Chris Bascombe at Goodison Park
This year’s winner of the most stupid red card of the season proved to be a two-horse race, so full credit to Tottenham’s Lucas Moura for stealing the honour with a late surge to deny Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure. Doucoure was a certainty for the unwanted accolade at Goodison Park, primed for ridicule, shame and probably a hefty club fine having given referee David Coote no option but to dismiss him for raising his hand at Harry Kane.
True, cynics will suggest Doucoure showed all the venom one might expect from a make-up artist administering face cream when he shoved the England striker, but there was little to justify complaints as he made his premature departure. This needless act of self sabotage looked like leaving Everton in maximum danger of Championship football next season, especially when Kane inflicted further punishment with a typically accomplished penalty.
Enter Moura with a six minute cameo that will be worth exhibiting in Everton’s club museum should the Merseyside club survive by this single point. The Brazilian’s rash 88th minute decision to jump studs first at Michael Keane led to a challenge so horrific, it was a good job it was broadcast after the watershed. Keane, who had earlier conceded the penalty after tripping Christian Romero, promptly recovered to slam a stunning effort past Hugo Lloris in injury time and Goodison despair turned to euphoria.
If Everton are still playing in the Premier League next August, the least Moura can expect is bouquets of thanks dispatched by Sean Dyche and a couple of hundred thousand Evertonians. Not for the first time in his Tottenham career or on this feisty evening, Kane was left with his head in his hands.
Only Spurs’ record goalscorer can testify to how much pain was inflicted as result of the altercation with Doucoure, the home fans believing gamesmanship was more obvious than the ferocity of the midfielder’s slap. No matter. In the circumstances it was a nonsensical reaction by the Everton man and Dyche’s frantic plea for leniency by the official betrayed his emotions. He knew what was coming as the chance to claim a numerical advantage was suitably milked.
The 58th minute incident would have been calamitous for the home side if Spurs had kept their poise. For a brief period, the visiting fans were so elated they stopped chanting for Daniel Levy to ‘get out of their club’. They have seen this movie too many times before, though, not least in their last game at Southampton which finished off Antonio Conte.
Perhaps it was entirely appropriate that Spurs turned a promising position into a missed opportunity given that is the root of the current angst against the board in the aftermath of the latest managerial change. Given they were a few seconds from going third – just as in their last Premier League game – it could be argued that a Spurs crisis is not what it used to be. The squandering of such a possibility explains the exasperation.
Here is a club which is specialising in being on the verge of being successful, taking residence on the fringes as others collect trophies.Spurs fans have long since concluded Champions League qualification is pointless without any recognisable boardroom ambition to win it. Whatever the view of Conte, the first match since his sacking offered an opportunity to see whether his scapegoating was merited.
You find yourself looking for all the tell-tale signs of a squad in chirpy mood that the ex-boss has gone; an extra yard of pace, the willingness to throw oneself into a 50-50 when in the last away game there was no such compulsion, or the general desire to follow the caretaker’s instructions. Body language experts will be fixing their attention on Kane for the next two months.
He is surely in the midst of his long farewell to Tottenham, whether he leaves this summer or is forced to see out the final year of his contract. There was no joy to be had for those wondering if he is inclined to down tools, England’s skipper up for the fight whether scoring or cleverly facilitating Doucoure’s red card.
The more the Gwladys Street jeered the striker’s touches after the first flashpoint, the louder the away fans hailed one of their own. There was no questioning Kane’s general commitment, however. It will demean the Champions League if he is not in it next season.
How Everton would love Spurs’ problems, their upturn under Dyche yet to give them security. They demonstrated the positive traits that promise to get them out of trouble, full of purposeful running and willingness to throw bodies on the line, and a capacity to save themselves against the odds. They have now taken valuable injury points in consecutive games against the kind of opponents who were swatting them aside earlier in the season.
This draw moved Everton to 15th. So long as they can avoid a seemingly insatiable appetite for self-destruction, they should avoid the drop. Spurs will need to do likewise to keep their top four hopes, and surely their last chance of avoiding another transfer saga involving their star player, alive.
