Everton 5-4 Tottenham: Spurs player ratings as they suffer defeat in a nine-goal thriller | FA Cup 2020-21
Everton secured a hard-fought 5-4 victory in extra-time over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup on Wednesday night.
In a game riddled with questionable defending and outstanding finishing from both teams, Everton knocked out a struggling Tottenham to advance to the quarter-finals of the domestic cup competition.
Everton came into the game high on confidence after their 3-3 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford last week.
They had fairly easy opposition in the previous rounds of the competition and were looking to test themselves against a fellow Premier League side.
On the other hand, Tottenham have not been in good form recently. Despite already booking their place in the final of the League Cup, Spurs are eighth in the league table.
In a very high-tempo game, Tottenham took a deserved lead after just under five minutes, with Davinson Sanchez heading home from a corner. Everton looked uninspired for large spells of the half before an error from Pierre-Emile Hojberg gifted them an equalizer.
The Toffees were were 3-1 up by the 43rd minute, and Tottenham were left wondering how the game changed so quickly.
Spurs got one back just before the half-time break, thanks to Erik Lamela’s strike. The north London outfit scored another 12 minutes after the interval to restore parity.
A lapse in concentration soon saw Everton regain the lead, only to relinquish it late in the game. As a result, the match went into extra-time.
The Merseyside outfit soon made it 5-4 in extra-time through Bernard.
Unfortunately for Jose Mourinho's men, Everton did well to hold on to the lead and advance to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
Spurs can take solace from the fact that they are still alive in two other cup competitions - the League Cup and the Europa League. In fact, their exit from the FA Cup might lighten their workload.
Tottenham player ratings
Hugo Lloris 5/10
The Tottenham goalkeeper could have done better to keep out Dominic Calvert-Lewin's strike, but the fierceness and speed of the hit made it difficult to deal with.
There was nothing he could do about the other goals as they were brilliantly taken strikes.
Matt Doherty 5/10
Doherty was far more active than his fellow full-back on the other side of the pitch. He continuously ran down his flank in an attempt to create something for the Spurs attackers.
Toby Alderweireld 5/10
He probably should have done better to close down Richarlison for Everton's second goal. Alderweireld allowed the Brazilian just enough room to take the shot, which went through his legs, thus making it impossible for Lloris to save.
Davinson Sanchez 6.5/10
The Colombian scored the first goal of the game with a header and was on hand to convert his second of the night. However, he failed to keep Richarlison in check for the Toffees' fourth goal, as the Brazilian ran in behind him unchallenged to convert.
Ben Davies 5/10
The Tottenham left-back was probably the most defensively alert player as he made the most tackles for the visitors. He won five out of his six attempted ground duels, but struggled to create anything tangible in attack.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 4/10
An uncharacteristically error-ridden performance from the Denmark international saw him give away one goal before conceding a penalty.
Hojbjerg seemed off the pace as Everton's relentless midfield charged at him.
Tanguy Ndombele 5/10
The Frenchman struggled to deal with the physicality and doggedness of the Toffees' midfield press.
Ndombele completed only one take-on all game and basically just kept possession for his side before he was replaced by Harry Winks in extra-time.
Erik Lamela 6/10
He did well to anticipate a miscalculation from Yerry Mina and did not alter the course of his run. He found himself through on goal and finished brilliantly to reduce his side's deficit before half-time.
Steven Bergwijn 5/10
The Dutchman had sparks of brilliance in attack for Tottenham. He created two chances and was always on the forward run before making way for Harry Kane in the second-half.
Lucas Moura 5/10
Moura should have opened the scoring, but could only fire over the rebound after Olsen made a brilliant save.
He was very lively in attack as he constantly looked to take on the opposition players. The Brazilian completed all but one of his dribble attempts before being replaced by Dele Alli in the 77th minute.
Heung-Min Son 7/10
The Tottenham star provided the assist for the opening goal with a well-taken corner. He also put in a gorgeous cross for Kane to head home the equalizer late in the game.
The South Korean was easily Tottenham's best player on the night and was unlucky to be on the losing end as he worked tirelessly all game.
Player ratings for Tottenham substitutes
Harry Kane 6/10
Tottenham's go-to man for goals was brought in to score, and he did just that.
The England captain headed home at the back-post from Son's cross to take the game into extra-time.
Dele Alli 5/10
Alli, who was brought on late in the second-half, was booked for simulation almost immediately after coming on.
The Tottenham midfielder struggled to create anything noteworthy, and his lack of game-time was clearly evident.
Harry Winks 5/10
He came on for Ndombele in extra-time but did not do much better than the Frenchman, as Everton were solid defensively.
Carlos Vinicius 5/10
The striker was brought on as an extra body in the opposition box. Although he had some deft touches, he could not impact the game.
Moussa Sissoko 5.5/10
The Frenchman was vivacious when he came on and his energy was something Tottenham wished they had earlier in the game. Sissoko completed all four take-ons he attempted, lost just one of his seven duels and created one chance. He was n inspired substitution.