30  Mason HOLGATE
25  Ramiro FUNES MORI
  6  Phil JAGIELKA  (c)
  3  Leighton BAINES

16  James McCARTHY
18  Gareth BARRY  (15  Tom CLEVERLEY  85)
17  Idrissa GUEYE

  8  Ross BARKLEY 
  7  Gerard DEULOFEU  (  9  Arouna KONE  68)
11  Kevin MIRALLIS  (12  Aaron LENNON  77)
 

Unused subs: 
  1  Joel ROBLES
32  Brendan GALLOWAY
20  Bryan OVIEDO
26  Tom DAVIES

 

  2  Kyle WALKER
  4  Toby ALDERWEIRELD
  5  Jan VERTONGHEN
  3  Danny ROSE

15  Eric DIER  (  9  Vincent JANSSEN  56)
12  Victor WANYAMA

11  Erik LAMELA 
20  DELE Alli
23  Christian ERIKSEN 

10  Harry KANE

Unused subs: 
33  Ben DAVIES
38  Cameron CARTER-VICKERS
  8  Ryan MASON
25  Josh ONOMAH
29  Harry WINKS
 

Tottenham salvaged a draw at Goodison Park against an energetic Everton side, who faded in the second half, whereas Spurs got stronger and finished as if they might pinch all the points.

The only change to the usual starting line-up from last season was Victor Wanyama making his debut in place of the suspended Mousa Dembele, with fellow new signing Vincent Janssen beginning his competitive Spurs career on the bench.  For Everton, new central defender Ashley Williams did not make the squad and Idrissa Gueye began in midfield, with no other newcomers in their line-up..

The game started well for Spurs, enjoying lots of possession and then Atkinson gave a free-kick for an innocuous tackle 30 yards out.  Ross Barkley shaped up to take it and as the ball was bent in around the penalty spot, Funes Mori was the tallest Everton man in the box who went for it, but didn't touch it, allowing the ball to evade everyone, including Lloris.  It was poor defending, as nobody attacked it from the Tottenham back line and Jagielka was free as well.  It looked like the side had picked up where they left off at St. James' Park last season.

Walker came in from the right and had a cross-shot blocked and then Jagielka blocked Eriksen's shot as he picked up the loose ball around the D.  Everton then broke quickly with Deulofeu and his low shot coming in from the left was saved by Lloris.  The Frenchman was also called upon when Barkley's 15th minute free-kick picked out Jagielka's head just inside the area and Hugo had to tip the ball over the bar for a corner.  Martin Atkinson was back at it, but this time at the other end, where Holgate came in hard with his shoulder on Kane in the Everton box, but Harry was stronger and as the Toffees youngster hit the deck, a free-kick was awarded, when it was shoulder to shoulder.  Barkley got his head to a Baines cross, but put it off target, as Spurs struggled to deal with crosses into the box.  They were also finding it difficult to deal with Deulofeu, who was playing the main striker role, even holding off defenders to set up Mirallis, whose low shot from a tight angle on the right forced Hugo to save at his near post.

Everton were pressing quickly every time Spurs got on the ball, but when McCarthy raked his studs down Eriksen's thigh, it was a little surprising that the match official gave nothing more than a free-kick.  Eriksen was getting dispossessed too easily and thus not a lot was getting through to Harry Kane.  Eriksen had brought a save out of Stekelenburg with a shot from 20 yards out in the 26th minute and Spurs won their first corner on 35 minutes.  It was at the same time that Hugo Lloris went off to be replaced by Michel Vorm in an unexpected swap, as Lloris didn't look injured.  The game was being broken up by Everton, who were either giving away cheap free-kicks in unthreatening positions or going down at the lightest touch to be given them.

Eriksen wasn't the only one finding it tough, with Dele and Kane both getting hit early when they received the ball.  Rose almost gave Everton a second goal, when he played a back pass short to Vorm, just as the PA announcer was informing the crowd about added time.  Deulofeu was through on the substitute keeper, who spread himself well and blocked the shot to keep Spurs just a goal behind at the break.  It was a sloppy first half and not what Pochettino would have wanted after last season's start and finish.  They looked slow and the passing was not hurting Everton, so something needed to change in the second half.  The change that had taken place was a result of a hamstring injury Lloris had picked up during the first 45 minutes.

