Everton 0 - 3 Tottenham Hotspur
A disastrous game for Everton who gave up not one but two goals to straight-forward corners that Van de Ven converted for Tottenham Hotspur, while O'Brien's brilliant headed goal from an Everton corner was called back by VAR.
Jack Grealish returned, displacing Charly Alcaraz the only change, with Röhl on the bench, but now with only one goalie. Branthwaite and Patterson out injured.
For Spurs, Richarlison and new striker Tel are on the bench.
First Half
Spurs kicked off. Everton soon got some nice possession, Ndiaye dribbling, Grealish pushing up, feeding Mykolenko ahead of him(?). Another fantastic dribble in by Ndiaye beating Spence, a great pullback to Beto who messes it up but Grealish behind him could hammer it goalward, but defended away by Porro. Dewsbury-Hall then blazed the rebound over the bar.
At the other end, Bentancur? drove in and needed stalling. Pedro Porro trod on Grealish's foot. Kudos then Simmons needed to be blocked from getting a shot off, Keane doing well.
Grealish tried to release Mykolenko again, but they wrked it over to the other side, Ndiaye trying to break the block. Dewsbury-Hall looked to slip one through to Mykolenko with Beto pulling into the middle but the ball didn't find him. Some really good lively build-up play by Everton, with Ndiaye and Grealish doing things a little differently.
But then Grealish overdid it, stalling too long before playing it blind to Mykolenko who wasn't quite behind him. Geuye intercepted a Spurs pass brilliantly but Beto had run offside.
Tarkowski strained his back giving up a corner that Kudus whipped to the back-post, where Bentancur leaped highest to shoulder the ball back across to Van de Ven who made no mistake a yard out, Pickford baulked slightly on the crowded line but outfoxed by the delivery.
An O'Brien long thorw as played around untiil Garner smashed one, going wide, but palmed behind. The corner was brilliant, O'Brien, heading it so powerfully, Vicario got a hand to it but surely a goal. However, Ndiaye was very close to him and goalside, also Grealish, so giving VAR something to chew on... and chew they did, and spat it out. No goal.
A mazy dribble from Ndiaye won a deep free-kick, Dewsbury-Hall playing it in poorly. A long ball to Beto easily lost. Another long ball saw Ndiaye fouled by Danso but not given.
Danso took an age to deliver a long throw that Pickford had to push behind. Another brilliant delivery by Kudos but Pickford punched it away, however, SPurs got another corner, but not before some hadnbbags between Piickford, Van de Ven and Grealsih running in to give the Spurs player a good shove., before the corner was cleared.
Beto got behind the Spurs defence but could not control the bouncing ball nevermind centre for the waiting Garner?
A faster move down the right saw Ndiaye and Dewsbury-Hall win a corner but Spurs handled this one better. A brilliant cross in by Ndiaye was deflected just in front of Beto but across the Spurs goal and out. The corner came to nought.
Grealish worked hard to play in Beto who went backwards all the way to the half-way line! Just bizarre play. Mykolenko won a corner and Ndiaye was brilliant, rescuing the lost ball, dribbling back, beating his man and crossing it low.
With 7 minutes added, Gana fouled Danso?, the free-kick going behind off the wall for a Spurs corner. Porro's delivery was good, Bentacur heading behind.
Johnson's drive in was stopped at the expense of another Spurs corner, defended behind for another corner from the other side. An Porro's delivery was brilliant, Van de Ven pushing Pickford off him and getting the final touch. Why wasn't that classed as impeding the goalkeeper?
Second Half
No changes from Moyes at the restart, which eventually saw Ndiaye scampering down the right wing again, but he then executed a bizarre rugby drop goal that sailed over the bar. Everton got forward again through Ndiaye and the ball pinged around in the Spurs area, Dewsbury-Hall seemingly fouled and Ndiaye's flick going agonizingly wide.
Everton tried to build again but slowly, although Grealsih did cut inside evading his three markers. Grealsih beat three defenders bit Garner's cross was straight to Vicario. Dewsbury-Hall saw the ball stolen easily by Porro.
Everton worked it around again and again, Ndiaye crossed for Beto to execute a remarkable bicycle kick that hits Vicario's arm. Incredibly unlucky.
Everton's movement slowed to less than walking place, with Spurs' defence set. When they counter, Garner was in hard on Kudus, yellow card dangerous free-kick. Kudus clipped the top of the wall for another Spurs corner.... Kudus over everyone. Que changes by Thomas Frank.
