Jacob Steinberg was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight. His report has landed, and here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Man-of-the-match Harry Kane has a word with Sky. “We had to be patient. The spaces would open up as they get tired. We kept knocking at the door. We made a couple of chances, a good clean sheet at the back, and a really good win. Jordan Pickford made a couple of good saves, and I snuck the penalty past him. Happy to get on the scoresheet and get the win. Whenever you miss a penalty [as he did during the week against Eintracht Frankfurt] the next one is an important one. We’re in a good space. We just need to keep it going.”
FULL TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Everton
It wasn’t a classic, but Antonio Conte doesn’t care. He celebrates another precious three points … and Spurs are in the title race all right! Everton meanwhile are left to rue those first-half misses by Gray and Onana.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Man City | 9 | 24 | 23 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | 12 | 23 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 8 | 3 | 16 |
| 13 | West Ham | 9 | -2 | 10 |
| 14 | Everton | 10 | -3 | 10 |
| 15 | Leeds | 8 | -1 | 9 |
90 min +4: Sky name Kane as man of the match for his penalty and starting the move for the second goal.
90 min +3: Spurs replace Doherty, Bentancur and Kane with Skipp, Lucas Moura and, making his home debut, Djed Spence.
90 min +1: Perisic burns Tarkowski down the left and enters the box, only for the defender to recover and block just as he prepares to shoot. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
90 min: There will be five added minutes.
89 min: McNeil curls in from the left. Rondon attempts to trap and turn, but achieves only the latter. Calvert-Lewin tries to latch onto the ball at the far post, but can’t control. Goal kick.
88 min: Sanchez comes on for Romero.
87 min: Hojbjerg celebrates his goal with a salute, a nod to Tottenham’s much-missed fitness coach Gian Piero Ventrone.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Everton (Hojbjerg 86)
It’s not so quiet now! Kane miscontrols in the centre circle, but chases after the ball himself and slips Bentancur into space down the right. Bentancur whips into the middle for Hojbjerg, who takes a touch, drops a shoulder, shifts his feet, and steers a shot into the top right! A slight deflection off Iwobi ensures Pickford’s never getting there.
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84 min: The stadium falls quiet. Not sure whether that’s a result of tension, with the result still in the balance, or boredom.
82 min: Perisic’s dinked free kick is easily cleared by Onana.
81 min: Rondon comes on for Gueye. Then Doherty drives down the right and is brought down by Mykolenko’s hanging leg. A booking – it really should have been his second, given that challenge on Richarlison in the first minute – and a free kick to the side of the Everton box.
80 min: Garner whips in from the right. It’s a decent looking ball, but again, there are no blue shirts seriously competing. Lloris comes to the edge of his box to claim.
79 min: That was better from Everton. Still not great, but the bar is low. Neither team is exactly sparking joy.
77 min: Bissouma nips at Onana out on the left. The free kick’s floated diagonally by Gray. Tarkowski heads it back into the box from the right. It’s into the danger zone, but there are no blue shirts taking a chance. Kane batters the dropping ball clear.
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75 min: Doherty and McNeil clash heads in an aerial 50-50. Play is momentarily stopped by the referee, who is taking no chances, though McNeil springs up immediately and will be able to continue.
73 min: Bissouma strips Gray with ease, turns, and springs Kane off on the counter. Kane strides down the inside-left channel and enters the box, but upon preparing to shoot is immediately closed down by Tarkowski.
72 min: McNeil crosses from the left, hoping to find Calvert-Lewin in the area. Doherty calmly chests back to Lloris. Everton have achieved nothing in attack since the break.
71 min: Romero strides down the inside-right channel and thinks about shooting, but slips forward to Kane instead. Kane spins and fires quickly towards the bottom left. Pickford parries well, albeit back into a crowded box, and is fortunate it flies to Iwobi, who hoicks clear.
69 min: Everton aren’t getting a sniff of the ball at the moment. Spurs look very comfortable.
