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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Sean Bradbury

What national media said on Everton, Harry Kane 'dive' and 'heartbreaking' Richarlison interview

Everton were on the end of a 2-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur last night, with goals from Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg sealing victory for the home side.

The result leaves Frank Lampard's men 14th in the Premier League table - with 10 points on the board after 10 games.

Here is a round-up of what the national media made of the game and key talking points, including a potential Kane dive to win the penalty and a 'heartbreaking' interview with Richarlison after the final whistle.

JOE THOMAS: Everton setback explained in three moments as half-time fears become bitter reality

CHRIS BEESLEY: Jordan Pickford let down by VAR as cruel blow cannot overshadow Everton change

'Harry Kane is the King of the Divers' - Chris Sutton, BBC radio

While Jordan Pickford has come in for a bit of stick for spilling the ball before the penalty incident, Kane has been slammed by many observers for what happened immediately after. One man who didn't mince his words was Chris Sutton.

Speaking on BBC 5 Live after the match, Sutton said: "I think Harry Kane is the King of the Divers, isn't he? He initiated the contact, he was already on his way down with Jordan Pickford.

"We've seen it time and time again. Listen, I get it, he's the England captain, but he's a diver. I think Everton were hard done by."

In discussions with Robbie Savage, Sutton added: "Look at it again Rob. He's really cute in the way that he does it but he's super alert, he takes the touch. You look closely Rob, you haven't looked at it closely, he's already on his way down and he initiates the contact. It's a dive."

'Lampard has banished sense of chaos' - Oliver Holt, Mail on Sunday

Holt said in his match report: "Spurs sealed the victory with a late strike from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but they were grateful to Everton for their profligacy in front of goal. The visitors missed two gilt-edged chances in the first half but their manager, Frank Lampard, will be worried by their toothlessness in attack. Everton were routed 5-0 here late last season and Lampard appears to have banished the sense of chaos that was enveloping the club then.

"Still, the game was not a classic. In an interview that appeared before the game, Richarlison, the Brazil striker who left Everton for Spurs in the summer, suggested his departure owed much to a ‘lack of ambition’ at the Merseyside club. In the context of this match, it was rather an unfortunate choice of words. Because this match screamed a lot of things: pragmatism, caution, opportunism perhaps. But not ambition."

'Richarlison was heartbroken' - João Castelo-Branco, ESPN

Former Everton man Richarlison was subbed off early in the second half last night. And João Castelo-Branco, reporting for ESPN, gave an update on the situation after the match.

He wrote: "Richarlison cried a lot in the dressing room after getting injured during Tottenham's 2-0 victory over Everton, this Saturday (15) , for the 11th round of the Premier League. ESPN found that the Brazilian was inconsolable in the locker room. Richarlison is very concerned about how he felt on the pitch because of the proximity to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar .

"Richarlison's biggest tension is having a popped calf. He experienced a similar issue at Everton, when he was sidelined for two months."

Richarlison himself, in an emotional interview post-match, said: "It's kind of hard to say because it's so close to realising my dream [playing at the World Cup]. I've already suffered an injury similar to this, I hope it can heal as soon as possible. or less. I was stopped about two months at Everton.

"I know it's hard to talk right now, but let's see, I'll recover. Monday. I have tests to do, but even walking hurts. Let's wait."

'Everton should have led at half-time' - Jacob Steinberg, Guardian

The Guardian report said: "This was a test of endurance for Spurs. The opening period was a slog, even if Kane extended Pickford and Richarlison went close to piercing his old side when he nodded wide after Ivan Perisic crossed from the left. Yet Everton should have led at half-time.

"The visitors were solid after switching to a back five and their graft was accompanied by the odd flash of incision. 'If we finish our chances the feeling would have been different,' said Lampard, who rued Onana and Gray blazing over when they were through on goal.

"Lampard pointed out that Everton, who have moved on from last year’s relegation worries, could not match Spurs’s class. The hosts were more energetic after Bissouma arrived, Kane testing Pickford with a stunning volley, and it was not long before Everton cracked."

'Everton their own worst enemy' - Joe Thomas, Liverpool ECHO

Our Blues correspondent said in his match verdict: "Everton proved their own worst enemy in a game that highlighted both their progress and their limitations.

"Last season, Tottenham Hotspur hammered the Blues 5-0 in a match that bluntly exposed how Frank Lampard's side was facing a battle for Premier League survival. Seven months later, the team that qualified for the Champions League and the side that just avoided relegation were separated by no more than a spot-kick from Harry Kane and a late, deflected Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg goal, scored when the visitors chased the game.

"The narrow margin of defeat will do little to ease the disappointment felt by Everton boss Lampard after an effective gameplan was undermined by missed chances and a penalty that, while soft, could have been avoided. The Blues' coaching team can take some comfort from the performance but will be left frustrated that, just like against Manchester United, their team lost this game rather then forced their opponents to win it."

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