A generous assessment of Everton’s efforts on an afternoon when Jordan Pickford turned into one of Tottenham’s most inventive players is that there was a brief period when they vaguely resembled a functioning football team.
The only problem with trying to stay positive, though, was that Sean Dyche’s side were already well on their way to another thrashing by the time they started to hint that they might be capable of stringing a few passes together. The direction of travel was clear after a first goal in Spurs colours for Yves Bissouma, who was on his best behaviour after being removed from the naughty step by Ange Postecoglou, and any sense of Everton fighting had to be tempered by the reality that they did not even pick up a booking despite being clobbered 4-0.
Where was the anger? The soul? Where was the resistance when Cristian Romero made it 3-0 with a free header from a corner in the second half? In truth, it was an abject surrender, typified by Pickford’s error for Son Heung-min’s first goal midway through the first half, and the worry for Dyche will be that losing the first two games of the season by an aggregate score of 7-0 suggests Everton are destined for another grim battle for survival.
Reinforcements are required in the final week of the transfer window, while more adventure in possession would not go amiss as well. Spurs, who tended to struggle in this kind of game last season, were moved to an entirely different beat to their opponents. For Everton’s longsuffering fans, it must have been like watching a different sport when Micky van de Ven, in an embodiment of the fearlessness instilled in his players by Postecoglou, surged forward from the back, ran the length of the pitch and sent Son Heung-min through to round of the scoring in the 77th minute.
Postecoglou’s set-up suggested that he anticipated a game of attack versus defence. A midfield that had Yves Bissouma sitting behind two No 8s, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevksi, underlined the desire to play on the front foot and the tone was set by the way that Son Heung-min, playing centrally in the absence of Dominic Solanke, looked to press Pickford.
Nobody could accuse Spurs of lacking adventure. Wilson Odobert, making his first appearance since after joining from Burnley, bristled with positive intent against Roman Dixon, a 19-year-old debutant at right-back, and it was not long before Pickford had to deny Romero after some miserable defending. Son and Maddison would also have efforts saved, while Brennan Johnson was guilty of a poor miss with a free header.
No matter. Bereft of ambition, quality and ideas, Everton were in damage limitation mode long before Bissouma got the ball rolling by taking a pass from Kulusevski before using the inside of his right foot to crash a shot in off the underside of the bar from 20 yards.
Over on the touchline, Dyche must have wondered why none of his midfielders got in Bissouma’s way. At the other end of the spectrum, Postecoglou could reflect on the perfect response from the Malian, who was dropped for last Monday’s wasteful 1-1 draw with Leicester after footage on social media appeared to show him inhaling nitrous oxide. Postecoglou, who had compared the midfielder’s punishment to discipling a naughty child, would revel in his side displaying the perfect attitude on and off the ball.
There was a relentlessness to Spurs and it was encapsulated by their second goal. Son, who kept menacing James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, must have spotted a weakness in Pickford’s distribution. He was ready for another sharp burst when Tarkowski sent an innocuous pass to England’s No 1. Pickford, by contrast, could do little more than apologise to his teammates after a heavy touch invited a tackle from Son, who sped away with the ball and tapped it into the empty net.
Everton were in danger of descending into a shambles, although they did muster some resistance before half-time. Jack Harrison had volleyed wide at 1-0 and Spurs did not look particularly comfortable while dealing with a succession of set-pieces.
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Complacency became an issue for Spurs. The intensity dipped and they could have conceded after a stray pass from Odobert in the 58th minute. Jesper Lindstrøm, who had just come on for Harrison, was unfortunate to see Guglielmo Vicario push his powerful shot away.
Spurs livened up after that scare, going close when Maddison bent a free-kick inches wide. Sensing their chance had gone, Everton fizzled out after Postecoglou stiffened his midfield by introducing Pape Matar Sarr for Kulusveski. The resistance was nonexistent when Romero, making his 100th appearance for Spurs, headed in the third from Maddison’s corner.
Ultimately Postecoglou’s side were the exact opposite of Everton: alert, energetic, mobile, inventive. When Van de Ven smothered another tame attack and sent Son through, it would have been rude of the South Korean not to drill his finish under Pickford.
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