67 min: Everton make a double change. Calvert-Lewin and Garner come on for Maupay and Coleman.
65 min: Son drops a shoulder to confuse Gueye and tear into space down the middle. He’s got options either side, with the Everton defence back-pedalling, but opts to shoot from ambitious distance and Tarkowski blocks.
63 min: Everton will have to come out a little more now. Conte’s team will presumably be happy to sit back and spring forward on the counter whenever the opportunity arises. Let’s see.
61 min: That had been coming … and it was a no-brainer of a decision for the referee. Pickford sticks an apologetic hand up in the air, acknowledging both team-mates and travelling support.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Everton (Kane 59 pen)
Kane, who missed from the spot against Eintracht Frankfurt in the week, lashes the penalty into the bottom left. Pickford guesses correctly but can’t get a hand to it. Power and precision does the trick. Spurs lead!
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Penalty for Spurs!
58 min: Doherty creams a shot goalwards from the right-hand corner of the box. Pickford parries but spills. The ball breaks to Kane, who attempts to round his England team-mate. Kane hangs out a leg and is always purchasing the cheap penalty off the prone keeper. The referee points to the spot.
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57 min: Spurs have enjoyed over 70 percent possession since the start of the second half. They’re beginning to press Everton back as well.
55 min: Perisic stands one up from the left. Son’s goalward header is weak and easy pickings for Pickford.
54 min: Gueye is booked for clattering into Hojbjerg in the middle of the park. His studs caught Hojbjerg’s knee, though it looked accidental, the result of his slipping on the turf a split second before. That’s probably the difference between yellow and red, and seems fair enough. The Spurs man accepts Gueye’s genuine apology.
53 min: Spurs finally get the crowd going. Davies strides down the inside-left channel and loops diagonally for Kane, who creams a first-time shot goalwards from just inside the box on the right. Pickford parries brilliantly, though the ball drops to Son, who blazes over from 12 yards. As close as Spurs have come!
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52 min: Richarlison can’t continue. He hobbles off down the tunnel, and is replaced by Bissouma.
50 min: Richarlison goes down holding his calf. He doesn’t look particularly comfortable.
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48 min: Nothing comes of it.
47 min: A slow start to the second half. Then suddenly Davies makes a bit of ground down the left and loops long for his opposite number Doherty. McNeil is forced to eyebrow out for a corner.
Everton get the second half underway. No changes.
The half-time postbag is teeming over with two emails.
“You are correct (36 min). This match is chippy, disconnected, sloppy, anything other than fascinating. Some chances for both teams, little to no quality. Which is the only way my Blues have a chance to win. We can’t get into a racehorse event with Spurs, ugly is the only way for us today” – Mary Waltz.
“Was unaware Bryan Gil’s name includes Salvatierra as well. After what he did in the Frankfurt game I thought his full name was Bryan Lionel Messi Gil. This game is crying for his chaotic play with no one, not even his teammates, sure of what’s going to happen, but everyone will enjoy the ride along” – Yash Gupta.
HALF TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Everton
It’s not been pretty … but Everton could easily be a couple of goals ahead thanks to their rope-a-dope tactics. Gray and Onana have both ballooned over with only Lloris to beat. Neither team gets any marks for artistic style.
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45 min +1: Kane crosses from the left. Richarlison nudges Mykolenko on the penalty spot to make some space, then with the defender prone, flicks over the bar from 12 yards. VAR might have wanted a word had that gone in. Or maybe not. We’ll never know.
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45 min: Son whips viciously into the Everton six-yard box. Romero and Richarlison compete to win a header. The ball pings off Onana’s shoulder and out for a corner. Nothing comes of that. There will be two added minutes.
44 min: McNeil is booked for a late slide on Doherty. Free kick out on the right. Spurs load the Everton box.
43 min: Another huge chance for Everton goes begging! Onana takes advantage of some confused Spurs play in the centre circle, and suddenly he’s got a yard ahead of everyone down the inside-left channel. He enters the box with only Lloris to beat, but like Gray before him, leans back and spoons over the bar.
