Tottenham’s Hugo Lloris explains what was so impressive about Everton

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Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris hailed Everton’s energy and intensity during a pulsating 1-1 Premier League draw at Goodison Park on Monday evening. 

When the news filtered through that Michael Keane had scored a stoppage-time equaliser to deny Cristian Stellini a win in his first game since replacing Antonio Conte, you probably didn’t expect the defender’s 90^th minute goal to look quite like this. 

This was no towering header from a whipped set-piece; the Sean Dyche special. This was a centre-half striding into midfield and unleashing a thunderbolt into the back of Lloris net. Spurs’ World Cup-winning goalkeeper barely moved, the ball flashing past him at the speed of sound. 

And, despite playing much of the second half with ten men following Abdoulaye Doucoure’s red card, this was no less than Everton deserved. 

Tottenham Hotspur drop points at Sean Dyche’s Everton

“(Goodison Park) is a difficult place to deal with, especially with the change of manager,” Lloris tells Spurs’ official website; two dropped points a major blow to Tottenham’s Champions League ambitions. 

“(Everton) have a lot of energy, and you could feel it on the pitch. They run a lot, and also they never give up. They showed that again today, unfortunately for us.” 

The Toffees have lost only three out of nine Premier League games since Dyche replaced Frank Lampard on Gwadlys Street, and the nature of Monday’s performance was typical of the impact the former Burnley boss has made in his new Merseyside home. 

Seldom had Everton, under Lampard, played with such an intensity, aggression, or organisation. And it’s fitting that it was Keane – who played under Dyche at Burnley and has been re-instated into the starting XI since his arrival – who snatched the point which lifted the Toffees out of the Premier League’s relegation zone. 

“If there is one regret today, (it’s that) we dropped the intensity after the red card,” Lloris explains. “It’s the Premier League. You cannot drop intensity, you cannot stop making an effort until the end. In the Premier League, anything can happen until the end.”

“It’s not easy for any team to come here,” adds Stellini. “They are a direct team, you have to fight. When they had the red card, the game has to finish there. We have to lock the game.”