SADDENED by the gap between the sides ahead of kick-off, manager David Moyes’ mood will only have soured at full-time.
Bad enough was last night’s predictable defeat against Tottenham Hotspur but the loss of Sylvain Distin to injury early in the second half will concern those at Goodison Park, immediately at least, more than the result.
Painfully thin at centre back before they headed for the capital, their latest misery leaves Everton potentially down to the bare bones for the trip to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Moyes admitted the absence of Phil Jagielka for up to six weeks had potentially changed his priorities in this month’s transfer window but there can be no doubting where Everton’s most pressing selection issue now lies.
Shane Duffy, the 20-year-old brought back from his loan at Scunthorpe United last week, plugged the gap left by Distin with bravery for half an hour, but the manager will not see him as the solution while Jagielka recovers.
This morning, all of his skills in the transfer market will be drawn upon to find a centre half that fits the bill, but it must be done in double quick time as Moyes nervously waits for a clearer prognosis on Distin’s hamstring troubles.
Everton had defended stoically for much of last night’s game and only the combination of an uncharacteristic slip by Leighton Baines and a rare, and deflected, effort from Benoit Assou-Ekotto – with Distin off the pitch – proved the difference, on the scoresheet at least.
But there was an inevitably lack of edge in the away side’s attacks and the divide which looked sizeable before, now appears massive.
As Spurs moved level on points with Manchester United in second place, Everton remain mid-table, stuck in a stifling era.
Spurs have quality in abundance and several able and willing bodies on the bench to take over.
Such a situation is foreign to Everton these days who looked to the inexperienced Duffy to help stem the tide following Distin’s departure.
The difficulty Everton faced in attempting to shackle Spurs, even before the Frenchman left the action, was their fluid and variant formation as Gareth Bale, Luca Modric and Rafael Van der Vaart, in particular, rarely stuck to any set position.
For the majority, Everton’s commitment to a system and shape worked excellently as Tottenham toiled for long spells in the first half – but, of course, Aaron Lennon’s opener changed the landscape.
At 0-0, Bale and Lennon switched wings in a bid to freshen up a frustrated attack but with Baines and Landon Donovan practising the manager’s methods to perfection, life remained hard for Redknapp’s men.
Everton, it seemed, had Tottenham at arms length but a lapse in that concentration allowed the home side to open the scoring. The result, exasperatingly, looked nailed on from that point with the visitors, in truth, without the look of a team who could hurt the hosts.
Everton did remain bullish and full of fight but such qualities were only going to get them so far against an accomplished Tottenham.
The warning signs were there when Everton escaped Sylvain Distin’s over ambitious foray forward, fortunate to see Adebayor’s over elaborate finish miscued.