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42 min: Perisic goes over in the Everton box. Coleman had shoulder barged him in the ear as the pair challenged for a ball in mid air. The crowd want a penalty but Spurs don’t really make a fuss and the referee isn’t interested.
40 min: Richarlison advances on the Everton box and pearls a shot goalwards. It clanks off Tarkowski’s elbow and out for a corner. Richarlison wants a penalty, but Tarkowski had his back turned and his arm was beside his body … and he wasn’t in the penalty area anyway. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
38 min: Bentancur is booked for a challenge on Gray. The award of a foul looked harsh, never mind a yellow card; it looked like Bentancur only made contact with the ball, and didn’t touch the player at all. Spurs are incensed, but Mr Tierney ain’t for turnin’.
36 min: The Sky commentator has just called this game “fascinating”. Oh dear. You know we’re in serious trouble when the F word is applied. This is not good entertainment. There’s no point trying to spin it.
34 min: Perisic crosses deep from the left. Doherty heads straight at Pickford, who tries to get Everton moving quickly on the counter by bowling out immediately. But McNeil is soon stripped of possession, and Kane tries to release Richarlison down the middle. Pickford comes to the edge of his box to claim, and might now think twice about making decisions that stretch the play.
32 min: Romero lashes wildly over the bar from 25 yards. The home fans are getting a little bit frustrated.
31 min: Everton have done a good job of quietening the crowd. Kane tries to get them going again with a dribble in a tight spot to the right of the Everton six-yard box, but Pickford comes out to smother at his feet.
30 min: The free kick is looped into the mixer, and the ball falls to Coleman on the edge of the box. His drive is deflected out for a corner, from which Tarkowski heads harmlessly over the bar. That’s now 49 corners Everton have taken this season, and they’ve yet to score as a result of one.
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29 min: Gueye suddenly springs down the inside-left channel and draws a clumsy foul from Romero. A free kick, 35 yards out. Everton line up on the edge of the Spurs box.
28 min: Everton stroke it around the back. Spurs meanwhile sit back. Stalemate.
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26 min: Davies crosses from the left. Everton only half clear, and the ball drops to Hojbjerg, who thinks about shooting, decides against it, then changes his mind with the crowd geeing him on. Bad idea. He slices woefully, his shot sailing harmlessly wide and high.
24 min: Everton should be leading. A long Coady pass down the right. Gray brings it down and scoots away from Bentancur. He’s clear, it’s been as simple as that! Gray enters the box down the inside-right channel with only Lloris to beat … but leans back and blasts over the bar. What a chance. Lampard holds his head in his hands.
22 min: Davies slips the ball in from the left. Kane takes up possession on the edge of the box and takes a shot that’s deflected out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece.
20 min: McNeil knocks the ball down the left touchline and backs himself in a footrace with Romero. Nope. This is becoming a little bit attritional. That’s not a complete surprise.
18 min: Onana and Romero come together in the centre circle, the Spurs defender ending up on the floor. The referee waves play on, as Richarlison has room to romp into, but the attack breaks down. No quarter given.
16 min: Everton launch their first meaningful attack. Onana sashays into the Spurs box from the left only to be denied a chance to shoot by Romero’s excellently timed slide tackle. Onana claims a penalty, but oh no. Goal kick.
14 min: Now Romero comes clattering into Gray. Nothing more than a free kick in the middle of the park. Before it can be taken, the referee talks to Pickford about the amount of time he’s taking over goal kicks. Pickford frowns and effs and jeffs, he’s not happy about being warned at all. There’s already a little bit of an edge to this match.
12 min: Everton attempt to play out from the back. Coleman is very nearly stripped of possession when Son presses. He manages to launch it, and then Maupay swings an arm into Dier’s startled mush. It looked purely accidental, but Maupay goes into the book for recklessness. That seemed a lot less egregious than the Mykolenko foul on Richarlison, but then there’s no second-guessing referees these days.