Everton had pretty much run out of ideas at this point. A bouncing ball beats Tarkowski and Richarlison looks to score against Everton yet again but Pickford was out for the full body block.
Changes finally by Moyes at 66 minutes. And Everton get forward but Mykolenko fails to shoot. However, they win a free-kick and Tarkowski wants a penalty for Johnson holding him. Ndiaye plays it back across to Grealish and his layoff is belted wide by Garner, who demands a corner. Nope.
Bentacncur halts Grealish cynically and he wants a card for the Spurs player but of course gets one himself. Good work between Ndiaye and Grealish sees a shot from Ndiaye that Vicario somehow gets down two despite two deflections.
Gana is completely taken out by Kudus -- an obvious penalty -- called "a normal coming together"! Tarkowski's header in comes back to Ndiaye but his shot is blocked away by Paulinha. Everton are clearly getting nothing from this game.
Barry's shot is deflected over for a corner. Dewsbury-Hall put in a great cross but Rohl headed over from a great position. Everton had dominated play in the second half but had nothing to show from it.
SOme magic from Grealish who beat four men and Vicario punching clear. Everton continued to work at it without really breaking the Spurs defence. Another corner delivered well by Garner but headed clear.
Good play by Barry forced a corner off Danso, another great delivery forn Garner but only Spurs players underneath it. A free-kick right of the Spurs area easily punched clear. Rohl denying Richarlison's counter as Alcaraz replaced Gana with less than 5 minutes left.
Spurs made a rare foray forward and Sarr got behind the Everton defence but was flagged offside. Spurs then gave an object lesson in how easy it can be to score a simple goal, Richarlison heading a cross back for Sarr to nod past Pickford. Shocking in its simplicity.
Five more pointless minutes played out. A sad first loss at Hill Dickinson.
Everton: Pickford, O'Brien (66' Röhl), Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Gueye (86' Alcaraz), Garner [Y:58'], Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish [Y:60'], Beto (66' Barry).
Subs: Travers, Coleman, Aznou, Iroegbunam, Dibling, McNeil.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Danso, Palhinha, Xavi Simmons (61' Bergvall), Kudus, (78' Sarr), Johnson, Pedro Porro, Spence, Bentancur, Van de Ven, Kolo Muani (61' Richarlison).
Subs: Kinsky, Tel, Gray, Odobert, Scarlett, Byfield.
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Posted 26/10/2025 at 15:26:02
Team selection full of surprises!!
(Only 2 keepers!!!)
Posted 26/10/2025 at 15:29:45
One goalie? What is Moyes thinking?
Posted 26/10/2025 at 15:36:22
I don't usually criticise team selection but I am beginning to think that the team picks itself. I would think that Dewsbury-Hall suits Barry and Alcaraz suits Beto.
I would also think the second combination is better for the 2nd half, when the game is likely to open up.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 15:38:13
From one Neil to another...
I agree -- and it is a game of 2 halves.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 15:44:38
Shows you how much I follow non-Everton footy...
I think I only know one player from that Spurs line-up.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 15:54:10
The only time that this team selection is changed will be when they sign a goalscorer.
This team reminds me of wet paint still on the wall -- there is no finish.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 15:59:43
Bit disappointed... no Dibling or Röhl in the starting line-up, after allegedly impressing in training. Then again, who does he leave out?
No Alcaraz either!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 16:08:00
Thanks, Neil.
Derek,
I would like to see Rohl but as you said Derek who would you leave out. Similarity for Dibling and Alcaraz. As I said above I had thought Alcaraz was overrated before the Palace game now he deserves a chance but instead of KDH.
That's not going to happen as KDH is essential to a high press whereas Alcaraz is not as good but probably more creative going forward. Hence my preferred 2nd half combination would be Alcaraz and Beto.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 16:18:30
Neil, for what it's worth, I know, we have no say, in who gets picked or dropped but, in fear of being labelled Draconian, Beto would be placed in the Last Chance Saloon... patience is rapidly running thin in him.
As many have suggested, we have plenty of options of false 9s: Ndiaye, Dibling, Alcaraz and Grealish, to name but a few.
Hope the reverse curse on Beto pays dividends!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 16:21:45
I would have dropped O'Brien, Garner at right back and Röhl in place of Garner!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 16:33:06
At home, I'd prefer Alcaraz to Dewsbury-Hall every day of the week.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 16:50:40
Didn't take too long...
Posted 26/10/2025 at 16:52:57
Sky: Everton haven't conceded from a set piece.
Corner comes in. 0-1.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:28:43
Spurs have been boring and crap yet are 2-0 up... bad luck and rare set-piece mistakes from us.
