Liverpool Echo

Everton have important lessons to learn after what happened in first-half against Tottenham

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

David Moyes was blunt about Everton’s set pieces last season when he came back to the club, describing them as “rubbish”, but when it came to keeping them out at the other end this term, the Blues were the last man standing, as it were.

Perhaps employing a former Liverpool player as set-piece coach was always going to be troublesome, like the club’s ill-fated appointment of Rafael Benitez, the man who petulantly described Everton as a “small club” after a goalless Merseyside Derby stalemate at Anfield during Moyes’ first spell in charge, but it would be unfair to pin all their woes on Charlie Adam and the efforts he put in during the second half of 2024/25 alongside a staff containing fellow Scots, Moyes, Alan Irvine and Billy McKinlay.

While the ex-Red has now moved on, the Blues have at least been standing firm when defending them in 2025/26, even without the presence of their colossus at the back, Jarrad Branthwaite, who now faces a prolonged period on the sidelines after undergoing an operation for a hamstring injury this week, having undergone a major setback.

OPINION

But just as Everton’s praises were being sung for being the only Premier League team who had not been breached by a set-piece, lightning struck twice in the same place against Tottenham Hotspur, whose captain Micky van de Ven headed in from a brace of corners.

To add insult to injury, the Blues were of course denied an equaliser in between from one of their own, as Jake O’Brien’s header was ruled out after Craig Pawson checked the pitchside monitor and deemed that Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish, standing in offside positions, were impeding opposition goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

The doom-mongers have waxed lyrical about the increase in set-piece goals and long throws – we’re told Spurs take the longest in the division to despatch theirs– and even goal kicks going back to being launched upfield.

The idea that the Premier League is now the home of 21st-century equivalents to Wimbledon’s ‘Crazy Gang’ and Dave Bassett’s Sheffield United seems rather hysterical, though.

Among these 20 teams, though, Everton, even with their added guile, remain one of the biggest, most physically imposing sides, and they need to start using that to their advantage.

This was a bad day at the office, no doubt, but important lessons can be learnt.

Everton suffered their first defeat in a competitive match at Hill Dickinson Stadium as a disallowed equaliser knocked the stuffing out of them against Tottenham Hotspur, and they were ultimately well beaten, 3-0.

The visitors went ahead with a headed goal from a corner by captain Micky van de Ven, and with Jake O’Brien’s leveller in similar fashion being ruled out because Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish – both standing in offside positions – were deemed to have impaired opposition keeper Guglielmo Vicario, they then repeated the trick to double their advantage. The rout was completed in the 89th minute as Pape Matar Sarr was left unmarked in the area to also nod in from a cross by fellow substitute and Blues old boy Richarlison.

The ECHO were in attendance at Hill Dickinson Stadium and here we run the rule over the performance of the Blues' players.

Jordan Pickford 6

Dealt with everything that came his way, including a shot from former team-mate Richarlison, but will be disappointed with the way his defence failed to deal with two Spurs’ corner-kick routines.

Jake O’Brien 5

Cruelly denied a headed equaliser following referee Craig Pawson’s review of the pitchside VAR monitor, but he’d earlier retreated to his goal-line, leaving Micky van de Ven unmarked to nod Spurs ahead.

Vitalii Mykolenko 5

Had his hands full trying to keep tabs on Brennan Johnson and Mohammed Kudus having almost found himself in a goalscoring position just a couple of minutes in.

James Tarkowski 5

Allowed van de Ven to get between him and Keane for the second, having hurt his back when making the challenge on Muani to concede the corner for the opener, he was left on his own to try and deal with Pape Matar Sarr for the third goal late on.

Michael Keane 5

Made a well-timed early interception to deny Xavi Simons in the area, but Everton could have done with his aerial presence in the right area when they conceded the opener from the corner and then he and Tarkowski had van de Ven in between them for the second.

Idrissa Gueye 6

Used the ball well in the engine room but those behind him were slack, ensuring he was often having to fight a rearguard action.

