Everton beat sorry Tottenham to ease relegation fears

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The goal-shy Toffees tore through a bedraggled Spurs backline to net three times before the breakthrough Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Iliman Ndiaye and an Archie Gray own goal. A first win in seven league games takes Everton four points clear of the bottom three. Tottenham's 12th Premier League defeat of the season leaves them just four points above Everton in 15th and ramps up the pressure on under-fire manager Ange Postecoglou.

However, it was chairman Daniel Levy, not the Australian, who felt the fury of the travelling support as they chanted for change at the top of the club. Everton did bite the bullet to sack Sean Dyche earlier this month and it was like the Goodison days of old for David Moyes as he enjoyed the first win of his second spell in charge.

Spurs frailties

Moyes' homecoming fell flat in a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in midweek, after which the former Manchester United boss said he was aware of the task he faces to preserve Premier League status due to a lack of firepower. Calvert-Lewin had not scored since September but did not look like a striker short on confidence as he turned Gray and Lucas Bergvall before firing in the opening goal on 13 minutes.

To compound the absence of first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and three of Postecoglou's preferred back four in Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie, Tottenham were also without club-record signing Dominic Solanke due to injury. Captain Son Heung-min stepped in to start as a makeshift centre-forward and should have levelled when he shot too close to Jordan Pickford from Dejan Kulusevski's cross. But Tottenham looked likely to concede every time Everton sprang out on the counter-attack.

 

January 19, 2025

Calvert-Lewin should have had a second but for a heavy touch that allowed Antonin Kinsky to block before the Czech goalkeeper turned Orel Mangala's effort onto the post. Everton had scored just 15 goals in 20 league games prior to kick-off, going goalless in nine of their previous 11 games. What little inspiration there has been from the Toffees this season has come from Ndiaye.

The Senegal international produced a moment of magic to double the lead as he skipped past the statuesque Radu Dragusin before slotting high past Kinsky. Gray's own goal compounded a terrible first 45 minutes for the visitors as their frailty from set-pieces was again exposed when the 18-year-old could only turn Calvert-Lewin's flick into his own net.

Postecoglou responded by replacing Dragusin with former Everton favourite Richarlison at half-time. However, the damage was already done and could have got even worse for the ex-Celtic boss before it got better in the second period. Calvert-Lewin shot wide with another glorious chance for his second.

Kulusevski's classy chip over three scrambling Everton defenders pulled a goal back before Richarlison turned home at the back post in stoppage time. But a spirited second half showed the gap in quality Spurs should have exploited before the break. Postecoglou's men remain alive in three cup competitions, but Levy has a decision to make on whether the quest for a first trophy since 2008 would be better served by a change of manager.

 

January 19, 2025