Defensive errors cost Everton more points – by Matt Townsend

On Friday night after two dreadful defensive errors, Everton threw away another great chance to make up ground in their pursuit of a place in Europe next season.

That 2-2 draw against Spurs meant another two points lost on top of the four that had already gone with the previous stalemates against Crystal Palace and Brighton.

I think that realistically hope of Europe next season is looking increasingly unlikely unless those teams above Everton start dropping points regularly.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin again unavailable having not recovered from his latest injury problem, Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti selected a team with Richarlison playing up front and fellow South American James Rodriguez supporting him, like he had against Liverpool at Anfield.

Fortunately, the other main injury worry Brazilian midfielder Allan was fit and able to play. His return to action was a very welcome site and he had an excellent game.

The other selection that might have surprised was his decision to give Alex Iwobi yet another chance to prove himself to be more than a busted flush.

Iwobi started on the right where he briefly played well earlier in the season but on Friday, he had another hugely disappointing match.

On the other side of Allan and Tom Davies in central midfield, Gylfi Sigurdsson started and he was to link up well with Rodriguez.

Tottenham also set up in quite an attacking way unusually for a Jose Mourinho team but then like Everton they needed all three points in their effort to get into Europe.

Up front that strike partnership of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son was always likely to prove the main threat to the home side and so it proved.

After a cagey opening twenty minutes or so the match suddenly burst into life when following a defensive lapse by Everton, Kane pounced and opened the scoring.

Despite that setback the Blues responded really well and they were level minutes later. Rodriguez who was dictating play and pulling the strings superbly for the Toffees, got into the box and was clipped by a Spurs defender.

He went down and the referee gave a penalty, which seemed a little soft but still it was given and there have been plenty of less obvious ones that have gone against Everton.

Anyway, Sigurdsson stepped up and calmly slotted the ball past Hugo Lloris to make it 1-1. It was no more than the Toffees deserved.

From then on Everton increasingly took control of the match and they were creating plenty of chances and looking dangerous every time they were on the attack.

After halftime the game continued in this way with the home team still edging it although Tottenham had upped their game too.

With Iwobi contributing nothing Ancelotti took him off and brought on Seamus Coleman who made an immediate impact.

The Irishman provided an injection of pace and energy on the flank and he was centrally involved in the play that led up to Everton’s second goal.

That goal was superbly scored by Sigurdsson who strode forward and fired in an excellent left-foot strike to make it 2-1.

At that point it looked as though there was only going to be one winner and the Blues were well in charge and it seemed on course for a vital three points.

But this is Everton and this club never seems to do anything the simple way and so often find a way to mess it up and so less than ten minutes after Sigurdsson’s strike, Spurs were back level again.

A ball came in from the Blues left hand side and Michael Keane appeared to call it as his but then rather than simply clearing it, he headed it straight into Mason Holgate and the ball fell to Kane again who repeated his previous clinical finish. It was a massively frustrating moment as a simple unforced error had just let Tottenham back into the game.

Everton weren’t disheartened and kept pressing for another goal and in contrast to his bizarrely defensive substitutions against Crystal Palace in the last home game, Ancelotti tried to win it by bringing on another forward in Josh King.

The ex-Bournemouth striker who’s had precious little opportunity at Goodison Park almost straight away had a chance to make himself a hero but his shot was saved by Lloris and then Richarlison following up put his effort over the bar with the goal standing empty.

That was it and another two points had slipped away from Everton. This result feels almost decisive in that push for Europe and next the Blues face Tottenham’s north London rivals Arsenal with the games running out fast.