James Garner 6

Tested Guglielmo Vicario from distance with a well-struck low drive, he started strongly but faded, picking up a booking for bringing down Mohammed Kudus and moved to right-back after Rohl’s introduction.

Iliman Ndiaye 7

Lively down the right wing, his early cross could have been converted by either Beto or Grealish and he kept Spurs’ defenders on their toes, putting the cross in for Beto’s overhead kick opportunity.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall 6

Some promising ball-carrying, he was more involved in Everton’s forward play, but frustratingly too often he couldn’t get his shots off properly.

Jack Grealish 7

Probing from early on, he was a constant threat and saw a shot cleared off the line by Pedro Porro before he and Ndiaye were offside for the disallowed equaliser before his frustrations boiled over in the second half, collecting a yellow card for complaining to the referee.

Beto 5

Kept plugging away, spearheading the attack but nothing dropped for him, including an overhead kick with his back to goal that Vicario saved.

Substitutes

Thierno Barry (on 66 for Beto) 6

Looked more polished than Beto when he came on, but still didn’t go close to scoring.

Merlin Rohl (on 66 for O’Brien) 6

Brought a greater presence in the centre of the park as Everton chased the game.

Charly Alcaraz (on 86 for Gueye) N/A

Had to be satisfied with a late cameo.

The Premier League have explained their decision to disallow Everton’s equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Spurs captain Micky van de Ven headed his side in front from a corner kick on 19 minutes, but the Blues looked to have restored parity in similar fashion just five minutes later as Jake O’Brien nodded past Guglielmo Vicario in the visitors' net.

However, the decision was reviewed by VAR, although Stuart Attwell at Stockley Park did not make the call himself and invited on-field referee Craig Pawson to consult the pitchside monitor for the first time at the Blues’ new 52,769-capacity home on the Mersey waterfront.

After watching the footage, the South Yorkshire official deemed that both Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish were standing in an offside position and putting off the opposition goalkeeper.

The Premier League Match Centre account on X (formerly Twitter) read as follows: “After VAR review, the referee overturned the original decision of goal to Everton. Referee announcement: ‘After review, Everton 10 and 18 were in an offside position, interfering with the goalkeeper. The final decision is an in-direct free kick in the six yard box.’”

Speaking on commentary at the time, Gary Neville said: "I don't think the VAR officials are sure themselves. It's a 50/50 this one.

"From the VAR we were hearing, they're having a right good look at it. There's a little bit of contact and it'll be overturned, I'm sure.

"It's not gone down well. You could almost see the fear in the referee's eyes! I don't think he's ever going to save it, but it's a 50/50 one."

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Jack Grealish makes an immediate return for Everton after the playmaker missed the trip to Manchester City because he could not face his parent club.

The 30-year-old is back in David Moyes' starting XI for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur, taking the place of Carlos Alcaraz. Moyes looks set to revert to his favoured attacking midfield of Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye - available to him for the first time since the draw with West Ham United given that Dewsbury-Hall was suspended for the win over Crystal Palace.

That comeback victory extended Everton's unbeaten start to life at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. It will be tested again this after as Thomas Frank seeks to help Spurs respond to last weekend's defeat by Aston Villa, which was followed by a goalless draw in Monaco in the Champions League.

Moyes hopes to take advantage of any tiredness in the legs of the visitors after that midweek excursion. To do so, he has named an otherwise unchanged starting XI from the defeat at the Etihad.

Jake O'Brien, who made his first league start for Everton in this fixture last season, retains his place at right back while Moyes keeps faith with Beto - who was unable to take advantage of two good chances last Saturday when the game was level. Michael Keane also keeps his place, which was expected to come under threat from the returning Jarrad Branthwaite before he suffered a setback to his hamstring last weekend.

Merlin Rohl, who Moyes waxed lyrical about at Finch Farm on Friday, will have to wait to make an impression with the German youth international starting on the bench.

