Jack Grealish dazzles, 14-touch player stinks – Everton’s three winners and three losers vs Spurs
Everton fell to a fourth Premier League defeat of the season, as three regular stars failed to perform for the Toffees against Spurs.
Following Man City’s 2-0 win over Everton, it is now back-to-back defeats for the Toffees which leaves them in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Set-pieces were Everton‘s undoing as Micky van de Ven headed home twice in the first half alongside a second half Pape Sarr header to give Spurs a 3-0 win.
VAR overruled a Jake O’Brien header from a set-piece for offside in-between van de Ven’s double as Spurs claimed an important three points.
Below are Everton’s winners and losers from the match.
Winners
Jack Grealish
Jack Grealish returned to the Everton starting XI after missing the defeat at Man City due to not being able to play against his parent club.
Grealish is always a livewire down the left flank, and he again showed moments of the quality he can bring.
The 30-year-old is a fine dribbler and it was no surprise that Spurs went to close down the midfielder whenever he received the ball.
Iliman Ndiaye
Everton’s best moments of the match all came through Iliman Ndiaye down the right flank, with the 25-year-old unfortunate not to grab an assist.
Ndiaye was not afraid to take on Djed Spence, and he had the beating of the England international on numerous ocassions.
David Moyes just needs a ruthless finisher to be able to fire home the chances the likes of Ndiaye and Grealish create.
James Garner
James Garner admitted Everton haven’t held talks over a new contract for the midfielder, and the 24-year-old reminded Moyes why he cannot lose him at the end of the season.
Garner was neat in possession, fought hard off the ball and tried to join in the attack whenever possible.
| Minutes Played | 90 |
| Ground Duels Won % | 80% |
| Tackles Won % | 67% |
| Shots | 2 |
He is becoming a regular in midfield, and has stepped in at right-back this season, and is starting to build a good partnership with Idrissa Gueye in-front of the back four.
Losers
Jordan Pickford
Jordan Pickford was awarded a new Everton contract earlier this season, but the number one failed to show his authority from set-pieces in this contest.
Pickford needed to be stronger in both situations, and van de Ven had free headers to be able to score for the visitors.
The 31-year-old had a rare poor showing, which Moyes will hope he can put behind him before Everton travel to Pickford’s former club Sunderland.
Vitali Mykolenko
Vitali Mykolenko had a torrid contest as he struggled to contain Mohammed Kudus and made no impact going forward.
The Ukrainian was weak in his duels and his crossing did not produce any chances for his team mates, with Grealish the main threat down the left.
Mykolenko does not have much competition for his place, but he will need to put in better performances to keep his spot in the starting XI.
Beto
The striker may have been denied by an excellent reaction save from Guglielmo Vicario, but the striker’s goal drought extended to seven matches in all competitions.
Beto only had 14 touches as he once again failed to make an impact on proceedings, with 23-year-old Thierno Barry replacing him with over 20 minutes remaining despite Everton needing a goal.
The next step in Everton’s progression is to sign a top quality striker, as Beto could not take advantage of the good work from Ndiaye and Grealish.