Jarrad Branthwaite's last-gasp, close-range header handed Everton a reprieve from the vertiginous problems painting their half of Merseyside a solemn shade of blue, but Tottenham Hotspur will be dismayed that they squandered the chance to clinch back-to-back victories in the Premier League.

Ange Postecoglou's summer appointment has refuelled the fire in the north London club after a tough period, anointed to spark vision and verve back into an ambitious outfit that had trundled to an eighth-placed finish in 2022/23.

In fairness, Spurs are just two points behind Aston Villa in the top four, having bolstered in January, seen key players filter back in from the medical room and put the skid before the festive period firmly behind them.

However, Postecoglou fashioned a blistering start to the season and while this highlighted the quality within the squad, it camouflaged the issues that will take more than a couple of months to do away with.

4/10 Spurs man who made fewer touches than Vicario was anonymous vs Everton

The Lilywhites suffered a setback in their bid to secure a top-four berth…

ByRobbie Walls

The winter additions were a step toward plastering such cracks and aggressive Radu Dragusin and versatile Timo Werner have strengthened Spurs' accord, and while the latter has slotted right into the starting line-up, he was unable to produce a convincing performance against Sean Dyche's men.

Timo Werner's game vs Everton in numbers

Spurs took the lead on two occasions at Goodison Park courtesy of Richarlison's red-hot goalscoring form – that's nine goals from eight matches in the Premier League now – but Werner was unable to complement the talisman effectively on Saturday afternoon.

Signed from RB Leipzig on a six-month loan (with a buy option inserted for around £15m), Werner, aged 27, placed assists across his first two league appearances for Tottenham but failed to impress against a Toffees backline braided with resilience and boosted by a cacophonous home support.

Against Everton, as per Sofascore, Werner completed 86 minutes of action but took just 26 touches – only three more than Dejan Kulusevski, who replaced Brennan Johnson after the hour mark – and while he completed 80% of his 20 attempted passes, making one key pass, there wasn't enough on offer to convince Postecoglou that he is deserving of a regular starting berth.

Indeed, having won just one duel and failed to even attempt a dribble or take a shot, the former Chelsea forward flattered to deceive and few would bemoan Postecoglou if he were to relegate him to the bench next time out.

Ball retention

Finishing

Long shots

Aerial duels

Offside awareness

Source: WhoScored

Handing the German international a lowly 4/10 match rating, football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold penned his thoughts on an ineffectual effort: 'Caused Everton some problems with his runs down the left and had one effort saved before being flagged offside. He could have had more conviction in getting to a Johnson cross that was instead intercepted by Godfrey.'

While Werner struggled to perform, he wasn't the only player to miss the mark on Merseyside, with centre-midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur failing to spark any invention into the Spurs attack and consequently leaving Werner with little fuel from which to engineer openings.

Rodrigo Bentancur's performance vs Everton

Bentancur has started the past four Premier League matches for the Lilywhites after returning from injury problems that ruled him out of most of the first phase of the campaign, but it's probably fair to say he's been something of a mixed bag thus far.

Hooked shortly after 60 minutes for the industrious Oliver Skipp, Bentancur was nullified in the centre of the park and failed to make an impact, unable to place a single key pass and winning just three of his 12 contested duels.

While Gold provided Bentancur with a marginally better match score than Werner – giving him a 5/10 – he did note: 'Another very quiet display from the Uruguayan who seems to be still feeling his way back into regular Premier League football.'

It wasn't that the 27-year-old was objectively bad, he's just not maximising his myriad of midfield tools and is struggling to slot himself right back into prominent standing.

But then, of course, this will hardly fill Postecoglou with worry; the 6 foot 1 Bentancur spent the lion's share of 2023 on the sidelines and has been plunged back into the deep end over the past month and a bit.

Described as "technically immense" by broadcaster Adam Smith, Bentancur has enjoyed some moments since his comeback, scoring a well-taken goal to restore parity against Manchester United at Old Trafford several weeks ago, and kept it crisp with his passing.

Though he wasn't at the races against Everton and a case could be made that he was off the race in midweek against Brentford, substituted at half-time with the home side trailing.

There is, in what will be mellifluous words to Spurs supporters' ears, a solution, with Pape Matar Sarr replacing his South American counterpart against the Blues, having returned from the African Cup of Nations this week after Senegal's exit.

Sarr has started 16 times in the league this season, posting two goals and two assists, and is proving himself to be one of the division's hottest prospects; his return from AFCON is massive.

As per FBref, the 21-year-old ranks among the top 10% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shots taken, the top 9% for assists, the top 18% for pass completion and the top 19% for progressive passes per 90.

Moreover, he's averaging five ball recoveries per game in the Premier League this season and will bring the energy and tenacity needed to ensure that Tottenham take control of midfield battles over the coming months.

With Yves Bissouma's Mali knocked out of AFCON on Saturday, Postecoglou will soon boast an engine room in its full force and the burden on Bentancur's shoulders will be eased somewhat, allowing him to continue to build up fitness and rekindle his best form.

Tottenham dropped points against Everton and lost their short-lived hold on the top four. Still, there is much to be confident about going forward and there is every chance that a return to the continent's pinnacle competition will be achieved in May.