Everton (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Beto

Everton line-ups for Tottenham as Jack Grealish recalled and Merlin Rohl and Beto decisions made

Our Everton writers predict their line-ups for today's Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur at Hill Dickinson Stadium

David Moyes secured the first win of his second stint in charge of Everton when Tottenham Hotspur were the visitors to Goodison Park in January. It was a game that marked a seismic shift in the Blues' season as the Grand Old Lady rocked with delight as the hosts raced into a 3-0 lead by half-time.

A late Spurs fightback threatened to ruin the party but Everton held on to three points that would mark the start of the climb away from trouble led by Moyes.

As Spurs return to Merseyside this afternoon, this time with Thomas Frank at the helm, the ECHO's Everton writers consider how they would set the Blues team up for the contest.

Joe Thomas

Jack Grealish returns straight away, for me. I like Carlos Alcaraz a lot but I think we can see the attacking three behind the striker that has gelled best has probably been Grealish, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye.

I'm still not sure that Ndiaye on the right is his best use but once again, at Manchester City, he showed he can be really effective there and that is probably best for the balance of the side.

I would stick with Beto up front - I am just plumping for him right now and hoping he can find a goal that can start a run of form. I thought he did okay in the early stages at the Etihad, though it would have been nice had he put one of those chances away. At least he is getting in those positions, though.

I am intrigued by the prospect of Merlin Rohl. David Moyes was excited for him when I spoke to him on Friday about the German youth international's availability and he is another option in a midfield that started the season with too few. Moyes appears open to playing him out wide, in defence and midfield, while there is a temptation to slot him in the middle and move James Garner to right back.

I would not do that against Spurs. This was the game Jake O’Brien started his long run at right back in last season and his physicality and strength will be useful in both boxes. I am open to changes, just not for this game.

My team (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Beto.

Chris Beesley

With Jarrad Branthwaite cruelly facing a prolonged period on the sidelines having undergone an operating after suffering a setback with his hamstring injury, just as he was on the cusp of making a return, there is realistically just one change that David Moyes can make to improve his side against Tottenham Hotspur.

The England international - potentially a generational talent - could have taken the Blues' game up a level as they enter a crucial crossroads in the season, looking to climb back into the upper echelons of the table rather than over their shoulders during what appears to be a closely-fought division so far.

However, after failing to kick a ball in competitive action this term, it looks like Moyes' men are going to be without the Carlisle Kaiser until some unspecified point in 2026. So, in the meantime, an immediate return for loan star Jack Grealish, ineligible to feature against parent club Manchester City last time out, looks to be the obvious change on the left wing where Charly Alcaraz was unable to build upon the promise he shown off the bench in a more central attacking midfield role against Crystal Palace.

Everton's two strikers both continue to labour but at least Beto was getting on the end of chances at the Etihad - something that eludes Thierno Barry - if only to miss them, so he continues to spearhead the attack.

Undoubtedly, there is still a gulf between the top teams and where we are at present, but the road to recovery at Everton was never going to be a quick fix. We are still pressing all the right buttons to try and fast-forward that process.

We want to be compet itive and regularly challenge the best teams in the league. Our aim is to give you supporters belief and good reasons to be positive for the future.

“Absolutely, there's the effort that has to go into the midweek games and the Sundays, or whatever day you're playing.

“It's a huge effort for any club, so it gives us a little bit more time and maybe this year it'll be helpful.

“There is another side to having regular games. There are some players who you can't play often enough and you could give them game time, more often. I think that is helpful. But I'm looking at some of the results last night, I'm looking at Larnaca beating Crystal Palace, Villa against Go Ahead Eagles [Unai Emery’s side lost 2-1 in the Netherlands]. The European games are really tough."

Jarrad's injury had full healed and he was back in full training, but he still felt a bit of discomfort. After seeing a specialist again it was decided the best thing to do was to have a small operation.

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.

