Fighting machine Everton grabs point at last minute against troubled Tottenham Hotspur

Everton got a welcome last-minute point from their home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur in the fight against relegation: 1-1. With a late equalizer, the home side also prevented the Spurs from jumping over Newcastle United and Manchester United to third place in the Premier League.

Everton could keep up well with Tottenham in the first half, being dangerous only in the early stages. And especially Harry Kane, who took England’s all-time top scorer title last international period. At Goodison Park, his sights were less well set.

The Spurs got a boost, however, when Abdoulaye Doucouré fouled Kane after just under an hour, who went to the ground with much theater after a hand in his face from the Malian. It earned the experienced culprit, still so important for Everton in the past three duels with two goals and two assists, a red card.

And still the disaster was not over for the home team. Halfway through the second half, Michael Keane hooked Cristian Romero in the penalty area. Despite all the cheering from the packed stands, Kane chased the inevitable penalty into the corner: 0-1.

Since manager Sean Dyche took over in late January, however, Everton have developed into a true fighting machine, and supported by their own crowd, the hunt for the equalizer was on. Idrissa Gueye with a distance shot and Keane with a header were close.

The game took a new turn when substitute Lucas Moura, just six minutes into the game, stepped on Keane’s foot and could also leave with a red card. Just before the ninety minutes were up, the same Keane unleashed a cannonball that goalkeeper Hugo Lloris could only check: 1-1.

With the hard-earned point, Everton left the relegation zone at least for a while, while Spurs nestled between Newcastle United and Manchester United in fourth place. However, the London team, which saw both manager Antonio Conte and technical director Fabio Paratici leave in recent weeks, has played two more games than either rival in the battle for a Champions League ticket.