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In one of the best FA Cup ties in recent memory, Everton defeated Tottenham Hotspur 5-4 after extra time in a nine-goal thriller at Goodison Park.
The match went back and forth from the off. But in the end Everton’s Bernard Anicio scored in the first period of extra time, and Tottenham Hotspur could not muster a response.
It was Tottenham Hotspur who took the lead early on, with Davinson Sanchez scoring a flicked header from a third-minute corner. At that stage, it looked like Jose Mourinho’s side would run away with the game, but late in the half,f Everton hit with a three-shot sucker-punch.
First, Dominic Calvert-Lewin took advantage of a rare error from Pierre-Emile Hojberg to fire past Hugo Lloris, before some good work just moments later allowed Richarlison to score too.
A controversial penalty from Gylfi Sigurdsson then appeared to put the game beyond Tottenham Hotspur, only for Erik Lamela to pull a goal back on the stroke of half-time.
After Harry Kane and Dele Alli were introduced in the second half, Tottenham Hotspur found an equaliser from another corner, again from Sanchez. Richarlison then added his second goal before a diving header from Kane sent the game to extra time.
In this period, it was Bernard who was able to find the winner before Everton closed shop to seal the nine-goal thriller.
On that note, here are five talking points from Everton’s dramatic win over Tottenham Hotspur.
#1 Everton and Tottenham Hotspur serve up an all-time classic
After a horrible damp squib of a game last night between Manchester United and West Ham, hopes were high for a more entertaining match in the FA Cup. Well, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur delivered that beyond anyone’s expectation.
Sure, the defending on both sides was relatively poor at times – the game could easily have gone either way and could’ve been at least 7-7 – but when a match is this crazy, it’s easy to look past that kind of thing.
At the end of the day, a Cup tie is about finding a way to win, not settling for a draw, and both sides clearly understood that on the night.
From Tottenham Hotspur’s blistering start to Everton’s eventual winner, both teams went back and forth and provided football’s equivalent of two prize-fighters trading haymakers in the centre of the ring.
If anything, it almost feels unfair that both sides couldn’t advance to the quarter-finals, but such is the nature of the FA Cup.
#2 Can Tottenham Hotspur play like this going forward?
Tottenham Hotspur have been criticised heavily in recent weeks for their poor form, particularly in the final third of the pitch. Sure, they defeated West Brom comfortably at the weekend, but prior to that they had failed to create any chances in three straight losses.
The general feeling was that Jose Mourinho’s side needed Harry Kane to give them any kind of offensive spark; so when Kane was named on the bench against Everton, Tottenham Hotspur fans had reason to be worried.
However, Jose Mourinho’s side surprised everyone by flying out of the blocks, putting together wave after wave of attacks and scoring early through Davinson Sanchez.
Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura, Son Heung-Min and Steven Bergwijn all looked dangerous, while Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg looked to keep things ticking over from the middle.
While Tottenham Hotspur looked better with Kane on the pitch, they certainly didn’t look lost without him in the first half.
Sure, Tottenham Hotspur ended up losing on the night, largely due to their defensive sloppiness. But it’s hard to disagree with the idea that if they play like this going forward, they’ll definitely frighten opponents.
Tottenham Hotspur fans will hope that Mourinho sticks with this expansive style, but can Spurs close shop at the back in the same breath remains to be seen.
#3 Did the referee make the correct call with Everton’s penalty?
Easily the most controversial moment of the night came when referee David Coote decided to award Everton a penalty late in the first half for a supposed foul from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
On first viewing, it didn’t appear that Hojbjerg touched the England striker, who tumbled to the ground for what looked like no reason. Coote, however, decided that there was some contact and pointed to the spot.
What made things so strange was that despite VAR being active in the game, the decision was checked within seconds and the referee’s decision stood!
On television, viewers were treated to two replays – neither of which was in slow-motion – and it was still impossible to tell quite where the foul was supposed to have come from.
The feeling from the commentators was that Hojbjerg had apparently stepped across Calvert-Lewin, but that was definitely not clear. And given that every decision now seems to be checked with a fine-toothed comb, it was bizarre to see this one brushed over in such a manner. Tottenham Hotspur have reason to feel aggrieved.
#4 How far can this Everton team go?
The nine-goal thriller showed the best and worst of Tottenham Hotspur, but it also showed the best and worst of Everton too.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side looked fabulous going forward at times, and the moves that led to their second and fifth goals, in particular, were phenomenal.
Gylfi Sigurdsson had a tremendous game in the centre of the pitch, Tom Davies never stopped running, and Bernard and Richarlison both looked bright going forward.
However, the Toffees were woeful at the back at times, and seemed to take an age to get out of first gear early on.
Their marking on the two Tottenham Hotspur corners that led to Davinson Sanchez’s goals was non-existent. And quite what Yerry Mina was attempting to do prior to Erik Lamela’s goal is something only he can answer.
On paper at least, Everton are a side with very few weaknesses. But while it’s great fun to win a 5-4 thriller like this, on other days they could well have been 3-0 down within 15 minutes.
It’s quite clear that if Ancelotti wants to turn Everton into genuine contenders, even for a trophy like the FA Cup, he has quite a lot of work to do.
#5 How much did this match take out of both sides?
The big question coming out of this FA Cup game has to be about exactly how much it took out of both sides.
This was a breathless game that started at a hectic pace, and it didn’t really slow down for its entire 120 minutes. And while Tottenham Hotspur used five substitutes and Everton used three, even the players who were introduced late on did some serious running.
In this crazy season though, the games are still coming thick and fast.
Tottenham Hotspur face off with league leaders Manchester City in a huge Premier League game on Saturday evening. While Everton will have an extra day’s rest, their already depleted squad may find things tough against Fulham on Sunday evening.
From a neutral fan’s perspective, there would be few complaints about such a wildly entertaining game of football.
But if both Tottenham Hotspur and Everton go into their key Premier League matches looking exhausted at the weekend, then fans of both sides may feel more than a little frustrated.