David Moyes wants Everton to take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur visiting Merseyside days after Champions League commitments - something they failed to do at Anfield last month

Everton will look to exploit any fatigue in Tottenham Hotspur’s squad when Thomas Frank’s side visit Merseyside just days after Champions League action. Spurs drew at Monaco on Wednesday night, earning a useful point through the heroics of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

They are one of nine Premier League teams with European commitments this season and David Moyes said it was important his Everton side sought to take advantage when the fixture list allowed.

The Blues boss was bitterly disappointed his side failed to begin well at Anfield last month, when a slow start cost them the chance of taking anything from a Liverpool side that had been embroiled in an energy-sapping match with Atletico Madrid days earlier. He appears determined not to allow his players to make the same mistake again when Spurs visit Hill Dickinson this afternoon.

Asked whether the commitments of other teams presented an opportunity for his own, Moyes said: “Absolutely, there's the effort that has to go into the midweek games and the Sundays, or whatever day you're playing.

“It's a huge effort for any club, so it gives us a little bit more time and maybe this year it'll be helpful.

“There is another side to having regular games. There are some players who you can't play often enough and you could give them game time, more often. I think that is helpful. But I'm looking at some of the results last night, I'm looking at Larnaca beating Crystal Palace, Villa against Go Ahead Eagles [Unai Emery’s side lost 2-1 in the Netherlands]. The European games are really tough.

“It wouldn't matter who you're playing, there's just a big, big trip, big. It's not an easy thing to be that good every game, if you know what I mean. It's not easy, it’s very difficult.”

Moyes, who took his former side West Ham United into Europe three times and oversaw success in the Europa Conference League, said the additional time he had with his players on the training ground in comparison to those seasons was helpful, given the progress he is trying to lead at Finch Farm.

He is in no doubt that he would rather Everton have to deal with the demands of European football than not, however. The Scot has repeatedly set the club's ambitions at qualification for the European competitions.

He said: “We were talking about it the other day, there are many more days of training. Sometimes you could have too many days training, in some ways, because recently I have been brought up with playing Thursday, playing Sunday, and that's nearly the way it goes for weeks.

“I've got to say, I hope in the future I get another chance to do it. Maybe not a Thursday, maybe a Tuesday or Wednesday, I mean if it was Champions League, but overall if it happened to be a Thursday then I would take that, that's for sure.”

One weapon at Tottenham’s disposal on Sunday will be Mohammed Kudus, a player with history with both Moyes and Everton.

It was Moyes who introduced him to the Premier League after signing him from Ajax - a deal that came a year after a loan move to the Blues, with an option to buy, fell through at the eleventh hour.

On the Ghana international, Moyes said: “He is a brilliant player. He's got so many attributes to his game. He is a great boy to work with. I hugely enjoyed him and had a good relationship with him.

“He has got great strength, great balance. It is very hard to knock him off the ball, he has the ability to go inside or outside. He could play several positions.

“I think his form last year wasn't as good by all accounts, but I see him doing lots of things, whether it be scoring goals or creating goals.

“And I think at the moment, from a distance, he'd nearly look like Tottenham's best buy of the summer. I'm not an expert on Tottenham, but that's the way it looks.”

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank was asked about Xavi Simons and whether his adaptation to life in the Premier League mirrors that of Florian Wirtz at Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has preached patience over £52m signing Xavi Simons and agreed with a comparison to Liverpool's £116m buy Florian Wirtz. Both players made the move from the Bundesliga to the Premier League in the summer.

Simons and Wirtz forged reputations as two of the best young playmakers in the world with their performances for RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.

But the 22-year-olds have struggled since arriving in England. Simons has produced only one assist for Tottenham in eight games while Wirtz has the same number in 11 appearances for Liverpool and is also waiting to score his first goal.

The Netherlands international was withdrawn after Spurs went behind in their 2-1 home loss to Aston Villa on Sunday while, for the second Premier League game running, the Germany international started on the bench as the Reds went down 2-1 at home to Manchester United later on in the afternoon.

But Frank has rallied around Simons after a comparison to Wirtz.

