Liverpool Echo

David Moyes will be angry over Spurs goals - Jordan Pickford must learn from Everton legend

EXCLUSIVE: Former Everton striker Tony Cottee believes Jordan Pickford should have been more proactive dealing with corner-kicks taken by Tottenham Hotspur

Tony Cottee believes that David Moyes is building a team around Jordan Pickford, but he reckons the England number one should have taken a leaf out of Everton legend Neville Southall’s book when it came to dealing with the corners that resulted in the first two goals for Tottenham Hotspur in their 3-0 win at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Going into their fixture against Thomas Frank’s side, Moyes’ men were the only team left in the Premier League this season not to have conceded from a set-piece. However, lightning struck twice in the same place as Spurs captain bagged a brace of headers from corner-kicks to ensure the Blues suffered their first defeat in a competitive match at their new 52,769 capacity home on the Mersey waterfront.

Cottee told the ECHO: “I think David Moyes will be really angry with the fact that they conceded the two goals from the corners. I know it’s a bit harsh but I’m a bit old school and I always feel like it’s a goalkeeper’s ball when it’s in the six-yard box.

“I know what Neville Southall would have done. He’d have smashed everyone out of the way and punched the ball as far as possible.

“There was a lot of jostling going on in the box and they were just really poor goals to concede, which is unlike Everton when you’ve got those good centre-halves James Tarkowski and Michael Keane while Jake O’Brien is also a big lad. I’m pretty certain David Moyes and his Everton players will pride themselves on good defending, so that will have annoyed them but if you go a couple of goals down to a good Spurs team, it’s always going to be difficult.”

Cottee, speaking in association with best mobile casino UK, believes the problem is part of a larger football-wide issue though. He said: “I don’t think it’s just Jordan, I’m not picking on him, it’s modern day goalkeepers. I feel that sometimes now, not just goalkeepers but outfield players too, they’re almost more focused on trying to get a foul than dealing with the situation and doing their job.

“From a forward’s point of view, get a nick to the ball, let the defender take you out, then you get your penalty. Don’t always go looking for the penalty.

“If you reverse it, when I played my job was to stand on the goalkeeper for corners. I’m never going to head the ball in, I’m 5ft 7in, but stamp on the goalkeeper, make it awkward, give them a nudge and try and make it difficult to get round you.

“I know goalkeepers are well protected now but it feels to me that they’re almost waiting for the referee to blow the whistle, rather than coming out and smashing everyone out of the way.”

The 60-year-old reckons Pickford, who has broken Gordon Banks’ record for consecutive England clean sheets and Peter Shilton’s record for the most clean sheets in major tournaments, is still undervalued by many across the country though, and believed that manager David Moyes will be considering him to be a key figure now that the goalkeeper has penned a new four-year deal. Cottee said: “I don’t want to be too critical because Jordan has been a fantastic servant for Everton and England as well. Maybe it sounds like nit-picking but when you’re a goalkeeper and six-foot odd, be strong, push everyone out of the way and take them with you – that’s what Neville would have done.

“Jordan probably still doesn’t get the credit he deserves nationally. Of course, goalkeepers are going to make mistakes but because of their position, when something happens it gets blown up even more.

“As a striker, you can miss a chance and people probably don’t say anything, but as a goalkeeper, if you make a mistake, it’s all: ‘He was useless,’ and blah, blah, blah. I think it’s easy to pick on Jordan but in general his game has really improved in recent years and he seems like a really vocal character and the kind of dressing room leader that you want.

“He thoroughly deserves his new contract and going forward, he’s the type of player that you want to build your team around. I know David Moyes will be doing that.”

Thousands of fans saw a helicopter taking off next to Hill Dickinson Stadium before Everton's game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday

Details behind the helicopter spotted by Everton fans attending their home game against Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday have now emerged.

The Blues’ move from Goodison Park, the first purpose-built football ground in England, venue for the most top flight matches and host of two FA Cup finals and five World Cup games, including a semi-final, after 133 years in Walton came this summer as they relocated to the Mersey waterfront. Financial experts have calculated that the move will bring in approximately £60million a year in additional revenue for the club who, if they keep filling the 52,769 capacity arena, will be able to play in front of the biggest regular crowds in their history.

