Liverpool Echo

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has opened up on playing alongside Virgil van Dijk for Netherlands and named Alexander Isak as his toughest Premier League opponent

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has discussed what it's like playing alongside Virgil van Dijk for the Netherlands and revealed his most challenging opponent. The Dutch international has established himself as one of the Premier League's finest defenders since his move to north London from Wolfsburg in August 2023.

Van de Ven has built a rock-solid centre-back partnership with Christian Romero that played a crucial role in Spurs lifting the Europa League last season - the club's first major silverware in 17 years.

Speaking to the Overlap, the 24-year-old reflected on his time in English football so far - including his bond with Liverpool's Van Dijk. The duo are expected to anchor the Netherlands' backline at next summer's World Cup finals.

He said: "We have a good relationship – we speak on the pitch, and I also speak with him off the pitch. Everybody can see he's an unbelievable defender.

"It's always good to play next to him because you always know what he can do. You trust him and you know what he can do, and what he can bring into the game – I have a good relationship with him."

Van de Ven has also singled out Liverpool's Alexander Isak as his toughest adversary. The Swedish striker has found life difficult following his £125m transfer to Anfield, though he established himself as one of the world's elite forwards during his time at Newcastle.

He added: "Last season, we played against Newcastle in the game we lost and I slipped, Alexander Isak was different level.

"At this point, I knew he was a top player. I always knew he was good, but this game was when I saw it first-hand.

"His movement, he's technical, he's fast and he's a top finisher, and he's just an all-round top player."

Amid fierce criticism of how he handled his move to Merseyside - Isak said in September that people do not have the "full picture" on the details of his transfer.

Speaking to the Swedish media, he said: "Not everyone has the full picture, but that's something for another day.

"That's part of football. I can't control everything that is said or written but I'm glad I became a Liverpool player. That's what I wanted and I'm happy about that.

"There is a lot to discuss, and it can be discussed for a long time. It has been educational, and I'm happy with the final result.

"I'm happy and proud to be a Liverpool player. I don't want to go into details or talk about that situation too much.

"It is a closed chapter, but I have never had any problems."

The latest Liverpool news, views and transfer rumours as Arne Slot's side prepare to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon

Following a victory over Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League, Arne Slot is now focusing on this Saturday's match against Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool are currently on a five-game unbeaten streak in all competitions and have a full midweek to prepare for their clash with Spurs.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez were the unfortunate casualties of the match against The Seagulls, with Slot confirming that Gomez is likely to be absent from this weekend's game against Thomas Frank's team. However, there's a glimmer of hope for Szoboszlai, who may still play despite an ankle injury.

After 16 matches in the league, Liverpool sit in seventh place with 26 points. They're just two points shy of the top four, with Chelsea currently occupying that spot ahead of Crystal Palace, Manchester United and the Reds.

Ahead of the festive fixture on Saturday, Mirror Football provides an update on the latest news from Anfield.

Marc Guehi transfer update

The Manchester Evening News has reported that Manchester City have added Marc Guehi to their transfer shortlist, putting Liverpool under pressure to secure his services in the January transfer window.

The centre-back was on the brink of joining the Reds in the summer window, but the £35million deal fell through on deadline day. His current contract with Palace expires in the summer and he won't be renewing his agreement with the club.

Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish pulled the plug on the transfer after Palace couldn't line up a suitable replacement, which would have been vital for their European campaign this season.

Alongside Liverpool and City, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich are also said to be monitoring his situation. Guehi is undoubtedly amongst the most coveted defenders on the planet at present.

Reflecting on the failed transfer earlier this month, Guehi commented: "I think everyone has this perception that it was difficult. Actually, it wasn't difficult. It wasn't difficult at all. Because when you're focused on what's the most important thing, it becomes easy.

"I know that God has a plan for me, and whatever that plan will be, will come into fruition at some point. But the goal and the focus has always been playing football and trying to do the best I can. And fortunately for me, I get to to it with people like Max (Lacroix)."

Goalkeeper sets sights on European glory

Liverpool's Ajax loanee Vitezslav Jaros harbours ambitions of returning to Merseyside and establishing himself as a key player for the club.

The 24-year-old goalkeeper also dreams of lifting the Champions League trophy with Liverpool, though he's currently Ajax's first-choice keeper after being third in the pecking order under Slot last term. "If I say I'm satisfied, how can I improve?" he questioned in an interview with De Telegraaf.

"When I'm ready to become Liverpool's first-choice goalkeeper - especially with two formidable competitors like Alisson Becker and Giorgi Mamardashvili - is difficult to say.

"Because taking their place isn't easy. But that's ultimately the goal. And once I succeed, I want to win the Champions League. I'm 24 years old, but I've moved around a lot and - partly due to a few loan spells as a Liverpool goalkeeper - I've already played for eight clubs.

"The path to the top is simply different for goalkeepers than for outfield players. Especially in England, when you play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, you don't get that chance until you're eighteen or nineteen. So I felt I needed to gain experience elsewhere, and the club agreed. It's made me stronger and better.

