Everton lost to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night but Carlo Ancelotti has taken some consolation out of a solid defensive display which kept the ‘fantastic’ Harry Kane and Heung Min-Son quiet, while speaking to the club’s official website.
It was perhaps fitting that a game so dreadfully low on quality was decided by the scrappiest of goals in north London.
A wild slice of a shot from Giovanni Lo Celso rebounded past a helpless Jordan Pickford by Michael Keane early in the first half.
In truth, that was one of the few times in a miserable 90 minutes that Tottenham found themselves in a genuine goal-scoring position.
Pickford was forced into action just twice on the night by Son while Kane, as we are sure you’re aware by now, had more touches in his own box than he did in the opposition’s.
Everton barely troubled the scoreboard themselves during an insipid attacking display but Ancelotti was keen to look at the (admittedly very few) positives.
“We did not concede a lot [of chances] and defensively we did well against fantastic strikers,” the Italian said.
“(But) when you play against this team, with this quality and energy, you have to do more. The performance was normal, not fantastic.
“I was sure before the game we could perform better. The game was balanced, though, and we competed until the end.”
If captain Kane was considering a stunning move away from Spurs before the footballing world was flipped on its head in March, his team’s performances after the re-start are unlikely to have him pining for a new, long-term contract.
The England number nine has scored twice in four league games but Jose Mourinho’s plodding, pragmatic tactics appear to have left him on the periphery of games with goal-scoring chances at a premium.
It is hard to imagine Kane won’t be watching a rip-roaring Manchester City or Manchester United without a great deal of envy.
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