"I think that's a very good question and also a very good comparison with Wirtz, who is also a very good player just like Xavi," said the Tottenham boss ahead of his side's Champions League clash at Monaco tonight.

"A couple of things, new country, new club, new city and just needing to settle in.

"We are all getting judged every game but we also need to see the bigger perspective and I see it all the time.

"I always look for glimpses and bits and pieces. For example with Xavi, there were some good bits and I worked with him and I asked him to arrive a bit more in the box. When I looked at the game back, he did.

"Was there a big eye-catching moment? No, but there were good glimpses and I think it is constantly going in the right direction."

Wirtz is expected to be recalled to the Liverpool starting line-up this evening when they take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.

The former Leverkusen favourite impressed as a second-half substitute against Man United and before that game Reds boss Arne Slot offered a similar verdict to Frank.

"If you've been brought in for so much money, people look mainly at goals and assists, but I can tell you he could be on six or seven assists already," Slot told Sky Sports.

"If you look at the passes he's played to his team-mates which unfortunately didn't lead to goals, one of the greatest examples is the Chelsea game where after one minute (since coming on) he had this great flick to Mo Salah.

"For Mo, this is 99 times out of 100 a goal. I have to say 98 out of 100 because the last time he got a ball like this was against Atletico Madrid from Florian Wirtz, but Mo hit the post.

"He's been a bit unlucky with the finishing when he's given his team-mates chances but, in general for a 22-year-old, it's quite normal that you have to adjust to going to another country let alone going to the Premier League."

Everton Women lost to Tottenham Hotspur in their first official match full-time at Goodison Park

Perhaps Everton Women should have moved into Anfield instead? Whereas the Blues’ female footballers have triumphed six times in a row against their Liverpool counterparts across Stanley Park with Ornella Vignola becoming the first player representing the club there to net a hat-trick since Dixie Dean in 1931, their inaugural competitive game at Goodison Park since they took up permanent residence ended up in a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in a contest in which Brian Sorensen’s side always found themselves very much second best.

Indeed, in contrast to their away day successes against the Reds, following this reversal, Everton Women have now only won one of their last half dozen fixtures at the Grand Old Lady, and that was also against Liverpool. New owners The Friedkin Group of course come from the USA where women’s ‘soccer’ has got a rich pedigree and they have got big plans for the Blues’ female footballers. With the big four domestic team sports of American football, baseball, basketball and (ice) hockey commanding the attentions of many male athletes in that country, women’s football has been able to flourish without the prejudices and chauvinistic attitudes that have sometimes held it back on these shores where the men’s game is king and the Premier League is the most lucrative domestic division on the planet.

But after having to play catch-up with some other nations, women’s football is now very much on the up here with England having won back-to-back European Championships and curiously nine of the Lionesses were either former Everton players/and/or Merseysiders. The huge attendances that women’s club sides are enjoying in London and even to a lesser extent in Manchester, haven’t yet been matched in this footballing hotbed for the men’s game – but that hasn’t always been the case. As covered in this correspondent’s book Spirit of the Blues: Everton’s Most Memorable Matches & Goodison Park’s Greatest Games and also featured on the new timeline that adorns the exterior of the Main Stand, on Boxing Day 1920, a monster crowd of 53,000 watched Dick, Kerr Ladies defeat St Helens 4-0 in what remained a world record gate for a women’s club fixture for over 98 and perhaps more incredibly, a better turn out than either Everton or Liverpool attracted over that festive period. In contrast, there were 6,473 present for this historic occasion. But that’s still a big increase on what the Blues could get at Walton Hall Park and even with the Bullens Road Stand, Upper Gwladys Street and Top Balcony of the Main Stand closed off, along with some sections of the Park End, they’re going to have to get used to their much more spacious surroundings. In that respect, their adaptation might not be as straightforward as the men’s side who could play in front of the biggest regular crowds in their history this season and are already feeling at home at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The weather conditions were not kind and did not help. Septembers in this country often produce relatively balmy ‘Indian Summers’ but this was cold and damp. However, those who watched on from the Gwladys Street kept up the tradition of it being the end for Everton’s most vociferous supporters as they kept singing throughout with terrace chants featuring adapted lyrics: Grand Old Team (Everton girls are there) & Spirit of the Blues (The blue girls are on the rise). Like David Moyes’ side, there has been a significant beefing up of the squad with nine new signings but on this evidence there still needs significant gelling required if Everton have aspirations to be ‘best of the rest’ behind the established powers in the Women’s Super League. Under the leadership of a Liverpool-born manager and former Blues academy player, Martin Ho, Spurs bossed this contest from the start. Home keeper Courtney Brosnan had already had to deny Drew Spence from close range before a neat exchange of passes from Cathinka Tandberg and Olga Ahtinen saw the latter break the deadlock with a cool finish on 27 minutes. If that was too easy for the visitors, the clincher four minutes into the second half will have been even more disappointing. Tandberg spotted Brosnan way off her line in the Park End goal and left the Everton keeper red-faced as she chipped her from around 40 yards out with an opportunistic but devastatingly accurate finish. Despite being up against an opposition custodian named (Lize) Kop, the Blues didn’t even test the Spurs number one as they failed to register a single shot on target in a lacklustre display hardly fitting of the occasion.

