Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur. Premier League.
Goodison ParkAttendance39,294.
Report and free match highlights as Everton and Tottenham draw 1-1 and both receive red cards on Monday Night Football; Abdoulaye Doucoure's dismissal comes shortly before Harry Kane's second half penalty; Lucas Moura then sees red as Michael Keane's long-range effort secures draw
Monday 3 April 2023 23:27, UK
Michael Keane's late howitzer earned Everton a 1-1 draw against Tottenham, in a frantic Monday Night Football encounter which saw both sides receive reckless red cards.
Everton looked to have thrown their composure out the window when Abdoulaye Doucoure was sent off for violent conduct for an unnecessary push on Harry Kane, seven minutes before the Spurs striker put the visitors in front after Keane's foul on Cristian Romero in the box.
But Tottenham substitute Lucas Moura was then given his marching orders for a high challenge on Keane, minutes before the Everton centre-back unleashed a long-range piledriver to rescue a point for the Toffees.
"I'm buzzing to be honest," said the relieved Everton defender to Sky Sports after the game. "You won't believe me but every now and again I do hit the ball like that in training so to do it in a game is nice.
"My team-mates have been expecting it for a while so to see one come off is amazing. After giving the penalty away, I was just buzzing to make up for it. It was important to not let that define my game.
"I thought 'go on then, go on then, go on then', it's opened right up and then I just had a go. To be honest, I didn't feel it come off my foot, it was that sweet. I was in shock a bit. I couldn't believe it had happened.
That goal was enough to take Everton out of the relegation zone and up to 15th in the table, and while Spurs' point is enough to take them into the top four, they missed the chance to go one spot higher.
A tense first period saw plenty of midfield promise from both sides - but a lack of efficiency in the final third let both teams down.
Demarai Gray had the first chance of the game after just two minutes when he curled just over Hugo Lloris' bar after cutting inside from the left.
Kane then wasted one of two first-half chances where you expected him to score, seeing his effort from inside the penalty box cleared off the line by Keane with Jordan Pickford beaten all ends up.
Keane and Doucoure both went close for the Toffees, but ultimately Spurs' confidence grew as the first half went on, with Ivan Perisic creating two key chances from the left wing.
The first saw him find Kane inside the penalty box but the Spurs striker could only end up firing wide, before the Croatian's second dangerous cross nearly found Pedro Porro at the far post, only for Dwight McNeil to intervene with a superb last-ditch clearance.
Another poignant moment in the first half saw a moment for three Everton players to break their fast during Ramadan, the first time this period has been observed in the Premier League since refereeing bodies provided match officials with guidance on a pause in play.
Everton came flying out the blocks in the second half, pressing Spurs high up the pitch and forcing them into several errors. One of them saw Idrissa Gueye presented with a good shooting chance on the edge of the area but he blazed over the bar.
And just as Doucoure was starting to take control of the midfield, he saw himself in the Goodison Park dressing room after a moment of madness. Kane conceded a foul on Doucoure and the Everton midfielder put his hands on the Spurs striker's face once the whistle had blew.
Referee David Coote was left with no alternative to send off the midfielder with no intervention from VAR needed.
And seven minutes later, Everton lost more composure as Romero got to a loose ball in the box quicker than Keane and there was contact between the two defenders.
Coote pointed to the spot and Kane beat England team-mate Pickford from 12 yards by sending him the wrong way.
Despite the goal and player advantage, Spurs actually allowed Everton to grow back into the game. Gueye saw a rasping drive tipped over by Lloris, who then held Keane's header from the resulting corner well.
Then Moura's needless challenge six minutes after coming off the bench created more angst for the visitors.
But nobody could see Keane's piledriver coming as he stepped out from defence to unleash a 25-yard hit that left Lloris stranded on the spot.
Speaking in the Monday Night Football studio after the game, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believes the "fighting spirit" Dyche's team showed means they will not be relegated.
"Everton won't go down. Everton won't go down," said Carragher. "There is no club at the bottom that is showing their fighting spirit.
"You need more than that, you need goals. You look at the remaining fixtures - they are tough. But I can assure you that every side playing Everton is thinking, 'This is going to be a tough game'."
Meanwhile, fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville added: "We know that it's a tough run-in that Everton have got.
"You'd be stupid at this moment in time to predict which three are going to go down. Before this weekend, we all probably thought Southampton and Bournemouth.
"That still may be the case, but the reality at the moment looking at that it is Nottingham Forest, Everton and Southampton are the favourites. But I can probably assure you it won't be those clubs because it will change every week."
Everton manager Dyche hailed the entire club after the point was rescued.
Toffees supporters protested against owner Farhad Moshiri and the club hierarchy before the game a week after the club were referred to an independent commission for an alleged breach of the league's Financial Fair Play rules last season.
"The way the team is working now, it's something I'm very proud of," he told Sky Sports. "We want to play, of course we do, but it starts with hard graft and the basic fundamentals.
"I thought we were terrific after conceding the penalty. I thought we deserved the point. It's another step in the right direction. The mentality is getting stronger and stronger and it puts us in good stead moving forwards.
"When I arrived here, I said to the supporters to give us a chance to breathe. I know there's a lot of noise around the club and I was well aware of that for various reasons. But the idea was to try to not let that emotion get involved on the pitch."
In the other corner, Tottenham interim coach Cristian Stellini felt his side should have seen out the match once they had taken the lead with a player advantage.
"My feeling now is we lost two points this evening because with 11 men against them we have to control much better the game," he said on Monday Night Football.
"We tried to do it but not in the way I expect to do it.
"After our red card, probably the power of the game was for them. It was difficult, they find an amazing goal and they draw the game. With 11 vs 10, we have to do much better."
Everton's next game is a trip to Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, kick-off at 12.30pm.
The Toffees' other games in April see them host Fulham, travel to Crystal Palace, before Newcastle visit Goodison Park.
Tottenham's next five matches will see them face two home games but then face three difficult matches against the teams around them.
Brighton and Bournemouth will visit north London on the next two Saturdays, but then trips to Newcastle and Liverpool - both live on Sky Sports - sit either side of a home game with Manchester United.