Everton vs Tottenham, as it happened:
10:43 PM
Michael Keane speaks with Sky Sports
At this stage of the season every point is massive. Every contribution could be huge come the end of the season. In general we are disappointed not to win tonight. With how the game panned out we are happy with the draw in the end. It shows the mentality. We’ve come from behind in a few games. We are going in the right direction and if we keep doing that we have a chance.
I just know straight away Sean Dyche believes in me. When he came in I had a conversation and he has a lot of faith in me. I had to be patient, it was a long nine months not playing but I’m delighted to be back.
Everybody does look at the results. You can’t let it affect how you train and how you play. But if results don’t go our way so be it. We know what our standards are and if we stick to them, hopefully we’ll be alright.
We see it in training how much experience we’ve got. We were in a similar situation last season. We know what we have to do and what it takes to get out of it and hopefully we can.
10:36 PM
Cristian Stellini speaks with Sky Sports
My feeling now is that we lost two points this evening because with 11 men against 10 we had to control much better the game. We try to do, but did not in the way I expect to do it. After our red card, the power of the game was difficult. With 11 men against 10, we have to do much better.
We tried to press them to not give them much possession. We tried to do it, I think we didn’t do well in possession.
For me, 11 against 10, we have to control much better the game with the ball, and not without.
The red card is clear. Lucas, his tackle was too dangerous. All the red card’s are clear.
It was a tough game, it’s not easy to come here and play here against Everton. We played a good game, we shot on target a lot. We can be more creative, but when you play this type of game it’s not easy.
We are in the same position like in last season and we have to be ready to fight.
10:28 PM
Was Kane right to go down so dramatically here?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
10:23 PM
Sean Dyche speaks with Sky Sports
He’s [Michael Keane] been in fine form to be fair on the training pitch. It’s a tough call, the margins are tight with who you pick and who you don’t pick.
The ebbs and flows of the game. I’m more pleased with the mentality. It starts with hard graft. The basic fundamentals have got to be delivered. This is a group that are growing, this is a group that are improving. It’s only a point, but it’s a meaningful point, the mentality is getting stronger and stronger.
We’re building something here and that has to have a show for what you do. That is points, wins, and we’re building that. The thing we’re trying to guarantee is performances.
I’m not obsessed with looking at the table, that’s the way I’ve always works. I just want the mentality to be right every time the whistle blows.
10:06 PM
Harry Kane’s penalty
09:59 PM
Full time: Everton 1 Tottenham 1
Everton showed the character to come back and wrestle the point and extend their unbeaten run to four. That point could be crucial at the end of the season as Everton bid for survival. They’re now one of four teams on 27 points, moving one point into the safety zone.
Sean Dyche’s men were resilient and fought until the very end. Spurs couldn’t close the game out and Everton responded really well to going down to 10 men. Michael Keane’s screamer will live long in the memory of the Goodison faithful.
09:55 PM
90+6 mins: Everton 1 Tottenham 1
Kulusevski with a shot, but it’s deflected and bobbles wide. Corner to come for the last kick of the match. Perisic takes, Simms meets it and that’s just about it.
09:54 PM
Have it!
09:50 PM
GOAL: Everton 1 Tottenham 1 (Keane, 90)
Michael Keane!!! What a finish from outside the D.
Power, dip, swerve, accuracy. Lloris doesn’t even dive as the centre-back is given acres to get his shot away and equalise for the hosts.
09:48 PM
RED CARD: Everton 0 Tottenham 1 (Lucas Moura, 87)
So late and dangerous from Lucas Moura on Keane. He’s gone in, studs showing on Keane’s ankle. It’s reckless and he’s off, 10 vs 10 for the last few minutes. He’s only been on five minutes.
09:46 PM
86 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 1
Everton free kick, 28 yards out, inside-right. Garner takes and it’s clipped in, but straight out. It’s into the area between the backline and the goalkeeper, but maybe a fraction too much on it for his team-mates.
