Everton were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday evening – and our Blues jury have returned to have their say on the game
David Moyes during Everton's Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium
David Moyes during Everton's Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium
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Everton’s poor run of form continued on Sunday when they were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham Hotspur. Despite dominating the opening stages of the game, the Blues fell behind when centre-back Van de Ven eventually headed home a well-worked corner routine after 19 minutes.
The Dutchman then made no mistake from another set-piece in first-half stoppage time before Pape Matar Sarr completed the scoring in the closing stages. It was also the second consecutive game in which the Blues have failed to score.
And next up is a trip to Sunderland on Monday night, and with both games in mind, our Everton jury has returned to have their say.
Paul McParlan - Where do we go from here?
The thousands streaming for the exits at Hill Dickinson Stadium before the end of the game last Sunday told its own story.
British Summer Time officially ended the previous evening, and Everton’s bright start to the campaign appeared to have disappeared alongside it.
There had been a few signs in previous home games against Aston Villa and West Ham United that teams were working out how to stop Everton from playing, and unfortunately Tottenham Hotspur brutally exposed our predictability.
Being a striker isn’t just about scoring goals; it is also about being able to hold the ball up and providing opportunities for the rest of the team. The honest and harsh truth is that neither Beto nor Thierno Barry seem capable of fulfilling this role at present.
This means that our attacks inevitably start down the flanks, a tactic which opposition teams have quickly sussed. They simply double up on marking Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye and limit their opportunities to create openings.
This results in the ball being played back to Vitali Mykolenko or Jake O’Brien, neither of whom are skilled at delivering pinpoint crosses.
Vitalii Mykolenko during the match between Manchester City and Everton at the Etihad Stadium on October 18, 2025
Vitalii Mykolenko during the match between Manchester City and Everton at the Etihad Stadium on October 18, 2025(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC Official Photography Library/SmartFrame)
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So, what is Plan B? Apparently, it is becoming increasingly obvious that there may not be one. Despite being two goals down and struggling to test Vicario in the Tottenham goal, David Moyes waited until 66 minutes to make changes.
He brought on Merlin Rohl, whose misdirected pass led to the visitor’s third goal, and Thierno Barry, whose impact was negligible. Meanwhile, the energetic Charly Alcaraz, whose arrival against Crystal Palace changed the game last time, had to wait until 86 minutes to get his chance. Did the manager learn nothing from his last performance?
Spurs had clearly rehearsed their corner kick routines, and it paid off with two headed goals from Micky Van de Ven. Our defence could not deal with them. In contrast, our corners were easily managed by the Spurs defence.
Might this not have been the time to give the forgotten man, Dwight McNeil, another chance? In my opinion he is still the best at delivering set pieces in the team.
We paid around £35 million for Tyler Dibling, yet he remained on the bench throughout. He has played a total of four minutes in our last two games. How is he supposed to develop if he has limited playing opportunities?
The trip to Sunderland is a big test for Everton on Monday, and we will do well to come away with anything.
They won 2-1 at Chelsea on Saturday, the type of result we can only dream of, and in front of their vociferous fans, they will be full of confidence.
We have now won only one of our last seven games, and that record needs to improve immediately.
Plan A is clearly not working anymore; the question is do we have a Plan B, and do we have the players or the manager to implement it?
Mark McParlan - Teams may have figured out our tactics
Broken down into its constituent elements, Sunday’s performance wasn’t exactly a disgrace – we made chances at different points in the game which weren’t taken, and it was hardly like we were torn to shreds over and over.
We had more shots and more possession than the opposition – and Spurs are one of the better sides in the division. Fundamentally, we’ve conceded twice from corners – and it’s hard to even dwell too much on that, as they are the first set-piece goals we’ve conceded all season.
We are actually the last team in the Premier League to concede from a set piece this term. But once again the vibes just feel off. It’s one win in the last seven.
It was tough not to eye with envy other teams in action in the League Cup in midweek (particularly Crystal Palace, handed the opportunity to destroy a laughable Liverpool XI) while we sat around twiddling our thumbs, waiting until Monday night for a football match.
Online, at least, people's grumbles about the new stadium, atmosphere, transport, or their new neighbours suddenly come to the fore when not placated by inspiring victories (or at least, draws and an unbeaten record).
James Tarkowski and Jack Grealish during Everton's defeat to Tottenham
James Tarkowski and Jack Grealish during Everton's defeat to Tottenham
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The clapping of Richarlison upon his entrance to the pitch seemingly inspired heated, fractious debate on social media. For my part, I’ll remind you that we sold him for PSR reasons. He did not put in a transfer request.
I’ve been prepared to back Beto this season, but it’s all been just so desperately disappointing. Honestly, it feels as if I’m writing the same column every week.
There is nothing forthcoming from the full-back. David Moyes said himself in his pre-match press conference that he knows Jake O’Brien is a centre-half.
Vitalii Mykolenko hasn’t improved his offensive game to sufficient Premier League standards, despite nearing his four-year anniversary with Everton.
Last week, I questioned the wisdom of spending a near-club record transfer fee on Tyler Dibling when he isn’t going to have a massive impact this season.
Could the more obvious, pressing move have been to spend more on a better striker than Thierno Barry, ready to start from the off?
I’ll be travelling to Sunderland on Monday without any confidence – I fear a similar scenario to the Monday night defeat at Leeds.
Teams may have figured out our ‘give the ball to Iliman Ndiaye or Jack Grealish’ tactic.
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