Van de Ven Brace Halts The Toffees' Unbeaten Streak at New Home Ground

Micky van de Ven celebrating

The Dutch defender emerged as the initial backline player to net twice in a English top-flight game for Tottenham since the Belgian defender in March 2013.

Match summary

  • The Spurs defender heads into the net two times in first half

  • The home side's Jake O'Brien has goal disallowed after video check

  • Pape Matar Sarr scores final goal in dying moments

  • The defeat is Everton's first at Hill Dickinson Stadium

The Tottenham defender found the net twice as Spurs extended their winning streak in away games in the top division and handed the Toffees their initial loss at their new home.

The Toffees were undefeated in their last five matches at their new ground at the dockside location, having left Goodison Park behind after more than a century at the end of last season.

But Tottenham's leader Van de Ven pounced on two occasions from set-pieces in the first half to place their impressive record at jeopardy, and they were failed to mount a comeback before the midfielder - set up by ex-Everton forward the Brazilian - nodded in a final goal to put the game to bed.

Jake O'Brien thought he had equalized the scores a short while after Van de Ven's first goal, directing a bullet header past the Spurs keeper from an set-piece.

The Portuguese striker, meanwhile, missed a handful of opportunities, while the Italian goalkeeper made a series of excellent stops to guarantee Tottenham went five matches on the road without defeat in the English top flight.

But the VAR stepped in, advising the match official to check the score on the pitchside monitor and the referee decided that the winger and Iliman Ndiaye were in offside positions and had impeded with the Spurs keeper.

The win moves the manager's team into third place in the Premier League, five points off north London rivals and table-toppers the Gunners.

Everton stay in 14th position and sit half a dozen points ahead of the drop zone.

Spurs breakdown: Van de Ven fulfils role at each end of the field

Following a drab weekday performance in the Champions League against the French side, where they mustered a only two shots on target, Frank opted for Randal Kolo Muani in attack instead of former Toffees player the Brazilian.

The summer signing was failed to make much of an impact before being substituted for the substitute after 60 minutes on the pitch, but it emerged he proved unnecessary in the end.

Defender Van de Ven converted into an attacking force to be feared.

Spurs' first goal came from a well-worked set-piece play, with the midfielder heading the ball toward the six-yard box for an unmarked Van de Ven to score.

And Ven de Ven - filling in as skipper in Cristian Romero's unavailability - notched his second in first-half stoppage time as he outjumped the England keeper to nod in.

Van de Ven was equally impressive in defensive duties, combining well with his defensive colleague as the pair handled superbly with the 34 crosses sent their way by the opposition.

Everton analysis: Everton missing finishing touch

The club's recent stadium had been a fortress, but it appears the freshness may have worn off somewhat and supporters headed to the exits after Sarr's third for Tottenham.

The end in Everton's unbeaten home run won't be a massive concern for David Moyes, but their attacking woes will be.

Beto and Thierno Barry - the Everton's two established strikers - had scored just a single goal combined before Sunday's outing.

And they were failed to contribute to that poor record on a wet and gloomy night on in Liverpool.

The striker's form was summed up when he opted to overhead kick a golden opportunity from near the goal, even with having room and opportunity to reposition for a simpler shot that would have challenged the keeper.

The substitute, too, failed to make an impact after coming on for Beto in the 65th minute.

It was not for a lack of opportunity. Most of the home side's attacks came through the winger and Ndiaye, who relentlessly whipped dangerous crosses into the Tottenham box.

What next for these two sides?

Everton: Moyes' men travel to Sunderland in the Premier League on early November at 8 PM.

Tottenham: The London club go to Newcastle's ground on Wednesday, 29 October for their fourth-round League Cup tie against Newcastle.

Daniel Moore
Daniel Moore

A tech enthusiast and business strategist with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and startup consulting.