LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 12: Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton tackles Omar Marmoush of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 12, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton tackles Omar Marmoush of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium(Image: Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
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As the cries from the home supporters turned from hope to desperation, Jarrad Branthwaite leapt highest in a crowded box and headed clear before being clattered. He knew the blow to his body was coming before his feet left the ground. But still he rose from the turf.
It was a fitting moment to conclude the game. The centre-back ended the match how he started it, putting his body on the line. Huge blocks from Matheus Fernandes and Omar Marmoush were pivotal as Everton clung on as Tottenham Hotspur started with intensity, overloading the visiting full-backs and overwhelming their midfield.
Marmoush, Fernandes, Dominic Solanke and Savio all wreaked early havoc. But they were unable to make their dominance count and score a first Premier League goal of the season for their team. The main reason for that was Branthwaite.
Everton player ratings as Jarrad Branthwaite and one other 8/10 in Tottenham draw
OPINION
No player has a greater impact on the potential of this Blues team than the 24-year-old, who has now started all four league games of the campaign.
No-one at Everton will take his fitness for granted and hopes that he will earn a return to the England squad this month will be tempered by fear of his workload being too excessive after a campaign lost to injury.
But his potential is extraordinary and he made that clear once again. Over the course of this game Spurs threw more than £400m of attackers at the visiting defence. None had an answer for the £1m signing from Carlisle.
As Tottenham wasted attack after attack the hope that had rippled through the crowd at the start of the game turned to desperation. It turned to hopelessness as supporters streamed out of the stadium before the final whistle. For all their dominance, the only time Jordan Pickford was truly tested was in the closing minutes by Lucas Bergvall. Even that chance only came after Pickford had given the ball away.
When referee Darren England blew to end this game the contrast in how the opposing supporters responded was stark. The hosts were booed off, Everton’s players were serenaded as they applauded the away end.
The performance from David Moyes’ side was, in truth, good enough to warrant respect but not celebration. In the first half they struggled for a foothold and created nothing until James Garner’s free-kick was pushed around the post by Antonin Kinsky on the cusp of half-time.
In the second half, there is a case to be made that they should have won it. The Blues emerged from the dressing room with belief that grew as Thierno Barry was denied at the back post by Kinsky in the opening salvo of the half.
As the anxiety among the home supporters grew so too did the nerves of the winless hosts. When Kinsky played the ball out to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall he was fortunate the midfielder shot straight at him.
Soon after, Dewsbury-Hall found the run of Brennan Johnson as he burst into the box. His shot was high and wide when it should have made the net bulge.
The Blues will, then, leave north London with some regrets. But given their miserable record here and the early onslaught they faced, they should also leave with some pride too. For all the turmoil faced by the club in the opening weeks of this season they remain unbeaten and deservedly so.
Ahead of the post-match press conference one journalist remarked that, in the second half, Spurs looked further away from scoring than they had at any point this season. At the heart of it all was Branthwaite.