Chris Sutton tore into Everton on BBC Radio 5 Live for their ‘embarrassing’ performance in defeat at Tottenham Hotspur and wondered what boss Frank Lampard’s next step will be.
Spurs ran riot in north London on Monday night to beat a lifeless Toffees side 5-0. Harry Kane scored twice between strikes from Heung-Min Son and Sergio Reguilon, plus an own goal from Michael Keane. Jordan Pickford was also at fault when Son doubled the margin.
Defensive mistakes allowed Tottenham to establish their command on the scoresheet, as well as the pitch, against Everton. Keane thrashed an emphatic finish into his own net to break the deadlock, while Son caught Pickford by surprise for his hit to sneak underneath.
Everton faced relentless pressure at Tottenham and offered little in attack, but defensive fragility will have concerned Lampard the most. Rarely did the Blues backline appear to be comfortable with their roles, leaving acres of space in behind for Spurs to gleefully exploit.
Kane left Keane in his dust to burst through a mile-wide gap in the Toffees’ defence for his first goal. And again, the Blues gave the England captain far too much space as he peeled off of Mason Holgate with Seamus Coleman out of position to volley home for his brace.
Sutton tears into Everton stars who ‘folded’ in Tottenham defeat
Everton astounded Sutton with their performance in defeat to Tottenham, with the former Celtic striker sensing some Toffees stars threw in the towel before the first-half was over.
“This is embarrassing from an Everton point of view,” Sutton said (07/03, 21:07). “I’m sure there were tough words at half-time. They have folded. This game is over. It’s not just the fact they will go away with no points, it’s the damage this could do to this Everton team.”
Lampard’s side continuing to struggle during the second period left Sutton tearing into the Everton squad again. He added that some had ran away from their responsibilities in north London, while others were simply too passive to inspire any hope of a possible comeback.
“I can’t remember Everton cutting Tottenham open once,” Sutton added (07/03, 21:35). “It has all been very slow from them, across and backwards. There are too many in an Everton jersey who have hidden.”
Sutton wonders where Lampard takes Everton after 5-0 defeat
Losing 5-0 at Tottenham on Monday night leaves Lampard and Everton 17th in the Premier League table. They are also only a point from the relegation zone, but have a game in hand over 18th-place Burnley. That extra fixture could be vital to securing their top-flight status.
Conceding five has not helped the Toffees’ survival chances, either. They now have a worse goal difference than Burnley with minus-18 to the Clarets’ minus-14. Only Norwich (minus-42), Leeds (minus-32) and Watford (minus-23) have a worse record than the Blues so far.
So, given the display Everton produced at Tottenham, Sutton wonders where Lampard can take the Goodison Park natives this season. He also wonders if the Blues boss can still rely on some of those who featured in north London given what they offered him on Monday.
“Where does Frank Lampard go from here?” Sutton probed (07/03, 21:49). “He has to pick these players up. On this evidence if you were Lampard, could you trust these players? There’s a lack of courage [and] a lack of movement.”
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