MICHAEL KEANE gave spineless Spurs exactly what they deserved with a last-gasp thunderbolt.
It had looked as if everything was going for interim Tottenham chief Cristian Stellini, whose side were offered a vital three points on a plate with two lucky moments.
GettyMichael Keane struck a superb equaliser as the clock hit 90[/caption]
ReutersThe defender let fly and found the top corner from range[/caption]
The first came via Abdoulaye Doucoure crazily hitting Harry Kane in the face and being sent off just before the hour.
Then Keane needlessly chopped down Cristian Romero in the box ten minutes later, allowing Kane to fire home the resulting penalty.
But instead of pressing home their man and goal advantage, Spurs went into their shells and conspired to chuck away the win.
First sub Lucas Moura was shown a straight red for an awful tackle on Keane.
Then the English defender was invited to shoot outside the box and promptly found the top corner with a wonderstrike.
It was the second consecutive game Spurs had conceded a leveller in the 90th minute, having done so at Southampton before the international break.
That prompted Antonio Conte’s furious rant where he branded his players as “selfish” and prompted his exit from the club nine days later.
His assistant Stellini took over in his place on an interim basis but little seemed to change here based on this performance.
The Sean Dyche effect had looked as if it had started to kick in for Everton before the international break with three games unbeaten.
Dyche stuck with the same XI that had snatched a draw in Graham Potter’s penultimate game in charge at Chelsea – deploying Demarai Gray up top.
And it was the winger, who won the Premier League with Leicester in 2016, who had the game’s first half-chance, curling a shot just over the bar.
Kane had an early swivel-and-shot denied by Keane’s goal-saving intervention.
He was then afforded an even better opportunity in the air with 16 minutes played.
The 29-year-old has nine Premier League headed goals this term, equalling the record the towering Duncan Ferguson set while playing for Everton in 1997-98.
Yet when Ivan Perisic found Kane with a pinpoint delivery, Tottenham’s No10 could only flick the ball wide of the goal.
There was a drinks break just before the half-hour so Everton’s Muslim midfield trio of Doucoure, Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye could break their fast.
Moments later, Doucoure had the hosts’ best opportunity of the first 45 but aimed his free header well over the bar.
Son Heung-min apologised to Conte during the international break for not being able to do more to keep the Italian in a job.
A change of manager did not seem to boost his game much here either, with one particular moment towards the end of the half summing up his disappointing season.
Dejan Kulusevski did well to play in Son, but he could neither beat Jordan Pickford with his shot nor, as it turned out, could he time his run to avoid the offside flag.
There was plenty of endeavour from Spurs but a familiar lack of cutting edge and quality.
Their fans have regularly shown this season who they think is the most to blame by taking aim at Daniel Levy.
Here the travelling support continued that with chants demanding the chairman “get out of our club”, as well as songs of praise for former boss Mauricio Pochettino, whom they would love to return.
Everton really should have broken the deadlock minutes into the second half.
Onana brilliantly nicked the ball off Eric Dier, allowing Gueye to drive towards the box.
He had Doucoure to his right, Gray to his left, but instead ballooned a shot high above Hugo Lloris’ goal much to Dyche’s frustration.
Then, just before the hour, came Doucoure’s moment of madness.
The ex-Watford man had gone in for a 50-50 with Kane, who had just bundled over Gray, and then reacted angrily by at first shoving the Spurs man in the chest, then, unforgivably, pushing his hand into his face.
Kane hit the deck and though Doucoure and Dyche tried to claim England’s record-scorer had milked it, there was no way referee David Coote was going to do anything else other than issue a red card.
It was a hammer blow to the hosts, not just for this game, but for the next three against Manchester United, Fulham and Crystal Palace for which he will now be banned.
Kane was also booked for his role in the altercation, which really seemed to come out of nothing.
Ten minutes later came the spot-kick, which also came out of the blue.
Keane brought Romero to the ground in the area and Kane made it 15 Premier League goals against Everton by sending his England colleague Pickford the wrong way.
Spurs should have had it in the bag then but were timid.
The team numbers were levelled when Moura hacked down Keane with two minutes to go, before the Toffees defender secured a point with his cracker.
It was another shocker from Spurs – perhaps Conte had a point?
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ReutersHarry Kane put Tottenham in front midway through the second half[/caption]
ReutersThe striker blasted into the bottom corner from the penalty spot[/caption]
ReutersAbdoulaye Doucoure slapped Kane in the face[/caption]
APDavid Coote had no choice but to show the red card[/caption]
GettyLucas Moura was red carded for his nasty stamp on Keane[/caption]
ReutersThe pressure is mounting on Sean Dyche’s Toffees[/caption] Read More