Although Goodison attracted no fewer than 16 attendances of 70,000 plus between 1948-62 for Everton games, the Blues have only ever enjoyed an average home game north of 50,000 over a season (51,603 for the 1962/63 title-winning season). But even though Everton suffered their first home defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday as Spurs triumphed 3-0, there are other things taking off down by the river – literally – like the chopper that was seen by thousands of those attending the game, including this correspondent, when it whirled into the Liverpool skies at 1:52pm on Sunday, just over two-and-a-half hours before kick-off.

The helicopter took off from Nelson Dock, which is southerly adjacent to the Bramley-Moore Dock site of Hill Dickinson Stadium, and although it’s understood that there is no purpose-built heliport on the land, it is leased by the club and used as a matchday car park. Senior Everton insiders have told the ECHO that it was members of the owner’s family, specifically his wife and daughter.

OPINION

Debra Lynn Friedkin has supported her husband Dan on a number of conservation, ecological and archaeological initiatives over the years and the couple have four children, including son Ryan, who attended Everton’s inaugural first team game in front of fans at Hill Dickinson Stadium against Roma, who are also owned by The Friedkin Group, and who joined his father to play golf at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland earlier this month.

As previously reported by the ECHO, although Friedkin senior, who is Everton chairman, was in the UK the day before their home game with Crystal Palace, he has still not attended a game at Hill Dickinson Stadium, although there are representatives of TFG at all matches. After the billionaire, described as an avid golfer made what has become an annual pilgrimage for him in recent years to St Andrew’s, he then flew to Rome for the 32nd General Assembly of the European Club Association between October 7-9.

Friedkin, currently placed at number 307 with an estimated fortune of $11billion (approximately £8.26billion) by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s wealthiest people, has been a member of the ECA’s Executive Committee since 2021. While in the Eternal City, the 60-year-old visited Roma’s Centro Sportivo Fulvio Bernardini training complex and was photographed shaking hands with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and player Stephan El Shaarawy.

Michael Ball tackles the big issues at Hill Dickinson Stadium following Everton's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

Walking away from Hill Dickinson Stadium, I felt that Everton hadn’t played that badly and while we didn’t deserve to lose 3-0, that’s the truth of the Premier League. Speaking to Evertonians on the way home there was a lot of chat about how we’re having a good season, are playing well and you’ve got to remember where we’ve come from, but I don’t like that talk. I understand that you’ve got to be realistic, but you’ve got to remember who we are. We’re Everton Football Club, we’re expecting to win games at home and it’s disappointing that we’ve suffered a first loss at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Look at teams like Bournemouth, look at Sunderland – who we’re playing next – where were they last year? We don’t want to be sucked into a cesspit and I don’t think we will because the way we’re playing football is a breath of fresh air, but it’s now up to David Moyes to try and find an answer, you need to find another way to try and win games. We’re level with Leeds and they’re probably thinking they’re having a poor season. Look at the teams who are now above us, Aston Villa had a slow start, but they’ve picked up a lot of points in the last few games and so have Manchester United. I don’t think we’re in trouble but as the last game of the weekend you think ‘we need a win here’ just to keep the momentum going up. To be fair to the players, I thought we came out really strong.

We started well and were putting them under a lot of pressure, but we didn’t have the answers. Beto had an opportunity to throw his body in while Jack Grealish had a shot blocked. I thought we were looking the better team with our all-round game and were playing really well. Then, at a crucial moment, we just switched off. I think Jordan Pickford really struggles in those situations, as, while he’s a shot stopper, he hasn’t got the biggest presence. Yes, everyone needs to do their job but as we’ve seen this season, a lot has been highlighted on set-pieces and throw-ins. Teams are realising that if you get it in the box, you cause problems. We’ve been great at defending set pieces all season, but Spurs had done their homework and knew that Jordan wouldn’t command his box. It looked like we’d equalise and from that point we might have gone on and won the game but unfortunately, we’d impeded the goalkeeper. Like Liverpool do and like Arsenal do, when the corner comes in, they all get out rather than leaving players on the front and back post so Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye were caught in offside positions. There’s a question over whether the keeper would have saved it anyway – I don’t think he would have – but that also went against us. We were then naive because we got caught again and once more it was up to Jordan to come out and command it as he can use his arms. This ensured that Spurs had something to hold on to in the second half as while we had the play, tried to get back into it and huffed and puffed, we didn’t really find the answers. I’ve got to credit the players and the fans because until around the 87th minute, the ground remained full. There was a feeling that if we scored, we could still get something out of the game. At the end though as we were chasing it, Spurs broke and Richarlison got a fantastic assist.

