Van de Ven thrills, Everton scrap and Spurs trip late yet again as centre-halves take centre stage

Micky van de Ven was an absolute machine against Everton but one way of overcoming his imperious recovery defending is to just score from set-pieces.

It’s a fine quote from a pretty decent player. “If I have to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake,” perfectly captures the authoritative grace of Paolo Maldini, a description of his role as seemingly effortless as his execution thereof.

Often it is used to separate the good centre-halves from the great ones, the many capable of putting out fires and the few who smell the smoke and quell the danger before it even begins to develop.

Still, pretty decent counter-argument from Micky van de Ven to just completely steamroller everyone in sight, regardless of how much of a head start he gives them.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jack Harrison bore the full blunt force of Van de Ven’s particular brand of recovery defending at Goodison Park, the ground between the Spurs centre-half and those counter-attacking Everton forwards entirely devoured during a commanding performance.

Radu Dragusin soon joined in with the fun, bundling Beto over twice to both the ambivalence of the officials and the simmering rage of Sean Dyche, himself a former centre-half.

But the game was decided on the actions of two other old-fashioned defenders, Cristian Romero inadvertently nodding on a stoppage-time James Garner free-kick to invite Jarrad Branthwaite to secure a valuable point at the back post.

Jarrad Branthwaite celebrates scoring Everton equaliser

It was a suitable climax, given the story of much of the game. Garner’s set-piece deliveries were matched in quality by those of Dwight McNeil as Everton sought to target Guglielmo Vicario.

The Italian delivered mixed results on his test, bundled over his line along with the ball for Harrison’s equaliser but faring otherwise relatively well under duress either side of two sublime first-time finishes from Richarlison.

Everton were probably the better side for large portions of the game but such is the current state of affairs that a clinical Richarlison was the difference on his latest return to Goodison Park. His two goals could not be much more different – peeling away to score from six yards, then curling a sublime effort past Jordan Pickford from outside the area – but they summed up the power of confidence and momentum in certain players.

James Maddison was otherwise in fine form and the evidence to suggest he and Van de Ven’s are the club’s most important players in compelling. The absences of Heung-min Son and Yves Bissouma been fairly well absorbed and Spurs do not function properly without those two signings from last summer in particular.

Their mistake was in forgetting the sheer potency of a passionate and provoked Goodison, the hosts especially aggrieved by the roughhousing of late substitute Dragusin. Everyone else simply enjoyed the thought of him dovetailing with Van de Ven.

Spurs kept that fire stoked for too long and were eventually made to pay, Branthwaite applying the final touch before an agonising wait to confirm there was no offside.

Having spent the previous month beating Bayern Munich and Barcelona in the transfer market, it was a necessary reminder for Spurs to properly address their glaring weakness of actually seeing games out. Only Sheffield United and Crystal Palace have conceded more Premier League goals from the 81st minute onwards this season, with eight of those coming in the 90th and later; only Brentford (23) and Nottingham Forest (19) have dropped more points than Ange Postecoglou’s side (18).

It calls into question complacency, substitutions and on-pitch leadership, especially in terms of no-one taking ownership of the way the opposition pinpointed Vicario as a area of weakness early and were allowed to continue freely.

Everton recovering only their second point of the season from a losing position was testament to their attitude against adversity, a necessary response to falling into the bottom three after Luton’s recent rise.

Their spirit was captured delightfully by one fan furiously throwing the ball at Van de Ven as the Spurs centre-half went to collect it to take a late throw-in, the hosts still trailing by a goal. As with most other Everton attacks, it simply bounced off the Dutchman. But the pressure told eventually.

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