Everton boss didn't even celebrate moment that summed up £120,000-per-week star's frustrations

Today marks the 33rd birthday for former Everton player Bernard

He is the smallest Everton player of modern times but when Bernard enjoyed his biggest moment in a royal blue jersey, there were no fans inside Goodison Park to enjoy his dramatic winner. And, while those around him celebrated wildly with the match-winner, manager Carlo Ancelotti just calmly blew on his cup of tea.

That was Everton’s 5-4 extra-time victory over Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham Hotspur in an FA Cup fifth-round tie, on February 10, 2021. But as Bernard prepares to blow the candles out on his cake this year, he must hope that his 33rd birthday elicits more of a celebration than we got from the Italian that night, who like the attacking midfielder is now based in Brazil as national team coach.

As pointed out by this correspondent in my book Spirit of the Blues: Everton’s Most Memorable Matches and Goodison Park’s Greatest Games, in normal circumstances, the Grand Old Lady would have been shaking to the rafters when Bernard volleyed in the decisive ninth goal of the night.

However, supporters were kept out due to the global coronavirus pandemic and in some ways, the low-key backdrop to the ding-dong action on the pitch summed up the frustrations of Bernard’s time on Merseyside.

He arrived from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2018, a transfer window that also saw compatriot Richarlison snapped up from Watford for an initial £35million, Kurt Zouma brought in on loan from Chelsea, and Everton launching a triple raid on Barcelona for Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes.

Although out-of-contract Bernard came on a Bosman-style free transfer, this enabled him to command substantial wages, understood to be in the region of £120,000-a-week.

Despite his silky skills, the diminutive samba star would often struggle to impose himself among the physicality of the English game.

Blues had to wait until March 30 the following year to see Bernard’s first goal for the club as he met a low Seamus Coleman cross to net from close range at the back post and seal a 2-0 win at West Ham United with what proved to be his only Premier League strike of his maiden campaign.

Cutting inside from the left wing and beating Ben Foster with a low, right-foot shot at his near post just 10 minutes into Everton’s first home game of the following season against manager Marco Silva’s previous club Watford to earn a 1-0 success, hinted at better times ahead.

However, despite some intricate footwork in a tight space to open the scoring in a 2-0 victory over West Ham United a couple of months later – a fixture Silva had admitted was a “must win” for him after four straight losses – the manager who shared a native Portuguese tongue with Bernard had been sacked after a 5-2 thrashing to Liverpool at Anfield on December 4 left the Blues in the relegation zone.

With replacement Ancelotti bringing in James Rodriguez, who he had previously worked with at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, as his main creative force the following season, Bernard mostly found himself on the bench and his winner against Spurs came after coming on as a substitute with 20 minutes remaining of normal time. Indeed, out of the 84 matches he would play in total for Everton in all competitions, scoring eight times, Bernard would only complete 90 minutes on 13 occasions.