09:44 PM
Harry Kane’s goal from the penalty spot
09:43 PM
82 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 1
Everton keep building the pressure. Mykolenko’s had an effort – blocked by a Spurs defender – and another ball’s just been sent into the danger area forcing Lloris to dart out and rise high to gather. Spurs could still be undone by 10-men here at Goodison – Everton have dominated since the goal.
09:40 PM
The moment of madness
09:35 PM
75 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 1
Gueye forces a save from Lloris, a well-taken shot from the edge of the Tottenham box – he’s not closed down quickly enough there. Spurs are inviting Everton back into this!
The corner is sent in and Keane is on the end of it, headed on target, but Lloris is there to gather.
09:27 PM
GOAL: Everton 0 Tottenham 1 (Kane, 67 pen)
Kane sends his England colleague the wrong way, firing into the bottom-left corner. Clinical and decisive. Goal number 22 of the season for the England international.
09:26 PM
PENALTY: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Keane’s tripped Romero in the Everton box, getting just ahead of the Everton man as the ball comes in, sending the Spurs man flying onto the turf. Harry Kane to take.
09:22 PM
62 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Nine blue shirts players in the Everton box for that last Spurs attack. They’re digging in now after that sending off.
09:20 PM
RED CARD: Everton 0 Tottenham 0 (Doucoure, 57)
And it’s a straight red, Everton’s first of the season. There was a coming together on the side of the pitch, right in front of the managers, Kane shoving Doucoure, but then the Everton man pushed back followed by a push in the face. Kane went down theatrically and gets a yellow for his initial part in the altercation.
09:17 PM
57 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Doucoure’s lashed out at Kane and it looks like he’s going to be off, a blow to the face, a loss of composure.
09:13 PM
54 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Everton have been tireless out of possession, winning the ball back time and time again, but they’ve then struggled to create anything of note, failing to get enough players forward to provide the options necessary in the final third.
09:11 PM
51 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Gray rolls the ball back to Onana who goes for a placed outside the box effort, but it’s hit too tamely, Lloris gets down to that one easily. Better work from Everton though.
09:10 PM
49 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Kane spins one in to the far post from the left, but Coleman’s taking no chances and knocks it out to concede a corner.
Godfrey gets to the corner first… it’s out to Dier, who passes across to Porro who goes for a wild shot while the ball is moving away from him and it disappears high into the stands at Goodison.
09:07 PM
47 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Onana does brilliantly to dispossess the Tottenham back-four, he slides it to Gueye who takes a touch, winds up and goes for all out power, spooning it over. A great chance, but poorly taken. A let-off for Spurs.
09:04 PM
Second half
Under way. No half-time changes.
09:04 PM
Have word, Sean
08:51 PM
Half-time: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
As expected, Harry Kane has been at the centre of the attacking opportunities for Tottenham, but he couldn’t take either of his two chances.
Slim pickings at the other end too with Gray coming close with a curling effort near the start of the match, but not much since then.
08:46 PM
45 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Three minutes of added time to come.
08:45 PM
44 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Tarkowski’s gone in hard on Kane, whipping his feet from under him. Surely a yellow, but the ref doesn’t think so.
08:44 PM
42 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Kulusevski threads Son through, splitting the Everton defence with ease. Son collects, strides forward and shoots, but it’s not in the corner and Pickford saves with his feet… and the flag goes up. Son was offside in the build-up.
08:40 PM
39 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Dier goes in hard on Tarkowski, leaving the Everton man needing medical attention. He twisted his knee in the contact.
08:38 PM
37 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Onana has a long-ranger… ambitious. Lloris dives down rather easily to his right to gather.
08:37 PM
36 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Iwobi bursts down the right flank on an Everton counter-attack, linking up well with Gray, but the attack breaks down in the end, Iwobi inadvertently giving the ball away to Kane. Everton were sluggish in getting up to support Iwobi, he hadn’t have many options at all. Everton must commit more bodies forward in those situations.
