a bit. The visitors have a bad start.
20 minutes: Archie Gray falls to the deck after what appears to be a clash of heads. There is a break in the game while he is being checked. The camera zooms in on Richarlison’s clipped wing as he chews a hubba-bubba in civilian clothes. Gray is up and ready to go.
18 minutes: Spurs press again, but a weak touch from Savio on the edge of the box results in another attack coming to nothing.
17min: Tottenham are guilty of holding the ball too long in attacking positions, guys!
14 minutes: Everton earned a corner, their first of the match. The ball comes out to Maitland-Niles on the edge of the box and he flicks it home with his left peg. Not this time.
12 minutes: David Moyes is shouting at his side to do push-ups, but at the moment they are under a felt blanket. The Spurs goal took five and a half hours to complete. Tick follows this…
10 min: Everton started very sluggishly and it looks like Spurs need to take that pressure into account to score an early goal.
Fernandes displays lightning quick footwork as he dances and weaves his way into the Everton box, but instead of pulling the trigger, he hesitates and the whole thing goes haywire.
8 minutes: “Greetings from Pittsburgh!” Eric Peterson writes. “I look forward to December as the winter transfer window approaches and look back to think what the biggest cry of the summer window was: Everton failing to sign any cover for Tierno Barry or Tottenham failing to even sign up Richarlison for the first half of the Premier League season.”
Fernandez throws a punch, but Branthwaite throws his body in the way to block it. Gray then shoots from range and Pickford takes the shot and saves the ball.
6 minutes: This is all Tottenham in the early stages. Everton barely communicated.
5 min: Chance! Robertson takes a free kick deep into the box, the devil’s ball into the goal. Van Hecke hits the back post and he volleys over the crossbar!
3min: Savio shows his skill down the left flank and picks off a couple of Everton defenders, but his cross is blocked and there is no clear chance. The home fans are raring to go.
1 minute: Spurs set up early and are kicking the ball around the edge of Everton’s penalty area, the camera spots a couple of young fans in the crowd holding a sign: “Please score a goal.” It’s unclear who they support…
Peeee! Everton is starting, let’s go.
The players come out and there are handshakes and mascots everywhere. Spurs in white and Everton in moss colored away kit.
“It’s very simple: I say fire De Zerbi,” Anh Tuan Nguyen Huynh wrote in an email. You heard it here first.
Reports have been received from the previous matches of today:
About this lack of goals…
Spurs have failed to score in any of their three Premier League games this season and so if the Topies keep a clean sheet today it will be the first time Spurs have failed to score in their first four league games of the season.
Then no pressure. Roberto De Zerbi’s side haven’t scored in 317 minutes (more than five hours) of Premier League matches.
David Moyes speaks to Sky Sports with about fifteen minutes left until kick-off. I’ll post a couple of quotes in a second, but for now, play around with these pre-match stats:
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Tottenham have lost just one of their last 17 Premier League home matches against Everton (W12 D4).
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Everton lost both Premier League games to Tottenham last season by an aggregate score of 4-0, but have never in their league history lost three matches in a row to Spurs without scoring.
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Everton are winless in their last six away league games, alternating between defeats (3) and draws (3).
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Only Brighton (34) and Crystal Palace (32) have made more turnovers than Everton (28) in the Premier League this season, with the Toffees’ seven shots after a high turnover being their best so far.
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Tottenham’s next home defeat will be their 50th in the competition at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Elsewhere:
Here are the commands:
Tottenham Hotspur (4,2,3,1): Kinski, Gray, Van Heck, Van de Ven, Robertson; Bentancur, Tonali; Savio, Mateus Fernandez, Marmus; Solanke.
Tottenham substitutes: Dubravka, Tosin, Senesi, Ben Davis, Gallagher, Maddison, Bergvall, Kudus, tel.
Everton: (4,2,3,1) Pickford, Maitland-Niles, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mikolenko; Harrison Armstrong, Garner; Brennan Johnson, Dewsbury Hall, George; Barry.
Everton subs: Travers, Harry Tyrer/King listed in some channels, Michael Keane, Jake O’Brien, Grealish, Dibling, Alcaraz, Hackney, Graham.
Match officials: Referee Darren England, assistants Scott Ledger and Alex James; fourth official Gavin Ward; VAR Paul Tierney, assistant VAR Adam Nunn.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to the MBM Tottenham Hotspur v Everton match. In the table these are 18th and 9th places and we can expect goals, goals and more goals. Oh, actually, notice that the status tells me that these two teams are the two worst teams in terms of quality of chances. Hm. I knew there was a reason they gave me this.
Here’s a quick overview from Mr. B. Glendenning:
Only the most pessimistic home fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be gripped by anything resembling the fear, anxiety and downright terror that accompanied Everton’s visit on the final day of last season, but the return of David Moyes’ side so early in the current campaign will still leave spectators on edge. A lack of goals and just one point after three league games, the fans’ faith in Roberto De Zerbi – and hundreds of millions of pounds lavished on new players – have created the prevailing assumption that Tottenham will soon be firing on at least some, if not all, cylinders. At Everton, Spurs welcome a team whose record in this corner of north London is worse than that of any other team in the top flight. If they fail to beat a side who have taken just seven of their last 51 points away to Tottenham, there will likely be sounds of early but outright mutiny from the stands.
Starts at 17.30.