**Everton suffered their first home defeat of the season against Tottenham.**
The visitors took an early lead when Micky Van de Ven met a Rodrigo Bentancur header across the face of goal from Mohammed Kudus’ corner..
David Moyes’ side appeared to have drawn level through Jake O’Brien’s effort but it was disallowed for infractions by both Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye.
Spurs doubled their lead deep in first-half added time as Van de Ven waws able to get ahead of Jordan Pickford to convert a left-sided corner.
Things went from bad to worse for the Blues, who slipped to 14th in the Premier Legue table, after the break as Pape Matar Sarr headed in a third.
_Here were they key talking points from Hill Dickinson Stadium:_
New home honeymoon is over
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A first defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium was always in the offing for Everton.
Even so, the manner in which David Moyes’ side lost a fortress-like record to Tottenham illustrated how easily the appeal of new surroundings can wear off.
Rain-soaked supporters had already began to leave in their droves well in advance of Pape Matar Sarr inflicting a third headed goal on the hosts.
Mass exoduses are hardly a new phenomenon for the Blues; the Goodison Park crowd was notorious for fits of pique when facing insurmountable odds.
The Park End often served as a benchmark for dissent with the speed at which the single-tiered stand emptied out indicating the on-field mood.
But the vast swathes of still pristine seats that were vacated long before the final whistle were symptomatic of the home supporters’ disenchantment.
Those who stayed to the bitter end spared their invective for referee Craig Pawson and his fellow officials rather than the man in their own dugout.
Still, there can be no denying that Bramley-Moore Dock’s honeymoon is over.
Does Moyes trust his squad?
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This was Everton’s heaviest reversal in 10 months, a run of 37 games that predated Moyes’ return and began at Manchester United under Sean Dyche.
Yet the Scot has to be judged on the here and now rather than any credit banked by a second coming which pulled them out of the relegation mire.
A solitary win in seven previous outings means that questions are now being asked about more than simply his inability to crack the striker conundrum.
He named a combined £84 million worth of outfield talent on the substitutes’ bench for this encounter in a sign of the quality in depth at Everton’s disposal.
As one famous manager once declared, however, the money should be on the pitch instead of resting in the bank – or in this case, the sidelines.
Charly Alcaraz and Tyler Dibling were eight-figure signings during the summer who, alongside loanee Merlin Rohl, are yet to build up regular game time.
Granted, they have faced injury issues but now fully fit, Moyes’ apprehension to utilise them sooner hardly inspires confidence that they can be called upon.
At a time when the side is increasingly in danger of looking stale and short on ideas, it might be time for Everton’s supporting cast to be trusted more.
Blues may need ref intervention
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Most referees must dread being assigned Everton in the Premier League’s latest round of match appointments, particularly in front of a home crowd.
Hell hath no fury like a Toffee scorned, and their team have been on the receiving end of more than a fair share of contentious officiating decisions.
There was a time when refereeing body PGMOL virtually had the club’s number on speed dial given their need to make frequent apologies.
That button might need to be reintroduced after Pawson’s display which saw several dubious calls given the way of Thomas Frank’s side in this contest.
Jake O’Brien’s disallowed leveller notwithstanding, Hill Dickinson Stadium’s ire was exacerbated by the Yorkshire official’s general inconsistent approach.
Pawson’s track record with Everton is patchy to say the least with red cards a regular theme which, fortunately, was not extended against the Lilywhites.
A case for him to follow Mark Clattenburg in a hiatus from matters involving the blue half of Merseyside is growing if not quite at that level just yet.
But Moyes’ side might benefit from some form of intervention by PGMOL chief Howard Webb to ensure a more level playing field in games moving forward.