Playing to your strengths doesn't mean we're predictable

There’s been talk that our attacking play has become predictable because the ball is going out wide to Ndiaye and Grealish, but that’s what I want. I don’t want hit and hope towards Beto, I don’t want it back with Michael Keane or James Tarkowski for too long, or Pickford. Some people might be crying out for changes and if the starters aren’t creating then they need to come off, no matter who they are, whether it’s Grealish or Ndiaye but I remember that Sven-Goran Eriksson was a master of that as often someone like Martin Petrov on the wing might be very poor all game and wouldn’t be involved but the manager trusted him to find that half a yard when the opposition tired, to create an opportunity. We’ve spent a lot of money on Tyler Dibling but he probably needs to be doing more in training to get in the manager’s eye. It’s sink or swim in the Premier League and when you get your opportunity you’ve got to take it.

Sunderland loving life but Blues must show their quality

It’s not often that you see a newly promoted team start as well as Sunderland have done. I remember Blackpool coming up and starting really brightly. You’re thinking, how have they gone from the Championship to fourth in the Premier League? They’re loving life right now and they’re all about strength, speed and mentality, having earned those stripes in the second tier which is a very difficult division to get yourself out of. They’ve come up to the Premier League and they’re just having a go. They might not have the most ability, but they’ve got plenty of spirit and are getting the rewards of playing to their strengths. It’s going to be a big moment for Pickford going back to Sunderland, but he needs to stand up and be counted. It’s time for us to show them our quality and why we haven’t been relegated for so many years, we need to be fast and sharp. They got a fantastic win against a quality Chelsea side and will be full of confidence, but we’ve got to go there and try and cause them problems.

A look at some of the moments beyond the headlines from Everton's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

Everton fell to a frustrating defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, their first loss at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Under the lights and in the prime time Sky Sports Sunday night slot, this felt like an opportunity to showcase the club’s progress to the world. Instead, the Blues are now nursing their wounds after Thomas Frank’s set piece prowess proved the difference between the sides.

For all the disappointment with the result, Everton again created chances and had they taken them - or had any of a number of close calls gone their way - it could have been a very different night on the banks of the Mersey. It was not to be, however. Here are some moments from behind-the-scenes of a tough result for David Moyes and his team.

Richarlison retains status as fan favourite

Richarlison once again caused Everton problems as he returned to his old club but there was, as usual, no sense of animosity from a favourite of the home faithful His introduction in the second half was met with applause from the Everton fanbase and he shared a friendly moment with Jordan Pickford after the goalkeeper kept out his effort when he capitalised on confusion between James Tarkowski and Vitalii Mykolenko.

He finished the match with an assist for Pape Matar Sarr’s late third goal but made sure he had time for both sets of supporters at the end. After giving his shirt away he walked the perimeter of the pitch and stopped to sign autographs and chat with Blues.

Jack Grealish putting in the dirty work

Much is rightly made of what Jack Grealish can do in attack but last night was another match in which his desire to do the hard work was clear. In the opening minutes, Vitalii Mykolenko found himself chasing balls over the top as Everton sought an early breakthrough.

Grealish immediately covered as left back to give the Ukraine international licence to roam. Later in the half it was his recovery challenge on Brennan Johnson that saved Everton when the forward breezed past Mykolenko and into the box. Unfortunately, Spurs’ second came from the flurry of corners that followed.

