Squawka
·19 Januari 2025
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·19 Januari 2025
Before taking charge of his second match as Everton‘s head coach in his second spell, David Moyes addressed a sore point that was evident to everyone: his players, especially centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, needed to finish the limited chances they were creating.
“What I would say is that I think Dom got three chances on Wednesday night, that might be three more than he’s had recently,” Moyes said following the 0-1 defeat to Aston Villa. “So it was a good sign that he got them. Now, we wanted him to maybe take one of them. We just need to finish them off.”
It didn’t take long for Calvert-Lewin to answer his manager’s call, as he celebrated a 13th-minute strike against Tottenham, who are experiencing a slump, to say the least. This successful effort brought great relief, as it marked the end of a 16-match run in the Premier League without a goal; it had been 1,256 minutes since his last such happiness.
With Spurs missing several key defensive players, they appear more vulnerable than ever. Jamie Carragher, on Sky Sports commentary, condemned Tottenham’s naive play as Everton, a previously goal-shy team, consistently pressured goalkeeper Antonín Kinsky.
Iliman Ndiaye sensationally doubled Everton’s lead, prompting Carragher to ask, “But how bad must you be defensively if Everton are creating this many chances?”
Despite having the second-worst attack in the Premier League, Everton were able to look dangerous against a Spurs team struggling to find its footing. Remarkably, this was the first time since Gameweek 14 (a 4-0 win over Wolves) that the Merseyside club registered two goals in a single Premier League match. Even more astonishing, it was the first time this season that Everton had netted two goals from open play in the same game.
Before facing Spurs, the Toffees had played six matches and failed to score in five of them. This match also marked the first time since February 2022 against Leeds United that Everton scored twice within the first half hour of a Premier League game at Goodison Park.
Things worsened for Tottenham just before halftime when Archie Gray, who became the third-youngest player to reach 15 Premier League appearances for the club, inadvertently put the ball into his own net. As a result, Everton ended the first half with a 3-0 lead at home, a position they had not been in since February 2017 against Bournemouth.
The match showcased a combination of effective coaching from Moyes and a concerning regression from Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou, especially in light of their ongoing defensive issues. Everton recorded six shots on target, which is well above their season average of 3.2. Their expected goals total reached 2.01, the highest figure of the season, surpassing the previous high of 1.99 achieved during their 3-2 loss to Bournemouth at Goodison in August.
It is undeniable that Tottenham deployed an unusual defensive formation once more. However, as Carragher highlighted, a more pragmatic strategy is essential to prevent excessive vulnerability. This became apparent when Jarrad Branthwaite executed a straightforward pass in the first half, reaching Calvert-Lewin, who managed to break through but failed to capitalise due to a lack of control. Carragher’s reaction to Tottenham’s setup was one of disbelief, questioning their approach with, “The defensive line from Tottenham was absolutely unbelievable! What are they doing?”
After the break, there was no sign of improvement, as Tottenham continued to play in the same manner. In disbelief, Carragher remarked, “It’s like watching a kids’ academy team, where they just keep playing the same way. The coach keeps telling them, ‘Don’t worry, keep doing it; results don’t matter.'”
Dejan Kulusevski and one-time Everton favourite Richarlison were able to pull it back to within a one-goal deficit but it was too little, too late. This setback extended their winless streak in the Premier League to six games, resulting in five losses, and the club’s 12th defeat in the Premier League this season, making it only the sixth season that Spurs have lost as many 12 games from their first 22 matches of a league season, and the first since 1997-98 (also 12 defeats).
It’s the first time since 1994 that the Lilywhites have started a calendar year with three consecutive Premier League defeats, which may signal the beginning of the end for Postecoglou. On the other hand, Moyes couldn’t have asked for a better performance, which was undoubtedly the best of this campaign.
In this match, Everton attempted 12 shots, above their season average of 11.3 per game in the Premier League. They also committed 14 fouls, exceeding their average of 11.8 per match. Additionally, Everton made 19 crosses, surpassing their season average of 17.6 crosses per game.
And here’s an interesting piece of trivia: Last season, Moyes led West Ham to a 2-1 victory over Tottenham. The last manager to defeat Postecoglou in the league with two different teams was Takahiro Shimotaira in the Japanese J1 League; he achieved this by winning with Kashiwa Reysol and Yokohama FC.
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