The game was only a few minutes old when Seamus Coleman lifted the ball into Tottenham’s area. As it dropped Richarlison pulled back his favoured left foot, swung and, to joyful cheers from the home support, missed completely. And that, right there, was the night in a nutshell: glum for one side, glee for the other.
Frank Lampard’s decisions to bring on first the Ukrainian Vitalii Mykolenko and then the former Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli were greeted with the unique generosity of a crowd that cheered five unanswered home goals, and that was as positive as the evening got for a coach whose three away games at Everton have now been lost by an aggregate score of 10-1. In all they have not won a Premier League away game since August, part of a run of three wins in their first four since revealed to be the falsest of dawns. By the time they get another chance it will be April.