Beto backed by staff after frustrating evening

Beto was unable to find the back of the net on another frustrating night for the Everton striker. The forward has won the backing of Moyes in recent games but missed a good opportunity in the opening minutes, when he failed to connect with Ndiaye’s inviting cross. His disappointment was evident later in the half when he chased down a long ball and looked to chop inside Kevin Danso only to stand on the defender’s foot and fall over in the process. He fought back after losing possession but bundled over an opposition player in his efforts.

It was hard not to feel sorry for Beto when Guglielmo Vicario somehow clawed away his acrobatic effort in the second half. When he left the pitch, every one of the coaching staff sat across the first two rows of the Everton seats have him a fist bump or hi-five, suggesting he still retains the backing of a dressing room that is desperate for him to find the breakthrough it is hoped will kickstart his season.

Lee Dixon makes his comeback after controversial comments

Lee Dixon was not the most popular figure on the Blue half of Merseyside over the most recent international break as he questioned why Pickford had not left Everton. The former Arsenal defender queried why the England number one had not joined ‘a bigger club’ as he kept another clean sheet in the demolition of Latvia.

The comment sparked outrage among supporters and Everton posted a response on X highlighting the club’s illustrious past. Dixon was on international commentary duty on Sunday night as he made his first return to Everton since the furore.

Familiar faces in the building

A few other familiar faces were also in the building on Sunday evening. Jarrad Branthwaite, after his hamstring surgery went well in midweek, was spotted in attendance on crutches. The centre back would have been a strong contender for a return to the starting XI in this match, had he not suffered his latest setback.

Former owner Farhad Moshiri was once again present, too, as he continued to maintain an appearance record that far outshines his visits to Goodison Park over the final years of his reign. As Everton struggled for goals one of their former youth players, Nathan Broadhead looked on fresh from returning from Wrexham’s draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday. Broadhead had scored against Oxford United in midweek to give his side a much-needed three points.

Merlin Rohl spoke about finding his feet in the Premier League after Everton's 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

Everton’s latest signing Merlin Rohl admits that he and his Blues team-mates are going to have to conjure up some goals between them to combat the shortcomings of their striker’s scoring woes.

Tottenham Hotspur inflicted a first-ever defeat for Everton in a competitive match at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday as the 3-0 scoreline ensured David Moyes’ men failed to register for the second straight game while frontmen Beto and Thierno Barry, who cost approximately £55million between them, have netted just once in the Premier League all season. Rohl, who joined the Blues on transfer deadline day on a season-long loan deal from Freiburg with an obligation to buy next summer, came off the bench against Spurs for what was his third substitute appearance.

When it came to improving Everton’s goal output, the 23-year-old believes that everyone needs to chip in. Rohl said: “We all need to work on getting goals and creating more chances. Every player needs to focus on themselves.

“I have to look at my actions as I want to improve for the next game. That’s what everybody needs to do and then we come together as a team for the next game and try to do better.

OPINION

“I think I can bring a lot to the team. The focus doesn’t need to be on one position or certain players.

“I think I can fit in different roles and bring different attributes into our team. I like to go forwards with the ball at my feet, I like to go deep, I like to work behind to get the ball to the attacker, so there are a lot of positions and we shouldn’t focus on certain players, thinking: ‘that’s my position and where I want to play.’”

As £100million signing Florian Wirtz has found with neighbours Liverpool, the jump from the German to English top flight can be a big one but the Potsdam-born midfielder is enjoying his early days on Merseyside. Rohl said: “Of course there is a big difference in the playing style between the Bundesliga and Premier League. You can see here that it is more of a fast-paced style and both teams will go in both directions much faster.

“I think for me personally it fits really well. I think I find lots of room for situations where I can show my speed and I’m working to fulfil my potential on the pitch.

“I need to stay calm and train well, trying to improve and we’ll see from game to game.

“I’m pretty happy here to be honest. I really like the league, I like the club, I like the manager and my team-mates.

“I’m full of enjoyment, even after a bad game because I think it’s a great opportunity for me to showcase my abilities because I think the league is a really good fit for me and my physical attributes. I’m trying to show this on the pitch, even though it could take some time.”

