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Fulltime Thoughts - What a statement win for the Blues. First away win at Spurs since 2008, first win against Spurs since 2012, first time beating Jose Mourinho at home. All three of Everton’s new signings had excellent games, and encouragingly, they lifted the rest of the team to have good games too.

Premier League

90+4’ - Richarlison wins another freekick off Hojbjerg, and that should let the clock run out. There it is, the final whistle!! Everton win!

90+2’ - The Blues last change is going to be James Rodriguez, who has just oozed class all day. Tom Davies comes on for him.

88’ - Everton playing keep-away now, passing the ball around effortlessly ad making Spurs come and get it. Or commit a foul, either way works.
Moise Kean is coming on now, and it’s DCL going off. It’s going to be a minimum of four minutes of time added on.

84’ - Doucoure 1-2 with Siggy, finds DCL in space and he shoots, straight at Lloris again.
Hojbjerg with a late challenge on Richy, loud screams from both players. Atkinson still showing no interest whatsoever in showing a card to Spurs.

81’ - Blues concede another corner, partly cleared, ball back into the box and Pickford with a great punch away.

78’ - Allan with a block, gives away a corner. Son swings it away from Pickford, Kane heads way over.

76’ - Ndombele now on for Spurs. Everton playing smartly, holing the ball and letting the hosts take silly fouls.

73’ - Two chances for Richy!! Still miserable finishing from him today, cuts in tries to curve it into the far post both times, and both times it’s wide. Really, really need to take these chances.
Another chance, as a ball is half-cleared and Coleman fires a volley from distance, but it’s straight at Lloris who gathers gratefully.

67’ - Spurs are moving the ball around but Everton have looked disciplined as they defend, though there’s not too many options upfront with everyone falling back to defend.
First change for the Blues is Andre Gomes coming off for Gylfi Sigurdsson, against his former side.

59’ - Mourinho is unhappy about the positioning of the freekick, here is one guy with two thumbs and DGAF about him. Or his drama in ‘All or Nothing’. He makes another change, with Steve Bergwijn on for Winks.

55’ - Richarlison wins a freekick on the left. Digne to take, curls it into the box and GOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLL!! What a header from Dominic Calvert-Lewin!! Lloris rooted to the spot as the ball goes flying in past him!

53’ - Now Gomes with a chance just outside the box, his shot is blocked for a corner.
Digne takes it from the left, cleared and Moura is off to the races.. needs Doucoure sliding in to get it back to Pickford and snuff that out. His pace really helped the Blues out here, because this is otherwise a pretty flat-footed defence.

51’ - Oh chance! DCL finds James running into the box, the Colombian shoots but mishits and it goes wide. That was a really good chance and the kind of threat that James poses with his late runs into the box.
Richarlison is having a terrible day so far. James finds him with a lovely dink into the box, and Richarlison can’t get his header on target.

48’ - Spurs win a corner from the right, Son takes it and cleared well.

46’ - Mourinho makes the first change, bringing on Moussa Sissoko for Dele Alli to increase their midfield presence. Will be interesting to see how Ancelotti responds.

Halftime Thoughts - Loving the new-look Blues, we’ve looked organized and dangerous with the ball, and while there are still some defensive issues to be sorted overall this is a much better team than that we saw just seven weeks ago.

Premier League

45’ - There’s the halftime whistle, it’s been a thrilling half of football, still 0-0 with both sides getting some excellent chances to take the lead.

43’ - James finds Richarlison outside the box, the Brazilian takes a shot and it’s straight at Lloris, not much power either. Richy only has eyes for goal when he gets into that area, would serve him better to find a teammate sometimes.

41’ - Doherty with a great give and go from Kane and gets behind Digne, alone on goal with Pickford and the goalie saves very well with his foot from the wingback’s volley. Pickford will be feeling good about how he’s playing, as will Blues everywhere.

37’ - Doucoure charges forward now, finds James on the right.. he cuts in and fires in a shot, just wide of the post!
Moura and Allan in a knee-to-knee collision, and both are writhing around on the ground. Evertonian screams can be heard around the world. He seems okay to continue.

33’ - Blues win another corner that Digne puts in from the left, Mina goes for it but it’s cleared. Allan fouled but Atkinson waves play on and Spurs break at pace, falls to Alli who has a big shot that Pickford makes a terrific flying save on. Corner is cleared away.

30’ - Everton again break with numbers, Richarlison shapes up to shoot and it’s deflected for a corner. James to take from the Everton right, it’s low and cleared by Spurs.

26’ - My fellow Blues, let me tell you what a treat it is to watch a competent Everton team.
Blues have a chance to break and DCL loses the ball in his feet now, eventually comes to James who jinks and fires a shot with his right foot, it’s blocked and trickles to Lloris.

23’ - Delicious ball from on curled low towards the far post, Kane just inches away from it with Pickford nowhere near it. Close.
Halfway through the first half, and Spurs are coming back into the game.

