Tottenham vs Everton result: Five things we learned as Carlo Ancelotti’s side upset Spurs
A wake-up call for Mourinho’s side on the opening weekend
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Your support makes all the difference.Everton picked up an away win with a 1-0 victory at Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.
The best chances of the first half fell to Richarlison, in particular one wayward Tottenham pass which saw him run through, round Hugo Lloris and miss his shot into an open goal.
Despite that, Spurs will feel they created enough openings to perhaps be ahead at the break, with Matt Doherty going close and Son Heung-min seeing a shot blocked.
After the break Everton were the more progressive side, however, and took a deserved lead when Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed in Lucas Digne’s free-kick delivery.
Here are five things we learned from the game at Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Difference in debuts
A first showing for Colombian attacker James Rodriguez in an Everton shirt gave cause for optimism for Toffees fans, with a few fleeting glimpses of his ability to thread balls beyond a defence and look for goal from range.
He, and holding midfielder Allan, both impressed in spells, while Abdoulaye Doucoure was a willing runner if not a particularly involved presence.
For Spurs and their new faces it was a different matter.
Right-back Doherty started well and had a couple of moments in the opposition box which highlighted his attacking threat, but he quickly faded and Richarlison gave him a torrid afternoon at the other end of the pitch.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg was downright poor, losing the ball and the battle in the middle on far too many occasions.
Lack of tempo, lack of progress
Earlier in the year, there was much celebration around the Premier League’s return, albeit without fans and with a host of unusual additions.
The overriding theme was that it was great to have the games on again - though the meeting between these two sides in July was quietly swept under the carpet as an aberration to be ignored.
It was, in short, dross.
Fast forward to mid-September and this fixture and not a whole lot appeared to have changed for Jose Mourinho’s side: it was slow, predictable, lacking tenacity or tempo.
They created a few first-half chances, yes, but beyond that and certainly after conceding the opener, Spurs were woefully second-best and never looked like equalising.
Son, the Spurs outlet and creator
So what were the positives for Spurs? In the first hour, at least, Son was their brightest spark, the man who came closest to finding a route to goal.
It was rarely him with the final touch or shot, but Son’s running in the channel, ability to cut inside and pick a clever pass made him their chief threat in the final third.
One delivery bent toward the far post came within an inch of Harry Kane tapping home, while another driving run through the centre teed up Dele Alli, only for his shot to be saved.
Beyond that? Not an awful lot.
Ancelotti’s change of shape
Carlo Ancelotti spent most of last season in his customary 4-4-2 with Everton, but here we saw a change of shape which had been used in pre-season.
The Blues had a fairly fluid 4-3-3 on show, James in off the right and Richarlison from the left, beefing up the centre of the park with their new arrivals.
It appeared to give them a measure more control out of possession, though at times match-winner Calvert-Lewin did look isolated.
Perhaps it was no surprise that, ultimately, a set-piece decided this match, though Richarlison could easily have added to the scoreline in either half.
Champions League chase
Make no mistake, Spurs have their main objective as a top-four finish this season.
Perhaps on this evidence it’s Everton who should be considering the same.
Obviously it will be a massive challenge to jump from 13th even up into the Europa League spots, with the big six, Wolves, Leicester and Everton themselves all capable, but this was Everton’s first win in 41 games against the biggest six sides in the league.
Three points, just one game, but maybe a massive 90 minutes for the mentality and mindset of both teams.
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