Even though the Spurs game was a bad day at the office for Everton, Rohl believes the support of his colleagues and the fans can help drive him on. He said: “The whole team is frustrated and me personally. We expected more in terms of the result, with our build-up and our playing style.

“We had good control over some parts of the game but of course, in the important situations we didn’t make the right moves and conceded goals after set-pieces. We need to get better on this.

“I feel really good. The whole group and the staff welcomed me very nicely, especially the manager.

“He’s working with me very closely. He gave me some minutes on the pitch and then I was out with the injury.

“It’s not normal that you come back and get some minutes so quickly so I’m happy about that and trying to be better in training and in the games.

“The fans were fantastic today. They pushed us in the second half and it’s sad that we didn’t make a goal out of it.

“I really like this about English football how the fans are always cheering us on. It really motivates me to play better.”

An overview of the coverage from the national media of Everton's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur’s set piece prowess dominated the match reports of the national newspapers following Everton’s defeat to Thomas Frank’s side.

Reporters debated the merits of the decision by referee Craig Pawson to disallow Jake O’Brien’s goal from a corner but had little doubt over the value in Spurs’ effectiveness from the dead ball after Micky van de Ven’s first half double paved the way for a 3-0 win - the Blues’ first defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

While there were questions about the direction football was taking with set-pieces being the new weapon of choice in the Premier League, there was unanimous agreement that Everton’s problems lie predominately in their front line.

Paul Joyce wrote in the Times: “There are a number of reasons as to why Richarlison, a substitute for Spurs, remains revered in these parts more than three years since he was sold to Tottenham for £60m to try, unsuccessfully as it turned out, to avoid Everton falling foul of Profitability and Sustainability Rules. Two are Beto and Thierno Barry, who have yet to show they can replicate the output of the Brazilian in his final season when ten goals and five assists were a big reason why the club stayed in the top flight.”

Beto was praised for his effort, which has never been in question, and the striker was unfortunate to see his acrobatic second half effort clawed away by the excellent Guglielmo Vicario. His failure to connect with Iliman Ndiaye’s cross inside the first five minutes was a significant moment in this game, however.

Andy Hunter wrote in the Guardian that the hosts worked hard to find a route back into the match in the second half: “Everton responded well to the blows, particularly after the restart when Vicario’s superb reflexes were required to preserve a clean sheet from a Beto overhead kick.”

But, he added: “Given the glaring absence of a quality striker in David Moyes’s squad, the prospect of an Everton comeback always appeared remote despite the intelligent probings of Iliman Ndiaye, James Garner, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish.”

Chris Bascombe, in the Telegraph, added: “Spurs became the first visiting team to win at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday because they scored from two legitimate corners, while Everton were penalised after a disallowed goal followed their most successful one…Their failings were familiar as encouraging periods were undermined by the lack of a high-class centre-forward. Beto is willing but not particularly able at this level. Youngster Thierno Barry showed signs of improvement. He, too, is a work in progress.”

And finally, Dominic King wrote in the Mail: “There was nothing wrong with the commitment but Everton simply ran out of ideas when they went two goals behind and it was revealing when Grealish waved an arm in exasperation at Beto, who started up front, when he passed the ball backwards in the first half. It was all a little stop-start.”

In the ECHO, there was greater focus on the key decisions in this match, including focus on whether or not Jordan Pickford was fouled in the build up to van de Ven’s second and the lack of protection offered to Jack Grealish.

Ultimately, the report concluded: “There is only so much frustration they can direct at others in another game in which they prodded the seams of their own abilities. This is a team capable of playing free-flowing, intelligent football. At various points in this fixture the Blues looked set to harness their rage in positive fashion. It would have been a very different night under the lights, for instance, had Beto been able to fire Ndiaye’s cross in from close range inside the opening five minutes. For the third time in six weeks, the Guinea-Bissau international missed a golden opportunity in the opening stages of a game that Everton went on to drop points in. It may be unfair to have expected him to score all three. But that none ended up in the back of the net is a growing source of worry.