Sometimes shit just happens.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:29:34
Ndiaye just stood his ground next to Vicario, albeit offside...
Whereas Van de Ven pushes off Pickford so he can't reach the cross. But no VAR check. It just ain't fair!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:29:42
Why weren't the players screaming for a foul on Pickford? It barely was but no less worthwhile than the "interference" by Ndiaye for our goal.
I am beginning to really dislike modern football.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:40:30
Get that useless Beto off as soon as possible.
Even if it's the tea lady, I bet she can control a ball better than that clueless prick!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:41:01
Worth having a go at the referee for a push on Pickford.
Typical Everton -- too nice for their own good!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:45:35
When was the last time Everton scored from a set piece?
Is the set-piece coach still at Everton?
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:51:26
Moyes needs to grow a pair.
Do something different!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:52:14
Jerome, they are still working off Charlie Adam's Masterplan?
While he is blocking out the Sun on a beach somewhere!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:54:32
Take Mykolenko off, give Aznou a chance.
We're already done and Mykolenko offers absolutely nothing going forward.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:56:39
Getting the ball to Grealish and Ndiaye is a good plan. But we seem to think that's the end of things rather than the start.
Spurs are quite happy for the ball to go wide. There's nothing to worry about in the middle.
Needs to be a bit more fluid up top. What do Spurs really need to worry about?
Posted 26/10/2025 at 17:57:44
At least Rohl for Mykolenko, for fuck's sake!!!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:03:02
Get Alcaraz in, you fuckin duchebag!
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:21:32
Only 5 minutes again for Charly.
Pathetic again and again and again.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:23:07
Everton are just slow; build-up play ending on the wings with no overlap and with one option to score.
This ain't going to happen in the Premier League. Moyes needs to get faster ball progression attacking the centre and get beyond the defensive line.
Standing back off the defensive line and playing across it is useless.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:23:47
Too deep, too slow, too narrow.
Same thing every week.
Moyes is probably going to have to reorganise the formation to address this. Maybe a 3-5-2 or something along those lines. We're far too easy to defend against.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:25:41
Why can't we pass the ball to our own players?
Surely that's a basic skill a player needs.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:28:35
Played good football but we don't shoot and we have no threat through the middle.
Pickford will get targeted on corners now. I thought Mykolenko was poor. I still don't know which is the least worst option up front.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:28:39
This was coming.
Moyes terrible, Beto embarrassing, midfield one-paced, Pickford showing why no top team wants him, and Mykolenko appallingly bad.
Apologies to Mike Gaynes who thinks Mykolenko shouldn't be constantly criticised; I beg to differ.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:34:04
Barry looked half decent when he came. Showed some nice touches. Despite the abuse Beto gets he nearly scored with a cracking attempt.
The Ref is a joke. If our players infringed on play for the O'Brien goal, then how does Van de Ven get away with pushing the goalie out of the way for theirs? At worst, it should have been 1-nil if not 1-all at half-time.
Strange game. I felt I was watching the better team (us) but the score line suggests the exact opposite.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:37:21
An absolute masterclass in bad management, Beto shocking Gana shocking, Dewsbury-Hall shocking, Garner poor, no subs at half time, Alcaraz on with 5 minutes to go.
We are going nowhere with Moyes, just a slight improvement on Dyche. I think we should be starting to look for an alternative to the dinosaur.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:38:16
Everton useless at set pieces at both ends.
Set-piece coach was not replaced in June when Adams left.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:40:51
Full backs need to be part of the attacking phase... and we have two who aren't really up to that bit of the role. Great effort, limited ability on the ball. It's hard to criticise them for not being something that they're very clearly not.
Barry occasionally shows why he should be preferred over Beto. He's a better footballer. Whether he's a more effective striker is yet to be seen. It's a pretty low bar.
Moyes had to see how that game was going. Spurs kept it narrow and were practically encouraging us to do the only thing that we seemingly wanted to do which was to get the ball to the wide players.
Corners conceded were rubbish. No-one marking.
I don't have any issue with any of the VAR decisions. Ndiaye didn't commit a foul, so comparisons with Van de Ven are pointless, but it's very hard to argue he wasn't interfering with play from an offside position.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:43:27
Did Moyesy run on smiling and get Van de Ven's autograph at the end?
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:44:47
I thought Moyes tried something different. Mykolenko kept bombing up the flank, but was unable to make that count.
Their 1st goal was lucky -- the cross came off Bentancur's shoulder straight into Van de Ven. The 2nd goal should have been looked at by VAR.