Was the South American, who stands at just 164cm (approximately 5ft 4½in), a mere centimetre taller than the Premier League’s shortest player at the time, Bournemouth’s pocket-sized Aberdonian winger Ryan Fraser, just too tiny for English top flight football?

Adrian ‘Inchy’ Heath, who won a brace of League Championships and an FA Cup with Everton, plus Alan Ball, who is widely considered to be the Blues’ most-talented outfield player of the post-war era, were both 5ft 6in and there have been several ‘mighty atoms’ at the club who were even smaller than those two. In the Premier League era, 5ft 5in winger Aaron Lennon made 77 appearances for Everton and scored nine goals.

Goodison’s ‘Little General’ Bobby Collins arrived in September 1958, was just 5ft 4in and took just a dainty size 4 boot. But there was nothing delicate about the Glaswegian’s play and the ‘Pocket Napoleon’ was famed for his ferocious style against much larger opponents, playing 147 games and scoring 48 goals for the Blues.

Deceptively strong, inside left Alex Stevenson stood a mere 5ft 3in but was known as Goodison’s ‘Celtic Sorcerer’ either side of the Second World War, turning out 271 times for Everton, scoring 90 goals and winning the League Championship in 1939.

Mini marvel Alec Troup, a mere 5ft 5in, set up the most momentous goal in Goodison history, floating in the corner kick in 1928 that provided the prolific Dixie Dean with a record 60th league goal of the season.

It was just one of many occasions that the Scot, who played 260 times for Everton between 1923-1930 scoring 35 goals, produced the ammunition for Dean who said: “Out of those 60 goals I scored, I must have scored 40 from centres by Troup.”

‘Goal a game’ Fred Geary was Everton’s first big star at centre-forward in the pioneering Victorian era but unlike later Blues icons in the position, he was hardly a target man given his pint-sized 5ft 2in frame. Quite probably the smallest ever player to turn out in the club’s first team, Geary, who was snapped up from home town club Notts Rangers, netted 86 times for Everton in 98 outings, including 20 in their first title-winning season of 1890/91 before crossing Stanley Park to help Liverpool win the Second Division Championship in 1896, later returning to Goodison as a groundsman.

If Geary was an oddity as a vertically-challenged Everton centre-forward, Johnny Holt, who played centre-half for a decade between 1888-1898, was nicknamed ‘The Little Devil.’

Club stalwart Will Cuff remarked that Holt, who played 252 games for Everton and won a League Championship in 1891, was actually considerably smaller than his official ‘listed’ height of just 5ft 4in.

After post-Everton spells with United Arab Emirates club Sharjah and Greek side Panathinaikos, Bernard is now back in his home city of Belo Horizonte – where he won the last of his 14 caps for Brazil in the infamous 7-1 mauling to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-final – for a second spell with Atletico Mineiro, his first top-flight club. Shortly after signing for the Blues in 2018, he outlined the challenges he had faced to succeed in light of his small stature.

Bernard said: “I was released on two occasions at Atletico Miniero. Obviously this caused me some concern but I did get another opportunity and once I started playing, I improved.

“I just had to show my qualities every day in training and in all games, because I knew this would be a problem I would face on a daily basis.

“I have always faced prejudice for my height and physique but it’s never been something that has worried me. I’ve always followed my dad’s advice to overcome the problems of height and physical-related issues I might come across.

“I can use my qualities to compensate for any of these physical issues so it’s not a worry for me. On the pitch, if you are quick with your feet and your mind, these small margins can make a small difference.”

One thing that isn’t short with Bernard though is the list of other former Everton players he shares a birthday with. Also born on September 8 were Gylfi Sigurdsson (1989), who teed him up for that winner against Spurs; Gary Speed (1969); Ray Atteveld (1966); Jackie Grant (1924) and George Wilson (1883).