“The 27-year-old persevered again, but in a system that does not suit him, his limitations were clear, as were those of a side which has no natural attacking support from full-back to help Grealish and Ndiaye.”

The Spurs boss has repeatedly spoken highly about Everton's fanbase and did so again after becoming the first away manager to win a competitive game at Hill Dickinson Stadium

Thomas Frank had more praise for Everton supporters after leading his Tottenham Hotspur side to a 3-0 win at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The Spurs boss has repeatedly spoken highly of the Blues fanbase, whose passion he witnessed at full throttle when his Brentford team visited Goodison Park at the end of the 2021/22 season. His side arrived in L4 amid one of the first of the vociferous coach welcomes that inspired the team to safety under Frank Lampard - though not before losing 3-2 to the Bees that afternoon.

Those scenes stuck with him and inspired a section of his programme notes when Everton travelled to the Gtech Community Stadium at the beginning of the following season. On Sunday night, on his first visit to the club’s new ground, he again went out of his way to offer up praise - highlighting the “very good home crowd”.

OPINION

The atmosphere built to a crescendo at Hill Dickinson for the start of the match as Everton sought to extend their unbeaten start to life on the Liverpool waterfront. With referee Craig Pawson overseeing a series of contentious decisions, the excitement turned into fury as two goals from Micky Van de Ven and a Pape Matar Sarr header meant it was the away end that left in celebration.

After the match, Frank said: “I am very happy with that. I think it was overall a very solid performance. I'm especially pleased with the first half, where I think we were good in phase one, good in phase two. We had more passes, controlled the game more in phases. In general, the second half was a little bit more of a dogfight at times, and going here to Everton, which is against a very good team that is well set up by David Moyes and [which has] a very good home crowd.

Everton analysis from Chris Beesley following the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at Hill Dickinson Stadium

As overhead scissor-kicks go, it was hardly a glorious moment like Pele in Escape to Victory, but Beto’s acrobatic attempt to try and get his side back into the game summed up how things have been going for Everton’s number nine. With the Blues already two-nil down and facing a mountain to climb, Iliman Ndiaye, who went into this season with 11 goals to his name for the club – including their last two at Goodison Park – and then followed that up with the first at Hill Dickinson Stadium, again showed how of late he has become a potent provider from out wide, having been moved to the right flank.

In his maiden campaign on Merseyside, the Senegal international was a taker rather than a maker of chances – which was demonstrated in spectacular fashion by his solo strike in this corresponding fixture which brought David Moyes’ first three points since returning – but while he would often cut inside to have a shot himself, the crosses were in short supply.

Now Jack Grealish is operating on that side of the pitch, Ndiaye has moved over, and it seems to enable him to pick out team-mates. There was the first assist to tee up international team-mate Idrissa Gueye in the Merseyside Derby; Moyes name-checked his delivery that resulted in Grealish’s dramatic stoppage-time winner here last time out, and of course, he fed Beto twice in Everton’s prior fixture to this at Manchester City.

OPINION

Ndiaye had already put a chance on a plate for his Blues team-mates in the first half, but once more, his centre-forward failed to make a proper connection, and it was left to Grealish to see his effort cleared off the line by Pedro Porro.

Beto knows that he will ultimately be judged by his goal output, and while he’s the only Everton striker to have found the net so far this season, one goal in 567 Premier League minutes so far this season doesn’t make great reading.

But, for now at least, the striker who hit five in a four-game purple patch in the competition for Moyes last February is going to have to try and play his way out of the slump. Understudy Thierno Barry is not doing any better, and the Blues are in desperate need of some added cutting edge.

Soft centre

All of a sudden, Everton facing being without their most valuable player and defensive colossus Jarrad Branthwaite for a prolonged period came into sharp focus with a disjointed display at the back in the week that the England international underwent an operation after suffering a setback with his hamstring injury.

Going into the previous weekend, Blues boss Moyes was looking forward to having Branthwaite – who hasn’t kicked a ball all season – on the cusp of a return, but now he finds himself further away than ever, and boy was he missed here.

When asked about the recovery period in his pre-match press conference to preview this fixture, the manager refused to put a timescale on proceedings and insisted that his prize asset would not be rushed.