Deulofeu almost got away, having gone past Alderweireld, but Dier came across to concede a corner.  Dier then headed two corner kicks in succession out for further corners.  Nothing came from them, other than a Gueye shot from 30 yards out that was blocked.  Tottenham's out ball being high to Kane, saw Jagielka win most of those in the air, while the movement off the ball when we were in possession meant that the ball was given away fairly regularly.  The link up play was missing and this allowed Everton to get the ball and break on Spurs.  Poch brought on Janssen for Dier and Kane dropped deeper, with the Dutchman adding a bit more aggression up front and worry the home defence.  His first action saw him pull the ball back form the right to the edge of the box, where Dele arrived and hit the ball first time, but he was way off target.

It had looked a little worrying a few minutes before when Vorm came out to claim the bal land caught his head on Deulofeu's follow through, but he got up to play on, with no other option available to Tottenham, making a couple of easy saves from long shots.  But Stekelenburg hadn't really been tested before Spurs were level.  Walker put in a fine cross to the near post and Lamela came in behind Kane, beating Holgate to the ball and diving in to head across to the keeper's right and into the net.  It didn't look like Spurs were going to threaten the home goal, but Janssen's presence gave the Everton defence more to think about.

Soon after the equaliser, Walker did well to nick the ball off Mirallis, as he broke onto Deulofeu's pass and then Wanyama crunched into a tackle as Mirallis played creator for Idrissa Gueye, who crumpled under Victor's challenge.   Funes Mori crashed a shot across Vorm's bows, but wide and Ross Barkley curled a shot about 40 yards wide !!  This prompted Koeman to put Aaron Lennon on for Mirallis for the last 15 minutes against his old team.  It took Spurs a while to get moving forward again, but Walker struck a low shot to the near post and Stekelenburg just managed to juggle it past the post for a corner.  From it, a clearance dropped to Rose, who hit it on the volley from the edge of the box, but it was blocked and Janssen poked it goal-wards for the keeper to get a hand to it and keep it out.  Dele went for the ball as it popped up and was having his shirt pulled as he headed at goal, but it was again blocked and cleared away.  Rose got the ball on the edge of the box again and was unceremoniously dumped up in the air by Gareth Barry a yard outside the box just left of the D.  Up stepped Eriksen, who dipped the free kick over the wall, but also just over the bar.

It was now all Spurs.  Janssen played wide left to Lamela, who struck a shot that took a deflection and Stekelenburg threw up a hand top touch the shot upwards and it clipped the top of the bar on the way over.  Everton were taking as much time at set-pieces as they could, as they were visibly tiring, with Tottenham having more in their legs in the last ten minutes.  Everton were allowed to launch an attack when Wanyama and Vertonghen both left the ball for each other and Barkley was released down the right, but once again, his final ball was poor, being way in front of Aaron Lennon.  Spurs broke when play restarted and Eriksen curled a shot at goal that took a flick off Cleverley for a corner, but nothing came from it.  There was a chance for Lamela, who tried to head Walker's cross at goal from around 12 yards out, but two defenders crowded him out.  From it, the blue shorted players proved their manager's claims about them only being 70% fit, as they dropped like flies, wasting more time.  

Everton managed to hold out, as Tottenham had pushed them hard following Vincent Janssen's introduction.  There was no doubt the Blues had the better of the first half, as Spurs failed to function on almost any level, but the second half was a different matter, with Vorm mainly untroubled.  Whether this was a more defensive attitude to protect the substitute keeper or a more Pochettino style approach, with more vigorous closing down and better use of the ball.  Wanyama looked effective and Janssen added a different energy to the attack when he came on to make his debut.  Some of the players still looked a little rusty and the lack of pre-season games might have not got them match ready quite yet.  The hamstring injury to Lloris is worrying, but hopefully it is nothing serious and he will be back between the posts when we face Crystal Palace next week, with the South London outfit currently bottom of the table after today's results.

We are already a point better off after one game last season, although it was the same result as we recorded at Goodison Park last time out, so we need to re-group and move on to the next match.

Paddy Kingston