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In their first opening game loss since 2015, Tottenham Hostpur fell to a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Everton today.
Chances were few and far between in a tight first half, but the second half saw Everton largely dominate the game, particularly in midfield. Spurs always looked dangerous on the break, but it was Carlo Ancelotti's Toffees who were able to get the key goal.
A free-kick in a wide left area was pinged into the box by Lucas Digne, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin rose above Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld to aim a powerful header into the net.
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Tottenham huffed and puffed but were unable to find an equaliser, giving Everton an excellent three points to open their 2020-21 campaign.
Here are five talking points from the game.
#1 Tottenham looked painfully sluggish, particularly in the second half
With Tottenham facing some serious fixture congestion due to their participation in the Europa League and EFL Cup, Jose Mourinho was probably hoping for an energetic display from his side today. Unfortunately, he got the total opposite.
Tottenham simply lacked any kind of spark throughout the game, with their midfield duo of Harry Winks and new signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg struggling to retain the ball in the first half in particular.
Dele Alli – who was substituted at half-time – was largely anonymous. Harry Kane was starved of service, while Toby Alderweireld and Eric Dier appeared to lack pace in the centre of defence.
Everton didn't look particularly great in this game, but even their slight improvement from this fixture in July was enough to earn them a win.
It should go without saying, but if Mourinho is going to end Tottenham's long wait for a trophy, his side will need to perform far better than this. Quite what went wrong here is a massive question mark.
#2 Everton's new signings have added the quality they were lacking
Once again, Everton have ventured heavily into the transfer market this summer, bringing in three new midfielders in the form of Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and James Rodriguez. And it was immediately clear from this game that the trio has added some much-needed quality that the Toffees lacked last season.
Both Doucoure and Allan had relatively quiet games, but the fact that they largely went unnoticed was actually impressive. The two men screened Everton's defence so well that the centre-back pairing of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina barely needed to do a thing.
Of course, that was partially due to Spurs' inept attacks, but previous Everton sides would've found a way to lose here. Allan and Doucoure have added a toughness the Toffees never had before.
As for Rodriguez, some of the touches he showed were outstanding. And while he had no part in Everton's goal, he looked dangerous throughout the match and occupied Ben Davies for the majority of the game.
The Colombian is likely still rusty too – meaning the best should hopefully be yet to come from him. If he can reach the heights he did during the 2014 World Cup – and he showed flashes of that here – then Premier League fans are in for a treat.
#3 Did Son's poor decision-making cost Tottenham?
For as bad as Tottenham were during this game, things could've been very different had Son Heung-min made a better decision during the first half.
The chance came midway through the period and actually began with an Everton corner. Lucas Moura collected Eric Dier's powerful header, and the Brazilian shrugged off his marker to start a quick break.
Lucas' ball was picture-perfect and found Son. It appeared that all the South Korean needed to do was to slot a pass through to Harry Kane – who made an excellent run through the centre and was wide open – for Tottenham to take the lead.
Unfortunately, Son dallied on the ball a little too much, and was only able to find Dele Alli. Multiple Everton defenders surrounded the England man, and Jordan Pickford comfortably saved his shot.
This was probably Tottenham's best chance throughout the match and showed the tight margins that top Premier League teams are working with. Had Son found Kane, Tottenham might be the ones celebrating tonight.
#4 Jordan Pickford was fantastic for Everton
Everton undoubtedly deserved to win this game in the end, but when picking a Man of the Match, you'd find it hard to look beyond their goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford. The England international had come under fire for his performances in the second half of the 2019-20 campaign, but today he looked fantastic.
Pickford made excellent saves from Dele Alli and Matt Doherty in the first half. He was also pretty solid and assured in his handling of crosses that came into the box.
The English custodian commanded his penalty area brilliantly, made numerous catches and clearances. Pickford never faltered whenever Tottenham's players put him under pressure, particularly from set-pieces. In the end, he finished the game with five successful saves.
After showing such questionable form last season, Pickford will have to perform on this level for a number of games before faith in him is fully restored. However, on this form, the clamour for Nick Pope or Dean Henderson to replace him in goal for England should certainly quieten.
#5 Kane's rustiness should be a worry for Mourinho
When Tottenham hit their stickiest patch last season – the period between January and March – most of their problems were blamed on the fact that star striker Harry Kane was out with a hamstring injury. When the England captain returned post-lockdown and scored seven goals in nine games, that feeling was only amplified.
However, today's game felt like a regression for Kane as well as Tottenham. He'd appeared to have gained his sharpness back during the summer matches. But today he looked rustier than ever and was arguably Tottenham's least effective player.
Sure, the England captain was primarily starved of service and Spurs lacked creativity throughout. But it's hard to argue that Kane was in any way effective.
The striker had the lowest pass success rate of any Tottenham player (56%), made the least amount of passes (16), had just 27 touches overall, and was only able to take two shots on goal. Realistically, the only flash of inspiration he had came in the first half, when he set up Matt Doherty for a shot on goal.
Kane will undoubtedly improve as time goes on, but he was painfully off the pace in this match, and that has to be a concern for Mourinho.