Writing in his programme notes, the 62-year-old said of Branthwaite: “We hope he won’t be out for too long because obviously he is a hugely important member of our team, and to be without him for such a long period was not what we expected. We wish him well and hope for a speedy recovery.”

To be fair to James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, the pair of them – who previously played together at Burnley – have so far forged a solid partnership, but this was not an opportune time for the wheels to fall off in such spectacular fashion.

Once again, their general play, particularly that of Keane, who made a strong, well-timed interception on Xavi Simons in the penalty area early on, was mostly sound, but when it mattered most, they and the rest of the home defence were found badly lacking.

Everton couldn’t say they hadn’t been warned, with Spurs captain Micky van de Ven having already headed in the opener – when he’d already been left unmarked in the six-yard box – but somehow he managed to get himself between the Blues’ two centre-backs to do it again and double his side’s advantage.

Hopefully it proves to be a painful exception to the rule, but Everton’s defenders need to re-establish their solidity quickly.

Home comforts

The citadel has been stormed by the banks of the Mersey.

Roma were the first visiting side here to taste victory in the inaugural senior game back in August, but once the competitive action got under way, Everton were, up until this point, undefeated in their new 52,769-capacity home.

Curiously, Tottenham Hotspur, the last incumbent Premier League team to move to a new stadium (Brentford’s switch was more recent in 2020 under current Spurs boss Thomas Frank, but they were still in the Championship at the time), went five games unbeaten, but now they have defeated the Blues, who went six.

Like anyone at this level, Moyes’ men have at times during that run had to ride their luck – especially in their Premier League opener against Brighton & Hove Albion, and then last time out when facing Crystal Palace, who could have easily been three-nil up themselves before Everton staged a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory to deny them going 20 games unbeaten – but this proved to be an emphatic unravelling in the new surroundings.

Ironically, this was originally due to be the match that fan group the 1878s, who added spark to the final days at Goodison Park, were due to have their first display, but instead the previous evening was used as a fundraiser when they released their set of flags and banners that had filled the stands at ‘The Grand Old Lady’ now required some serious super-sizing.

It’s not often that Moyes’ team are beaten by such margins, following his return, only Manchester City – twice – had beaten the Blues by more than a single-goal margin in a Premier League game, but despite what was a bright start here, Spurs would highlight the hosts’ lack of a cutting edge.

Hill Dickinson Stadium can still be a daunting place for visitors to come to, but it must be remembered that last season Everton enjoyed just five home wins in the league, the joint lowest in their history, along with 1957/58.

As the manager cautioned in his programme notes, “Everton was never going to be a quick fix.” However, he hopes: “We are still pressing all the right buttons to try and fast-forward that process,” and the supporters can play a big part in that.

David Moyes was speaking to the media following Everton's 3-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium

David Moyes said he had no issue with the major decisions that went against his side as Everton fell to their first defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Jake O’Brien had a goal disallowed after VAR intervened to highlight that Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye were not just offside but interfering with play - even though their presence may not have stopped him from saving the effort.

Micky Van de Ven’s second headed goal sparked further anger in the home stands after the centre back appeared to push Jordan Pickford in the build up. For Moyes, the defeat did not lie at the hands of Craig Pawson and his officials, however.

On O’Brien’s disallowed effort, he said: “I think the goal we got chopped off for offside was the correct decision. I think Ili’s offside.

OPINION

"At the time and from where I looked at it from the touchline, it looked to me as if everyone was OK, but I've just looked at it after I came in after the game, so I can’t argue with that now.”

And on whether Pickford was fouled: “No, I don't think there was a foul on that. I don't think so.”

With that in mind, Moyes was asked whether he placed the responsibility for the 3-0 defeat at the feet of his players. The Scot said: “Well, the players will always take responsibility and I do, of course we do.

"We've been very good at set pieces in the main, but today Spurs - whatever team Thomas [Frank] has had have been good at set pieces - their deliveries were good.

"We had more corner kicks than them today, but they got their head on them and we didn't and the goalkeeper punched a few and we didn’t.”