08:35 PM
34 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Kane looks to have kept himself onside, Kulusevski waiting in the middle… but hang on, up goes the flag, late. On the replay it doesn’t look like it was off, unlucky for Spurs there.
08:33 PM
32 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Porro tries to pump one across goal, getting on the end of a long-ball down the right flank… but this one’s easily dealt with by Godfrey.
08:32 PM
30 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Spurs don’t deal with the free kick and it’s recycled back in from the right flank. Doucoure gets his head on the end of it, middle of the 18-yard box, but it’s not well controlled and it cannons over Lloris’s crossbar.
08:30 PM
28 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Romero goes through the back of Gray on the left-flank, clearing him out. Everton free kick out wide, in line with the edge of the 18-yard box.
08:26 PM
23 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Godfrey has a crack from outside of the box. It’s hit with venom, but Dier heads it out of harms way. Not sure how much he really knew about that, but it’s deflected away from danger nonetheless.
08:24 PM
22 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Everton free kick swung in from the right. Skipp and Lloris get in the way of each other in trying to clear and Spurs struggle to get it away. Recycled back in. Gray tries a chop-back and falls off-balance in the box. Appeals for a penalty but he tripped over himself more than anything.
08:22 PM
20 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
A wonderful ball in from Perisic with his right foot from the left, cutting inside, biding his time. Porro is there on the far post, ready to tap it in but for a phenomenal last-ditch tap over from Godfrey. Take a bow.
08:20 PM
Cristian Stellini’s first shift in the technical area
08:18 PM
15 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
A lovely diagonal ball in from deep from Dier to Perisic who is making strides down the outside-left channel. Perisic picks out Kane who gets his head on it and it’s only a fraction wide. That’s the closest Spurs’s talisman has come so far.
08:14 PM
Gray’s dig
08:13 PM
This from Telegraph Sport’s Chris Bascombe who is at Goodison for us tonight
Four minutes in and the first chant of ‘Daniel Levy, get out of our club,’ audible from travelling Spurs fans.
08:12 PM
10 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Keane has a dig, but he lashes it over. The ball comes in to him, he’s unmarked, from a long free kick on the right. He chests to tee himself up with his first touch, and then volleys with his second, sending it over Lloris’s crossbar.
08:09 PM
8 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
McNeil tries to pick a way through, cutting inside from the inside-left channel, but a robust challenge from Romero dispossesses the Everton man and Spurs look to trigger a counter attack.
08:06 PM
4 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
A long ball from deep to the right channel, which Porro latches onto. He has to hit that first time and square to a lurking Kane, but he instead takes a touch and it gives a split-second for the Everton defenders to get in and block the cross. Kane has his head in his hands.
08:04 PM
2 mins: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Gray fires one just wide. Doucoure starts the move, playing Iwobi in who strides past Hojbjerg 30 yards out before squaring to Gray on the left-edge of the area. Gray takes a touch and tries to shape a shot into the top-right corner, but it’s just over.
08:02 PM
1 min: Everton 0 Tottenham 0
Kulusevski has gone down under a challenge from Godfrey, heavy handed that, looked like a finger to the Swede’s eye. Spurs free kick on the halfway line.
08:01 PM
Kick off!
Tottenham get us under way.
David Coote officiates this one tonight.
07:58 PM
The players emerge onto the pitch at Goodison
A reminder of the line ups tonight.
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Tarkowski, Godfrey, Iwobi, Doucoure, Gueye, Onana, McNeil, Gray.
Subs: Holgate, Mina, Begovic, Mykolenko, Maupay, Davies, Coady, Garner, Simms.
Tottenham: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Lenglet, Porro, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Kulusevski, Son, Kane.
Subs: Sanchez, Danjuma, Forster, Tanganga, Lucas Moura, Sarr, Austin, Devine, Mundle.
07:56 PM
Kane, Son and co warm up
07:53 PM
Tottenham v Everton: Who is the bigger crisis club?
