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Everton came from behind to equalise a Tottenham Hotspur opener in a somewhat boring game that will, unfortunately, be remembered for the horrific injury suffered by Andre Gomes.
Both sides played out a very drab first half in which only one shot managed to trouble either goalkeeper, with Spurs mustering just 2 shots without hitting the target. In the second half, the lacklustre display in attack continued till the 63rd minute when Mauricio Pochettino's men took advantage of sloppy play to claim the lead thanks to Dele Alli.
The game was delayed for a lengthy spell late on as Gomes was tended to for a severe injury. Son Heung-Min was given his marching orders for the foul.
Deep in stoppage time, Spurs succumbed to the Everton barrage as Marco Silva's men made their numerical advantage count, thanks to a goal from Cenk Tosun in the 97th minute of play.
In this article, we discuss some sticking points from the encounter.
#3 Dele Alli to the rescue as Spurs struggle upfront
Mauricio Pochettino was dealt a huge blow before the encounter as his talisman and stand-in captain Harry Kane was ruled out due to an illness. What ensued in the game was a toothless Spurs offence, with the Lilywhites struggling without Kane as the focal point of their attacks.
It was noticeable in the first half especially, with Pochettino's men unable to hit the target from their paltry return of 2 shots.
In the second half, Lady Luck gave the Lilywhites a toothy grin as Alex Iwobi voluntarily hit the self destruct button. He gave the ball away to Son Heung-min who swiftly played Dele Alli through, and the 23-year-old went on to profit from some shambolic Everton defending as he dribbled his way across the edge of the box before placing the ball beyond the reach of Jordan Pickford for the game's opener.
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#2 A horrific injury
It was one of those moments footballers and fans hate to see, as Son Heung-min's reaction to Andre Gomes' injury late on epitomised the feeling of many. The game was brought to a halt in the 78th minute as a distraught Son motioned for medics with Gomes clutching his right leg in pain.
The South Korean made a blunderous tackle on Gomes, knocking him off balance and causing him to awkwardly collide with an onrushing Serge Aurier. It was a nasty injury and the Portuguese international was stretchered off to a loud ovation as Gylfi Sigurdsson came on as a replacement.
Son was given a red card, however, replays showed that the tackle warranted at the utmost a yellow card as the manner of the South Korean's challenge wasn't deserving of a straight red.
#1 Strength in numbers
Following the long pause and red card to Son, the tide shifted firmly in Everton's favour as Marco Silva's men made their numerical advantage count, laying siege to the Spurs backline. Son joined a stellar list of absentee Lilywhites, joining the ranks of Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris on the sidelines.
Mauricio Pochettino's men being down to 10 men was only icing on the cake for Everton, and the Toffees took advantage of their numerical advantage with aplomb.
Second-half substitute, Cenk Tosun, was the Everton hero of the day as he connected superbly a brilliant Lucas Digne cross in the 97th minute, putting the ball beyond Paulo Gazzaniga and sending Goodison Park into a wave of delirious pandemonium.
