For Evertonians, it was nice to know that it was the other team who was in danger of relegation before a ball was kicked on the final day of this season. Our season had faded away in the home stretch but today, we could play a significant part in the demise of either Tottenham or West Ham. My personal preference was Spurs going down to humble the Londoners.
Incredibly, this was the 10th year in a row that Everton finished the season with a trip to London. They arrived in London on a six game winless
streak but it was Tottenham who was in an even bigger funk, with no wins in ten home games.
Team News
David Moyes made one change from last week with Thierno Barry in for Beto. Tottenham also made just one change as Djed Spence took the place of Randal Kolo Muani.
Match Report
The Spurs fans were up for it as the two teams walked onto the pitch and the noise was deafening. The Evertonians in the corner were doing their best to remind everyone that they were there as well. Michael Oliver was the man in the middle for this all important match and his whistle was hardly heard as the match got underway.
Everton pushed forward and got an early corner to put the pressure on the Lilywhite nerves! It was defended well and breathing resumed. Spurs then pushed forward but their efforts were weak. Porro took a shot but KDH was there to block it. The first real chance fell to Gallagher when Keane and Pickford banged into each other but the shot hit the side netting.
Everton were giving up the ball too easily as they struggled to keep hold of the ball. Spurs pushed and forced a corner. The corner deflected around but Danso lashed the ball well wide. Everton finally got the ball into the Spurs end and when Garner was fouled, the free kick was brutal and ended up being passed to the Spurs keeper.
O’Brien was given a yellow for holding back Tel. Seamus Coleman, on the bench, ended up getting into a heated interaction with the Spurs bench. Spurs continued to apply pressure but Everton repelled the efforts. Udogie drove a ball across the six yard box but Pickford cleared it into safety.
After a cooling break, Everton got on the ball but the final ball was missing. Iliman Ndiaye drove forward and passed four white shirts before having the ball clipped off his foot as he entered the box. The resulting corner had no final touch. Spurs counter attacked and another corner saw Danso get on the end of it but his effort was weak.
Ndiaye and Barry worked a nice one two but Van de Ven broke it up. Porro then broke forward and it took a good block from Keane to deny Tel’s shot that was goalward. Merlin Rohl gave away a cheap free kick on the edge of the box. Porro’s free kick was nicely cleared by Pickford. Another corner for Spurs and the when Palhinha headed the ball onto the post, the rebound came back to him and he hit another shot which barely crossed the line but Michael Oliver pointed to the middle. Spurs were in ecstacy.
Everton pushed for an equalizer and when Tarkowski was pushed down in the box, a VAR check gave nothing. The half ended and David Moyes had a half time talk which needed to wake up his players. Spurs had dominated and Everton had shown little.
The second half was delayed as the linesman needed a new battery for his communication system. Spurs were determined to finish the game off and when Spence broke inside, somehow Pickford mishandled the ball and luckily squirmed wide of the post. Another poor free kick from Everton kept the shots on net at zero for the Blues.
Everton were getting onto the ball again as Spurs were sitting back a bit. It was all sideways and backwards passing by Everton. VAR looked at a challenge on Palhinha by Garner but it was dismissed. O’Brien was then caught napping but he recovered to deny a chance from Tel.
Harrison Armstrong and Tyrique George were brought on with Rohl and O’Brien being withdrawn. It happened as West Ham went up by a goal against Leeds. The Spurs fans were growing anxious as Everton pushed forward. A long throw from Garner was ineffective but Everton were starting to pressure the ball. Another corner from Garner was delivered into the chaos but no one was able to get onto it.
Some nice holdup play by Barry was balanced by the poor foul he took to snuff out the move. Spurs took off Tel and Richarlison for Kolo-Muani and Sarr. Spurs were happy to keep us at arms length as Everton needed to score two goals to cause the Lilywhites any trouble. Spurs pushed forward and when Sarr went down easily, Oliver produced a yellow card for simulation. Archie Gray and James Maddison joined the fun with Gallagher and Bentancour departing.
Coleman and Alcaraz were brought on for Beto and KDH. The best move of the half for Everton saw five players involved but when the crucial moment, George could not chip the keeper. It was all getting a bit tetchy as Spurs tried to waste time. Another Everton corner was fruitless as Spurs persisted. Tarkowski was given a yellow for a flailing arm as the last minute ticked on. West Ham had won by 3-0 but they were heading down if Everton could score two in the nine minutes of additional time.
Sarr went down with a head injury and added two more minutes. When the match restarted, Keane’s header went narrowly over the Spurs goal. Everton pushed forward and when Coleman crossed a ball into the box, Alcaraz got his head on it but it went over the bar. Moments later, a goal bound shot by George needed a spectacular save from the Spurs keeper. It was the first shot on target for the Blues. They huffed and puffed but could not get another chance and Michael Oliver ended the season with his whistle.
Everton’s Man of the Match
James Garner: On a day when few players in blue turned up, Everton’s player of the season showed some of the quality and determination that will once again have him linked with other teams this summer. Let us agree that we need to keep this lad and lock him in for a long time.
Instant Reaction
At the start of the season, there is no Evertonian who would have wanted another relegation fight. We had a season that build up our hopes and in the end we finished the season in 13th place. Today, it was nice to have someone else looking at their phones. We can continue the rebuild that has been underway with the Friedkin owners.
Although there was nothing in the game for Everton, you would have thought that Moyes would have wanted to inspire his team to finish off the season with a bang, not a whimper. Once again, his substitutions were late and when they were made, there was an improvement in the attack, but it just wasn’t enough. We end the season with a big whimper with a seven game winless streak. Not good enough.
With a last hurrah before the season ends, you would have to say that many teams fielded ‘experimental’ lineups. Throughout this season there has been a lot of talk about how Moyes has not given enough chances to the young players that were brought in last summer. At his press conference this week, David Moyes explicitly dismissed the idea of playing inexperienced youngsters in a high-pressure end-of-season fixture. Stating “I’m not turning up with a team of kids.” If I am the Friedkin Group I would wonder whether the investment we are making in the team is being appropriately managed.
Finally, we are Evertonians and nothing comes easy it seems. We love this club and we always want more. What we can do is hope for a great summer and we will be back together soon enough. Thanks for taking your valuable time to read these match reports. Have a great summer! Come on England! Come on Canada!