Everton and Spurs may both be unlikely to win any trophies this season but there is one unwanted battle that these two clubs are locked neck-and-neck in: a thrilling race to land the title of Premier League’s Most In-Crisis Club.
Thom Gibbs assesses the relative claims of Tottenham Hotspur and Everton to be crowned the most beleaguered current Premier League outfit by ranking and rating them in multiple crisis-y categories.
07:50 PM
Kick off in 10 minutes; team news for tonight
Hugo Lloris returns to the Tottenham side as they begin life after Antonio Conte.
The French goalkeeper has been out since February with a knee injury but returns to the side for the first match since Conte’s exit in the international window.
Everton are unchanged from the side that drew at Chelsea as they look to climb out of the relegation zone.
07:48 PM
Acting Tottenham head coach Cristian Stellini speaks with Sky Sports
I feel in a position, in an important position with a lot of responsibility, much more than in the past. Now I must fly solo. For sure it is not easy, but I have a lot of things that I lean from Antonio during the long period we worked together. We are ready to challenge in the next 10 matches,
There is a different person, a different character. Not so much to change in what the team has to do. We have to start well, to be consistent.
07:40 PM
Everton fans protest against their board
07:30 PM
Kane on Conte’s exit
He had his opinions on the matter and obviously it was an emotional moment after a disappointing end to that game.
I don’t want to get into it too much. We’re focused on trying to achieve the top four.
We can’t look at the past, we have to start now and look at these games ahead of us and that’s what we’ll try to do.
07:18 PM
Team news
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Tarkowski, Godfrey, Iwobi, Doucoure, Gueye, Onana, McNeil, Gray.
Subs: Holgate, Mina, Begovic, Mykolenko, Maupay, Davies, Coady, Garner, Simms.
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Romero, Dier, Lenglet, Porro, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic, Kulusevski, Son, Kane.
Subs: Sanchez, Danjuma, Forster, Tanganga, Lucas Moura, Sarr, Austin, Devine, Mundle.
06:58 PM
Good evening
Sean Dyche has told his Everton players to prepare for the best version of Tottenham tonight.
Spurs have endured a turbulent couple of weeks after the abrupt departure of manager Antonio Conte and managing director having his ban in Italy extended worldwide.
Yet, despite their problems, the London side are still competing for a top-four place in the Premier League and Dyche remains wary of their quality ahead of a crucial encounter with his side at Goodison Park.
The former Burnley boss said: “For all the things that get said about these times – and there’s varying reasons why it gets said of course – at the end of the day, the whistle blows and you’re playing against a good group of players without a shadow of a doubt.
“They’re still going pretty well in the league, for all the noise. They’re certainly a side to be reckoned with and you have to make sure that you’re on your performance levels.
“I say this all the time because it’s important to remember it as a group.
“Anything that’s helpful then we’ll take it, of course, but it always starts with us. Every game starts with us.
“Are we prepared? Are we mentally and physically prepared? Are we organised? Do we know everything we’ve got to do to try and win a game? That’ll be my key focus, that’s for sure.”
Dyche admits he does not know how Spurs will approach the game under the guidance of Cristian Stellini, Conte’s former assistant who has taken charge until the end of the season.
Yet he is hopeful his players will be able to adapt to the challenge.
Everton are one of nine teams in the relegation scrap but have started to show their battling qualities under the guidance of Dyche, who took charge in January.
Sean Dyche’s side will go into the game unbeaten in their last three and after fighting back to snatch a 2-2 draw at Chelsea in their most recent outing.
Dyche said: “I don’t think there’ll be radical change (from Spurs). There might be but I doubt it.
“We’ll have to wait and see but the good thing with the Premier League and the players I’ve got here, is they’ve experienced a lot during this season and other seasons – coming across different tactical situations, different playing styles etc.
“You’ve got to be adaptable and flexible, so we will be.”
Everton will again be without striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is not yet back in full training after a thigh problem, but have no fresh injury concerns following the international break.
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