"I'm really pleasantly surprised (about the quality in the Netherlands). There are many great and big clubs in the Netherlands with quality players, which means many matches are close and difficult to win. And the stadiums may not be as impressive as in the Premier League, but they're still very nice. And you hardly see any empty seats."

Liverpool have unhappy memories of a particular Premier League referee, whom they will meet again in their clash with Tottenham this weekend.

John Brooks has been appointed to referee Liverpool's Premier League clash with Tottenham on Saturday. Liverpool have unhappy memories of Brooks, who sent off Virgil van Dijk during their match against Newcastle United at St James’ Park in August 2023.

Van Dijk was dismissed for denying his now teammate, Alexander Isak, a goalscoring opportunity. The Liverpool skipper received an automatic one‑match ban before being handed an additional suspension and a £100,000 fine by the Football Association after refusing to leave the pitch and remonstrating with Brooks and fourth official Craig Pawson.

The Reds went on to win 2-1 despite playing with ten men for more than an hour, with Darwin Nunez coming off the bench to score twice. In February, Brooks was previously dropped from VAR duties for Liverpool's derby with Everton and Arsenal's clash with Manchester City, following his controversial decision to rule out Brighton's goal in their 1‑1 draw with Crystal Palace.

Brooks has since refereed four Liverpool matches, most recently the 2-1 Premier League win over Chelsea in October.

For the match against Tottenham, Anthony Taylor will act as the fourth official, with Stuart Attwell on Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duty.

Last month, Attwell was criticised for a major decision in Liverpool's 2-0 win over Aston Villa.

Amadou Onana avoided a red card after he appeared to grab Alexis Mac Allister by the throat as Villa prepared to take a corner.

"The fact they were pushing and shoving each other and all right, he's raised his arm, probably a bit higher than he wanted, but he's pushing," said former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher on Sky Sports' Ref Watch programme.

"Stuart's [Attwell] got to decide, is it violent? Is it an act of brutality?

"He said: 'No,' he's obviously relayed to the VAR what he's seen, VAR has checked it back. The referee said, yellow card only."

On another occasion, during the League Cup semi-final first leg at Tottenham in January 2022, Attwell angered the Liverpool camp by failing to dismiss Lucas Bergvall, moments before that player scored the winner.

The 18-year-old was booked midway through the second half for a late challenge on Luis Diaz.

He then escaped a second yellow card moments before scoring after lunging in on Kostas Tsimikas.

Ahead of Saturday, it is another must‑win game for Liverpool in north London, with Slot's side aiming to secure back‑to‑back victories after recent draws against Sunderland and Leeds United.

Liverpool are set to be without a number of players when they take on Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday

Liverpool could be left without as many as seven senior players when they travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Arne Slot bemoaned only having 13 available outfield players ahead of the Reds’ clash with Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.

And while a Hugo Ekitike brace was enough to see Slot's side run out 2-0 winners, the victory came at a price as the Dutchman also saw his options depleted further.

Joe Gomez was forced off midway through the first half with a hamstring injury, while Dominik Szoboszlai limped off late on after injuring his ankle. And while Mohamed Salah came on to replace the former, Liverpool will now be without the Egyptian, too, after he departed for Africa Cup of Nations duty.

Slot was only able to name an eight-man bench rather than the maximum permitted nine against the Seagulls. And even then, his reserve options included two players who are yet to feature in the Premier League in Wellity Lucky and Calvin Ramsay.

Liverpool will at least be able to welcome Conor Bradley back for the trip to North London in the Reds’ final outing before Christmas after he missed the win over Brighton through suspension.

But Slot will likely have to turn the club’s academy again to fill his matchday squad due to his side’s ongoing injury woes.

He has already confirmed that he expects Gomez to miss the trip to Tottenham, while Szoboszlai is also a doubt.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Jeremie Frimpong will be available as he closes in on a return, having been sidelined with a hamstring injury since the end of October.

"If I have a player who goes off with a muscle injury like Joe (Gomez), that's normally not a positive thing,” Slot told the club after beating Brighton. "I would not expect him to be in the squad next week [at Tottenham Hotspur]. But sometimes you get a positive surprise.

"People now maybe understand a bit better why I was always so cautious not to play him so many games. I assume many people thought, 'If you have a defender, if you have a right full-back, why don't you play him?'

"And Dom (Szoboszlai), it was his ankle. It didn't look great when I just saw him. But he has unbelievable mentality so let's hope for the best.

"The good thing is that Conor Bradley comes back from a suspension and normally Jeremie Frimpong will train with us also.

"But we're also going to miss Mo (Salah) because he is going to go to the Africa Cup of Nations."

Liverpool are already without Cody Gakpo and Wataru Endo after Slot confirmed last week they are both set to be sidelined for a number of weeks with muscle and ankle injuries respectively.

