Everton were a supporting act in the final day storyline as Tottenham Hotspur secured their Premier League survival through Joao Palhinha’s first half goal.
The Blues were unable to play on the hosts’ anxiety until it was too late - with a flurry of efforts in stoppage time the height of the threat they posed, the opportunities coming with Spurs’ fate effectively sealed.
The press box was packed given the stakes at play - and this is what some of those national reporters made of their performance. For several, they were the dream opponent for a desperate Spurs.
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That was clearly the view of Oliver Holt who, in the Mail, wrote: “Everton generally played the role of ideal opponents for Spurs on such a critical day. They barely mustered a shot. There were still nervous moments: Tyrique George was through on Antonin Kinsky but chose to try to pass to an opponent rather than dink the ball over him. The danger was cleared.”
David Hytner, writing in the Guardian, gave credit for Everton’s late surge, in which George also drew a stunning save from Kinsky, but overall concluded: “Everton had nothing to play for. They were in the nightclubs, to riff off the popular phrase. David Moyes had said he would love to help his old club West Ham stay in the league but there was a chasm between the motivation levels for the respective teams.”
Alyson Rudd, in the Times, echoed that sentiment - though highlighted Everton’s lack of ferocity did not prevent some nerves from creeping in among the home supporters: “It was clear which team had the most to gain from victory and Everton had no real desire to match Spurs’ excitable vibrancy, but then came some murmuring as news of West Ham taking the lead filtered through and the slam-dunk nature of the afternoon became ever so slightly diluted.
“David Moyes’s side took it as a cue to become a little more threatening and the mood shifted a tad further towards jitteriness, especially when West Ham scored again. There were relieved cheers, though, the second that James Maddison, on his way back from lengthy injury, took off his bib and prepared to enter the fray.”
Perhaps most damning of Everton came not from a match report but from Alan Tyers, who in a review of the coverage of the final day for the Telegraph, suggested the twists and turns a global audience were hoping for were unlikely to be provided by the Blues.
He wrote: “Nobody who has watched the Premier League in recent years would have been confident in Everton’s capacity to deliver thrills: Sunday’s dramatic potential ultimately depended on the Everton’s ability to do the business by putting Spurs under the pump.
Unsurprisingly, they did not. Therefore, and at the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, the Sky Sports final-day coverage was an appropriate tribute to the champions Arsenal: effective but hard to love for the neutral.”
The ECHO, meanwhile, focused on the frustration that has built as Everton let slip a golden opportunity for Europe by going winless in their final seven matches: “The end to Everton’s season has been woeful. After carrying momentum into the final international break of the campaign, a run of seven games without a win has cost the club dear.
“Two months ago Europe, and maybe even the Champions League, was within reach. But instead it is Bournemouth, Sunderland and Brighton who will also experience famous nights under the lights.
“Everton will also be playing night games next season but they will once again be subjected to the misery of Monday matches as eight Premier League rivals - nine if Crystal Palace win the Europa Conference League next week - savour a taste of what they crave. The past seven matches have seen injuries and bad decisions prove destructive to the Blues' hopes and ambitions. Missed chances, defensive lapses and questionable tactics have also hurt those dreams of more enjoyable days on the immediate horizon.
Everton travelled to Tottenham Hotspur as the supporting act in the big story of the final day of the season. But, like across the last seven matches, they played a leading role in their downfall.”