20’ - Coleman gives away a corner but it’s well-cleared by Allan, hoofed upfield with no Blues there unfortunately.
Hojbjerg rakes his studs down Allan’s ankle, no card from Martin Atkinson.

16’ - Ooooooh Richarlison!! A terrible back pass by Alderweireld and Richarlison is through on goal, dribbles past Lloris and blazes his shot over from a narrow angle, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin wide open and begging for the ball!

15’ - Still 0-0 here, Everton controlling possession 69% to 31%, wow.

10’ - Allan with a bad misplaced pass that almost allows Spurs to break but Mina clears.
James is the hub of all things good right now, a true #10 with the ball even though he’s out on the right.

6’ - Allan wins a tackle and finds James who sets off after a 1-2. The Blues are looking bright early, Spurs will sit back and try to hit Everton with pace on the counter.

4’ - James’ first meaningful touch is a lovely pass to Gomes who finds Richarlison in the box, the Brazilian loses the ball in his feet and scuffs his shot.

1’ - We’re off, Everton in their royal blue, Spurs in their white. And it’s a 4-3-3 for Everton, with James out on the right.

Lineups - Here we go, Carlo Ancelotti’s first lineup of the new season.

All three new signings will start the game, Ancelotti is not messing about. So what’s that formation look like then? 4-3-3? 4-2-3-1? Guess we’ll see when they get on the pitch. Spurs look like they’ll be in their regular 4-2-3-1 formation.

Preview

It’s been seven weeks since the end of the previous season and Everton in that time have made three key signings to bolster the middle of the pitch, but for the most part this is still the same team.

Whether having a full preseason program under Carlo Ancelotti will make all the difference will remain to be seen, but optimism does seem to be at a high with the additions of Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez.

Yerry Mina looks to have recovered from his injury but the toe injury Mason Holgate sustained in the preseason friendly against Preston North End means Michael Keane will be partnering the big Colombian defender in front of Jordan Pickford.

Speaking of Colombians, superstar James is not expected to make the starting lineup as he works on getting match fit, but it would be a big surprise if he doesn’t see any game time at all today.

All eyes will be on the Blues’ formation though, as fans and opponents alike look to see whether the Toffees will stick to the simplistic 4-4-2 or attempt something more hybrid and complex. How many of Everton’s midfielders get on the pitch will probably be a direct result of that decision as they travel to London for a fixture they have not had much luck in for well over a decade.

While the documentary All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur provided some amusement with plenty of footage from the inside workings of a large football club, they remain a solid football team with a number of very good players.

Jose Mourinho’s style of play will not win over too many admirers, but his Spurs side have enough quality to pose a difficult challenge for Ancelotti. The Blues’ best chance at coming away from this game with points rests on how cohesively they play both on and off the ball.

In previous fixtures they have been able to shut Richarlison down by fouling him every time the ball came near him. The fact that Martin Atkinson is refereeing this game, just as he did that contentious affair when Son Heung-min hacked down Andre Gomes last year, will not go unnoticed by both sides.

Match Details

Competition: Premier League Matchday 1

Date and start time: Sunday, September 13th at 8:30 a.m. PT / 11:30 a.m ET / 4:30 p.m. BST

Stadium: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 62,303

Weather: 76°F/24°C, sunny, 0% chance of precipitation, 9 mph winds

How to Watch/Listen

TV: N/A - United States; Sky Sports Premier League, Sky Sports Main Event - United Kingdom; DAZN - Canada, beIN Sports HD 1 & 2, SuperSport Maximo, SuperSport Premier League ROA, RMC Sport 1, Canal+ France, Star Sports Select 1

Radio: evertontv, SiriusXM FC, BBC Radio 5 Live

Live stream: Peacock TV, SKY GO Extra, ESPN Play Sur, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, DStv Now, RUSH

Gamethread: Live blog above starting one hour before game time

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Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Lineups

Everton

Starting XI: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Mina, Digne, Allan, Gomes, Doucoure, Rodriguez, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin

Subs: Virginia, Kenny, Sigurdsson, Walcott, Bernard, Davies, Keane

Tottenham

Starting XI: Lloris, Davies, Dier, Alderweireld, Doherty, Winks, Højbjerg, Heung-Min, Alli, Moura, Kane

Subs: Hart, Aurier, Sanchez, Sissoko, Ndombele, Lamela, Bergwijn

Ref: Martin Atkinson VAR: Andre Marriner

Last Meeting

The Blues played at Tottenham in a horribly boring and ridiculously dull affair in July after the resumption of football following the COVID-19 suspension of sports. An own goal off a Michael Keane deflection settled it for the the hosts behind closed doors.

Spurs had been looking at allowing up to 4,000 of their highest-paying spectators in for this game, but a recent government directive scuppered those plans.

It will not take much from either side to produce some better football than that last trip to North London, hopefully we’ll get to see the Blues come away with three points for the first time since 2008.