Elsewhere, Giovanni Leoni remains a long-term absentee after being ruled out for the season after undergoing surgery on an ACL injury suffered during his debut for the club back in September.

Meanwhile, it is unclear why Trey Nyoni was not included in the matchday squad to face Brighton, while the likes of youngsters Stefan Bajcetic, Jayden Danns (both hamstring) and Kaide Gordon (meniscus) are also still sidelined because of injury.

Szoboszlai, Gomez, Gakpo - Liverpool injury latest and return dates ahead of Tottenham

Liverpool injury news and return dates including updates on Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez following Saturday's 2-0 win over Brighton at Anfield

Anfield was overcome with joy on Saturday afternoon as Liverpool recorded their first home victory in over a month against Brighton. However, in doing so the Reds saw two more players added to their injury list in the process.

First, it was Joe Gomez who was forced off only 26 minutes into the action. The defender - after assisting Hugo Ekitike's 46-second opener - was struck down with a muscle injury and replaced by Mohamed Salah.

"If I have a player who goes off with a muscle injury like Joe, that's normally not a positive thing," Arne Slot stated after the full-time whistle. "I would not expect him to be in the squad next week [at Tottenham Hotspur]. But sometimes you get a positive surprise.

"The good thing is that Conor Bradley comes back from a suspension [next week] and normally Jeremie Frimpong will train with us also."

The Dutchman has not featured since October's Champions League meeting with Frankfurt due to a hamstring injury, but looks set to ease Slot's right-back problem ahead of Liverpool's trip to Spurs on Saturday, December 20.

On Dominik Szoboszlai, who carried on with an injury suffered in before 70 minutes against the Seagulls until he was substituted in the 83rd minute, Slot added: "It was his ankle. It didn't look great when I just saw him. But he has unbelievable mentality so let's hope for the best."

Liverpool came to host Brighton already in the knowledge they would be without Cody Gakpo and Wataru Endo at their disposal.

Gakpo last featured in the 3-3 draw with Leeds United at eight days ago, playing 83 minutes. He was replaced by Endo for the final stint of the match at Elland Road.

The former had suffered a muscle issue and it eventually proved costly for the latter too, who came away with a knee problem. Slot confirmed ahead of Brighton that both will be unavailable for a number of weeks, thus ruling them out until after Christmas.

The Reds host last-placed Wolves on Saturday, December 27, before welcoming Leeds to Anfield on New Year's Day.

Meanwhile, central defender Giovanni Leoni is out with a long-term knee issue and will likely miss the remainder of the season. This was suffered on his debut against Southampton in the Carabao Cup back in September.

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Former Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz has urged Liverpool to target Micky van de Ven as a long-term replacement for captain Virgil van Dijk

Khalid Boulahrouz believes Liverpool should look to sign Micky van de Ven, labelling the Dutchman as the ‘ideal successor’ to Reds captain Virgil van Dijk. The 24-year-old joined Tottenham Hotspur in a move worth up to £43m from VfL Wolfsburg in the summer of 2023.

However, he had also repeatedly been linked with a move to Anfield at the time, having previously been signed by then-Liverpool sporting director Jorg Schmadtke for the Bundesliga outfit in the first place.

The centre-back has impressed for Spurs this season under Thomas Frank, bouncing back strongly after an injury-plagued campaign last term. Scoring six goals from 16 appearances, the Dutchman has also helped his side keep seven clean sheets so far this season.

And with Van Dijk not getting any younger, former Chelsea defender Boulahrouz insists that Van de Ven would be the perfect long-term replacement for the 34-year-old for both club and country.

“I think he's the ideal successor to Virgil van Dijk, both in the Dutch national team and at Liverpool,” the former Netherlands international told ESPN NL. "And Liverpool aren't crazy: if you're looking for a world-class left centre-back and you have the money, you'll quickly end up with Van de Ven.

"The same goes for the Dutch national team. I think Koeman has long since realized that Van Dijk's successor is already out there.

"He's (Van de Ven) really outperforming them. He's physically strong and incredibly quick. Opponents know that, so they don't even try to get past him anymore.

“He could still do better on the ball; he makes the occasional blunder. But overall, I think he's fantastic.”

Van Dijk signed a new two-year contract with Liverpool back in April before captaining the Reds to the Premier League title, but has come in for criticism this season as Arne Slot’s side continue to struggle.

Boulahrouz has defended his compatriot though, insisting he is still world class. But he concedes that after so many years at the highest level with Liverpool, Van Dijk might be nearing a time when he starts to slow down.

"Virgil is still undisputed in the Dutch national team,” he said. “Even though Liverpool haven't been performing quite as well lately. Diogo Jota's passing has had a huge impact on the squad.

“In addition, many new players have joined. That has an impact, and you can see that with Van Dijk. But despite that, he remains a world-class player.

“The question, of course, is what Virgil will do after the World Cup. Playing in the Premier League for years has taken its toll. You might long for a bit of a break.”

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.