Pochettino’s Tottenham must be taken seriously despite draw at Everton

The London side played entertaining football even if the result was conclusive at Goodison Park, writes Richard Jolly.

Dele Alli, centre, scored for Tottenham Hotspur against Everton on Sunday night. Paul Ellis / AFP

Everton 1

Lennon 22’

Tottenham Hotspur 1

Alli 45’

Man of the match Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur)

The visitors’ dressing room at Goodison Park was a quiet place after the final whistle. It was a sign of frustration. It was a sign how far Tottenham Hotspur have come, and of how far they want to go.

“Always at the end of the game we play some music,” Mauricio Pochettino said. “But there was no music. We were disappointed. We dropped two points.”

His players had called the tune, but were denied the rousing crescendo their efforts merited.

They make enough noise on the pitch. Jurgen Klopp has described his style of play as “heavy-metal football”. Pochettino shares that ethos. Tottenham can be relentless, pounding away in their search for a No 1 hit in the shape of a first league title for 55 years. “The way we are, everything can happen,” Pochettino said. “We are very ambitious.”

They showed it in the way they left their mark on Merseyside. Not by securing the kind of defining win that would have enhanced their title chances, but with a performance of boldness and, at times, brilliance. A meeting of teams with two of the most progressive blueprints in the Premier League finished even, to Tottenham’s irritation.

They had outplayed Everton, especially in the first half, penning a passing team back with their pace and pressing.

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“It was one of the best 45 minutes we play so far,” Pochettino said.

In a match of memorable goals, Spurs scored arguably the better, offering still more evidence of the rich promise of Dele Alli. If the eventual scoreline felt a little harsh, it could have been crueller still. But for an injury-time save from Hugo Lloris to deny Ross Barkley a winner, they would have been condemned to defeat.

Yet it is no coincidence they remain the hardest team to beat in the Premier League. By the time they next leave White Hart Lane, their unbeaten away run in the league will have spanned five months. If the stereotype of Spurs as a soft touch has not always been true, it is very wrong now. A fresh-faced group nevertheless have a toughness.

They illustrated it by coming from behind. Aaron Lennon had swapped a status as Tottenham’s forgotten man for a similar status at Goodison Park. He had been overshadowed by Gerard Deulofeu, the more dynamic winger Everton bought last summer but a surprise starter justified his choice.

“Today was the perfect profile for him,” manager Roberto Martinez said.

Lennon supplied a lovely finish to a wonderful move. Tom Cleverley is starting to play more ambitious, diagonal passes. He located Lukaku with one and the Everton top scorer chested it down for Lennon to beat Lloris.

Yet it was a goal that was out of keeping with the game. Harry Kane had rattled the far post with a 25-yard drive in the ninth minute. Ben Davies struck the bar with still more force and a similar distance after a well-worked corner routine. Everton did too little to stop either and Tim Howard was comprehensively beaten by both of their shots.

The third time he was beaten, he could not rely on the woodwork to save him. Toby Alderweireld has been a factor in Tottenham’s defensive improvement this season. He displayed the attacking element to his game with a raking long pass. Like the opening goal, it featured a neat piece of chest control and a fine finish. Both came from Alli, accelerating into the box and sweeping in his shot.

“The goal was fantastic,” Pochettino said.

What followed was entertaining but inconclusive, besides showing the Spurs have to be taken seriously. Their response in the game and after it showed what a demanding group Pochettino has.

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