‘Quality’: Lucas Moura explains what impressed him about Everton

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Lucas Moura was left ruing Everton’s defensive diligence and an impressive performance from Jordan Pickford as Tottenham Hotspur began the new Premier League season with a defeat, while speaking to the club’s YouTube channel.

All eyes might have been on James Rodriguez, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure as they made top-flight debuts for their new clubs on Sunday. But a familiar face was under plenty of scrutiny too in North London.

With Dean Henderson and Nick Pope breathing down his neck, Pickford didn’t need Carlo Ancelotti or Gareth Southgate to tell him that he cannot afford another error-strewn campaign like the last one.

Fortunately, Everton’s £30 million shot-stopper produced a display fitting of an England number one in the capital, making two superb reflex saves to deny Dele Alli and Matt Doherty before commanding his area late on with a couple of magnificent punches.

And a dejected Lucas felt that Pickford, not to mention Everton’s centre-back pairing of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina, were the main reason why Tottenham began 2020/21 with a 1-0 home defeat.

“Very sad, very upset. It’s not the best way to start the season. It’s not the way we wanted to start. We didn’t do a good game, we give them too much space, especially in the middle,” says the Brazil international.

“At this level, we cannot lose (sic ‘miss’) the opportunities that we (missed),” Lucas adds when asked about Pickford.

“And after we paid very expensively for this because they have quality players and they are very strong in the head. It was every difficult to penetrate their defence and we didn’t have any space.

“That’s what we should do – don’t give them any space.”

This new-look Everton team certainly looks far better balanced than the one which limped to a 12th place finish in 2019/20.

Allan and Doucoure did the dirty work in midfield while James Rodriguez produced the odd tantalising glimpse of Galactico quality. And, in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton have arguably the best headerer of the ball in English football.