Everton match verdict from Joe Thomas following the 3-0 Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium

Idrissa Gueye held his head in his hands. Jordan Pickford, 35 yards from his goalmouth, shouted in disgust. Jack Grealish looked stunned. Disgusted and stunned. With 20 minutes to go, Everton were two goals down, but it still felt as though they were in this game.

When the ball broke to Grealish, he cut inside and prepared to unleash a counter attack that could have been a route to a comeback, only to have his legs taken from beneath him by Rodrigo Bentancur.

It was a cynical foul and one the midfielder was lucky to escape a booking for. Grealish was not so fortunate, picking up a yellow card for his protest at Craig Pawson’s initial leniency. It was a split-second that summed up this game.

OPINION

Pedro Porro had been shown similar favour inside the first 10 minutes when his boot raked down the shins of Grealish. The decisions were not going Everton’s way. That was no clearer than through the major, contentious calls upon which this game swung. It is why Pawson left the pitch to boos at the end of both halves.

This game hinged on the events in the middle of the first half. Everton could have no complaint of the officials after Micky Van de Ven nodded in Bentancur’s back post header from a corner that was straight from the playbook of former Blues boss Sean Dyche.

But minutes later the hosts were celebrating a quick response after Jake O’Brien headed in from a near-post corner. Those celebrations were short-lived before changing into a pitch of fury when VAR intervened and the goal was ruled out for offside. O’Brien was fine, but Guglielmo Vicario was surrounded by Grealish and Ndiaye, both clearly offside when their teammate met the cross. It is hard to argue, as Pawson concluded, that their presence impacted Vicario. That he would not have saved the effort had those players not been there left a bitter taste, however.

The sense of anger on the pitch and in the stands doubled on the break when Everton fell further behind to a second Van de Ven header from a corner. There was clear contact between his outstretched arm and the body of Jordan Pickford before he leapt to meet the cross. VAR checked that goal – as it checks every goal – but this time decided against stepping in. The Hill Dickinson Stadium seethed with a sense of injustice.

Everton had every reason to feel annoyed and the second-half booking for Grealish – his second for dissent this season – summed up the failure for anything to fall in favour of the hosts on a wet, stormy night on the Liverpool waterfront.

Yet there is only so much frustration they can direct at others in another game in which they prodded the seams of their own abilities. This is a team capable of playing free-flowing, intelligent football. At various points in this fixture the Blues looked set to harness their rage in positive fashion. It would have been a very different night under the lights, for instance, had Beto been able to fire Ndiaye’s cross in from close range inside the opening five minutes. For the third time in six weeks, the Guinea-Bissau international missed a golden opportunity in the opening stages of a game that Everton went on to drop points in. It may be unfair to have expected him to score all three. But that none ended up in the back of the net is a growing source of worry.

The 27-year-old persevered again, but in a system that does not suit him, his limitations were clear, as were those of a side which has no natural attacking support from full-back to help Grealish and Ndiaye.

Both still had moments, though, and Ndiaye was again a menace on the right. And for all that Beto is struggling, he was unfortunate not to get the goal that could kickstart his season when his acrobatic second-half effort was clawed away by Vicario. It was one of three excellent saves from the Spurs keeper, who was at full stretch to push a James Garner effort from distance around the post and then reacted brilliantly to prevent a deflected Ndiaye shot from beating him.

The history books will present this as a comfortable win for Spurs, but in reality Everton were always in this game, and the feeling of belief and the determination to keep battling should offer a crumb of comfort to Moyes. The reasons for the failure to find a way back into this game extended beyond the controversial decisions of the matchday officials, however. One cause of worry is that Beto is still yet to find form and, in his search for it, is struggling to help his teammates. Thierno Barry looked brighter when he came on in the second half, though whether he can be the solution for this season is also unclear. Everton need to solve that problem quickly if they harbour ambitions of a top-half finish.

The game ended with a third for Spurs as Pape Matar Sarr nodded in from a Richarlison header across the box. It was a soft goal conceded by a team that was frantically searching for a way back. It piled on the misery as Everton suffered a first defeat at their new stadium, though.