worse injury.
Spurs latest away day misery ended up as one of the worst games you’ll see all season, with awful displays all round, players, managers and officials.
Up until late in the second half this was going to be the Christian Eriksen game. The Dane set the blueprint for the game with an altogether dire performance, that set a new standard even for him. Of course he played all of the game bar a couple of minutes.
Eriksen’s first half stats summed up the first half…
Christian Eriksen's first-half by numbers vs. Everton:
0 take-ons completed
0 chances created
0 shots attempted
1 yellow cardNo player on the pitch lost possession more times (12). pic.twitter.com/LqOvr2t0Kn
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 3, 2019
With Harry Kane missing, through illness – which commentator Martin Tyler sounded overjoyed about – Moura was posted in that front role of never getting any delivery. Ndombele balling was the only real highlight that saw a first half finish with one shot on target between the two clubs.
While having the only shot on target the hosts also seem to be having trouble with gravity. Well one of their players especially. A condition that carried on during the game.
The second saw the emergence of VAR. As the official who apparently was in charge decided to stand there with his finger in his ear, looking like the David Coleman Spitting Image puppet, without a clue what was going on. First off after a nice counter, started by Ndombele’s excellent ball to Dele and his pass to Son, Son was through into the area where Mina decided to fall on him. Son’s foot was caught under Mina and in pulling it away he over-egged it a bit. Ref said play on and then VAR took over and after two separate looks at it decided to back its mate in the middle.
It was a penalty.
Eriksen then had his one moment in the game. He managed to not only miss the first defender with a free kick, he missed everyone. Spurs players were probably so stunned to get on the end of it.
The opening goal came just after the hour from a nice bit of play by an ex-Gooner. Iwobi for some unknown reason passed the ball back from the Spurs half to Son, deep in the Everton half. Onto Dele and the lad cut inside across the box before cutting it back into the near post. And then his little sleepy celebration. Think he enjoyed that.
At this point the natural Spurs fan reaction is don’t bugger it up from here. Well, they tried. Davies nearly scored an own goal. Sanchez trip blocked Richarlison in the box for what was probably a penalty. From an Everton corner VAR got involved again. And for what seemed like an age the same clip of video was played over and over again. Mina and Dele jumping for the ball, Mina fouling Dele with his elbow on the shoulder, Dele’s arm going up, out of control it might have hit it but it was no penalty. Should have been a foul for Spurs. Or play should have just carried on. VAR is only supposed to interject on clear and obvious errors. Well, no Everton player claimed for a handball and the fact it took the VAR so long, three minutes and 26 replays, to come to a decision shows it weren’t that clear or obvious.
The next VAR was when Gomes flung his arm in Son’s face. A clear foul. Clear red card. Now if the ref had done his job here what followed wouldn’t have followed.
Son chased down Gomes and clipped him. Yes it was a foul, much like the type of fouls Klopp is saying Guardiola’s City get away with and the media glow about. The foul didn’t cause an injury neither did Aurier but the crowd started baying for more blood as Gomes lay stricken on the floor, with Son and Aurier distraught. Atkinson decided to re-referee the incident and changed his mind from a yellow, which it was, to a red, which it wasn’t.
Where was VAR now? It disappeared. Didn’t want to yet again highlight how inept the man in the middle was. The wankers in black really stuck together after the game when they came out with so called explanations. Arse covering and making new laws up.
Spurs will appeal the card but will the league/FA admit their officials were inept.
After Son had gone and Aurier had to be taken off there was only going to be one outcome. Saying that actually there could have been two. It was either gonna be a draw or an Everton win.
Turned out it was the former as 6 minutes into the added 12 minutes they got their equaliser and yet again Spurs hadn’t kept hold of a lead and had failed to win an away game. They did manage to not lose, that is one thing.
And yet again throughout it all, Pochettino looked on and did very little. Ndombele hobbled off a bit at the break but played on until just after the goal when he was subbed for Lo Celso. The best passer was again taken off while Eriksen stayed on and stayed on until the 101st minute when Sessegnon was finally seen in a Spurs shirt. For the one minute of the game remaining.
At least he didn’t bring Winks on, imagine how dull the game would have been with his sideways passes…