10 min: Spurs take an absolute age to decide what to do. Goodness knows what they were all talking about for so long, because when the free kick is finally taken, Son blooters it witlessly into the Everton wall.
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8 min: Perisic is the boss of Coleman as he spins clear down the left. He can’t find Richarlison with his cross. Spurs come again, Son trying to squeak past Gueye just inside the box. He goes over and claims a penalty, but there wasn’t any contact. So Spurs come at Everton a third time, and Tarkowski fouls Richarlison just to the left of the D. Free kick in a very dangerous position.
6 min: Perisic works his way down the left and crosses deep. Richarlison springs up highest at the far stick but can’t get his header on target. He should have done much better from close range. A fast start from Spurs.
5 min: Space for Son down the left. He whistles a cross towards Kane, six yards out at the near post. Kane flicks a header that pinballs off Tarkowski and out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set piece, but that deflection could have gone anywhere.
4 min: Other than that, it’s been all Spurs in these opening exchanges.
2 min: The fact that challenge occurred after 39 seconds probably didn’t do Mykolenko any harm either. He landed his studs just above Richarlison’s ankle, bending the Brazilian’s leg. Thankfully there’s no lasting damage.
Spurs get the ball rolling. It isn’t very long before Mykolenko stands on Richarlison’s ankle. It’s an accident, but a clumsy one, and Richarlison is fortunate not to be seriously hurt. Mykolenko is fortunate Richarlison doesn’t make a big thing of it. You’ve seen red cards given for less.
Here come the teams! Spurs wear lily white, Everton royal blue. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes, once hands are shaken, coins are tossed … and the knee is taken. There’s no room for racism.
Antonio Conte speaks to Sky. “My expectation is for a tough game. We have to pay attention to their counter attack. They are a physical, strong team. It will be a special game for Richarlison. He is doing very well for us, and has adapted quickly.”
Frank Lampard adds: “Richarlison had a lot of respect for Everton, but I know the type he is as well. A hungry boy, who wants to play well and score goals. He’s unpredictable in a good way. There’s no hard feelings. He gave a lot to this club and left on a good footing. We wish him well – after today.”
Tottenham make three changes to the XI named for the win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night. Matt Doherty, Ivan Perisic and Ben Davies replace Clement Lenglet and Ryan Sessegnon, who drop to the bench, and the suspended Emerson Royal.
Everton make just the one change to the side sent out against Manchester United last Sunday. Anthony Gordon is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season, so Dwight McNeil takes his place.
The teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Davies, Doherty, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Richarlison, Son, Kane.
Subs: Skipp, Sanchez, Gil Salvatierra, Sessegnon, Forster, Spence, Lucas Moura, Lenglet, Bissouma.
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Iwobi, Gueye, Onana, McNeil, Maupay, Gray.
Subs: Keane, Calvert-Lewin, Begovic, Doucoure, Davies, Ruben Vinagre, Rondon, Garner, Welch.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
Preamble
Everton won here in September 2020 thanks to a goal from Dominic Calvert-Lewin. That result is very much the outlier in this particular fixture: it’s the only time Tottenham have been beaten by the Toffees in their last 19 Premier League meetings. It’s also the only time Everton have won away at Spurs since 2008, when Vedran Corluka put through his own net. Throw in Tottenham’s current streak of seven wins at home in the Premier League, and the smart money will be on Antonio Conte’s third-placed side this evening.
But Everton are not the pushovers of last season. They’ve only let in nine goals so far in this campaign, and until Manchester United defeated them at Goodison last Sunday evening, had been on a seven-game unbeaten run. So they could quite easily make things awkward for Spurs tonight, especially if Conte plays his hand carefully, as is his wont more often than not. It probably won’t be a goalfest, then … but we’re only saying that in the hope of tempting fate into providing us with a classic. Kick off is at 5.30pm BST. It’s on!