Merlin Röhl looked quite assured on the ball. Beto wasn't bad, he tried hard, as did Barry, who showed some decent touches.
But we badly need an experienced striker in January. The goals need to come from somewhere, Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall are flattering to deceive.
Time for Moyes to bring back McNeil, he was our best player before he got injured. He can create and score goals.
And Alcaraz needs to start in Beto's place. Well played Ndiaye again. I am afraid he will get frustrated and push for a move away and who can blame him?
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:47:19
Few positives to take out the game today.
Mykelenko should be sent packing, move Garner in there and get a replacement asap. He is truly garbage.
Moyes needs to be careful, he will not get the support and protection like he did under the Kenwright era. Keep this up and he will be up for the sack.
Moyes should have made more positive changes far earlier than he did.
Good win would have made it a good start to the season, sadly we haven't moved on that much and are still in that "look over your shoulder" mentality.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:48:05
We're not that good. And we haven't been that good all season.
Even though we were a tad unfortunate tonight, a result like this has been coming. We may yet get drawn into the relegation battle as I'm afraid the players we bought this summer have not added sufficient balance to the team.
I don't think he's making huge mistakes but equally I'm far from convinced Moyes is getting the most out of this team at the moment.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:48:38
A reality check. In over 27 years as a manager, Moyes has won 2 trophies: a Europa Conference cup and a Charity Community Shield.
Does anyone out there think he'll win a trophy for Everton?
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:50:54
Win a trophy, Sean.
Wohhhhh there.
Let's win a game first! 😁
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:52:45
Sean @40,
No, never.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:54:17
I've defended Moyes to the hilt, but sorry... no more.
That line-up today was so fuckin predictable, Alcaraz did not deserve to be benched... absolutely not, I fear he doesn't fancy him at all.
Dewsbury-Hall was average; Grealish flatters to deceive and hasn't done nothing for 2 months; Ndiaye is in a class of his own; Garner and Gueye are just passengers -- they offer nothing offensively at all.
As for up top, well, let's not go there, them 2 gobshites that are currently masquerading as strikers are atrocious. Anyone with half a brain cell would tell you that.
But all our fans do week after week is blame refs, victim mentality, it is the ref's fault we are so predictable in our style of play... no, it's not. We are the most pedestrian side in the league and a forward-thinking young hungry manager would change that in an instant.
It's insulting playing Beto or Barry in an isolated role like that, for one, the service isn't great and the pair of them are limited like you wouldn't believe. Seriously, who looked at Beto and thought "Yes, he could be the answer to our striking problems"? Believe me, he most definitely isn't. Ditto Barry.
Another season of struggle looms unless this stubborn man changes things -- and quick.
As the great man himself said, struggle after struggle, year after year.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 18:56:30
Our Summer recruitment was diabolical.
Barry is second banjo to Beto. Dibling can't get into the team. Aznou has already been written off by Moyes. Dewsbury-Hall doesn't contribute nearly enough. And Grealish spends his time looking for a foul.
Röhl may have something to offer. If he can stay fit.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 19:04:32
by far Moyes is getting it wrong although we lack quality and money
using youre biggest budget on summer on a player who you then give no minutes to (dibling aznou)instead of adressing the number 9 area is worrying
the new stadium thing has probably given I'm time to make these mistakes of poor team selection and sub choices; but ina couple of months patience will soon be over I suspect.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 19:05:06
When Moyes returned earlier this year I thought he and the team did really well. We were hard to beat and after the dire last months of Dyche's tenure it was truly a breath of fresh air. With the new stadium, new owners and a summer of signings to look forward to it was all looking rosy.
Five months down the line and the gloss is beginning to wear off. A disastrous summer transfer window and a mediocre start to the season has seriously damaged the momentum we finished last season with. We need to start picking up points fast and try something new.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 19:07:34
Disappointing, sadly there will be days like this at HD. It's a slow build for us. I think to get to where we want to be (top six side) will take probably three or four seasons. The last few seasons have put us back many years.
We need to keep our better players and look to build year on year.
The club should also be looking to identify Moyes successor next summer.
Posted 26/10/2025 at 19:07:46
Today felt like the beginning of the usual Everton winter.
We look like a side that will very quickly be getting dragged now into a relegation battle.
No goals in us, no pace in us, and our defence looks incredibly old and fragile now, and again lacks so much pace it's unreal.
The new stadium bounce bubble was well and truly burst today, you get the feeling now teams will come here from now on and start playing with less trepidation.
Another likely loss at Sunderland means Fulham at home before the international break is massive, even this early.
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