Sean Dyche theory was destroyed in 25 minutes - now the Everton blame game must stop

If Sean Dyche was worried by a lack of Premier League experience for some of his players then losing a game after 25 minutes was a good way of resolving the issue. In the same stadium last season Everton went two goals down in the first half only to stage an Andre Gomes-inspired fightback that ended in a controversial defeat that felt like a victory of sorts.

At no point did that feel likely after Yves Bissouma and Heung-Min Son put Tottenham Hotspur clear midway through the first half. But it did create the opportunity for pressure-free minutes for Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom - two summer recruits who in the second half injected energy into what had been a lifeless attack. For a brief moment they combined with Dwight McNeil to cause issues for a Spurs side that appeared content to see the game out - McNeil bursting forward on the hour to allow Lindstrom to force Guglielmo Vicario into the only save he had to make.

The respite for the Everton defence was brief, however. Ange Postecoglou turned to his bench to breathe life into his own attack and two very quickly became four through Cristian Romero and, again, Son. As in the first half, Everton were powerless to stop superior opposition. But Lindstrom and Ndiaye furthered their case for greater prominence. And, amid the carnage, Roman Dixon and Harrison Armstrong made their senior debuts. The teenagers, promoted to the first team amid an injury crisis, will look back on this match with fondness even if those in the away end will not.

Before the match, Dixon was the story. The 19-year-old academy starlet was thrust into the starting eleven as Dyche attempted to deal with the loss of alternative options on the right side of the defence that included injuries suffered by Seamus Coleman, Nathan Patterson and James Garner and the suspension being served by Ashley Young. Dixon acquitted himself well in tough circumstances. Spurs were a danger down both flanks but he repeatedly halted the advances of Wilson Odobert and the biggest compliment to the youngster was that the threat was greater down Everton’s left. That was where the first goal came from. His life was made harder midway through the second half when the introduction of Richarlison led to Son being put up against him.

Their first battle saw Dixon hold up the winger enough to allow James Tarkowski to stop him from getting into the box - though Romero’s goal came from the set piece that followed. But Dixon fought hard, kept his composure and largely stymied Odobert. Armstrong, the 17-year-old box-to-box midfielder who is highly rated in the Blues academy had to wait until the closing stages for his debut but he too looked composed amid the madness around him.

And that, ultimately, was the story of this game. For all the talk about the inexperience that might see new signings held back or the academy overlooked in the search for answers to Dyche’s problems, it was the mistakes of some of Everton’s most experienced players that proved so costly.

Jordan Pickford had been shaping up to be the hero for Everton - yet again. He was under pressure from the opening seconds and stood firm when Romero was played through in the aftermath of one of eight first half corners for his side. Minutes later the England number one flew to his right to push away a Son effort that looped goalwards via McNeil’s knee and he was then quick off his line to smother James Maddison when the attacking midfielder was played in over the top of an Everton back line that was struggling to find respite as the hosts pushed for an opener. It took only 14 minutes for that to happen and, while Pickford could do little about the Bissouma shot that thundered off the underside of the bar, his teammates offered him little protection.

Happy to concede possession around the edge of the area, Everton allowed Spurs to keep passing it between themselves until space opened up. When Dejan Kulusevski drove into the box he rode two tame challenges as he carried the ball across the face of goal before laying it into the path of an unmarked Bissouma. It was not the first time in those early minutes that an attacker had found space in the Everton box - Brennan Johnson flashed a free header wide when he should have done better during the short time the match was goalless.

Pickford was able to hold his head high at that point but soon he had it in his hands. Everton’s response saw McNeil find Jack Harrison with a curling cross to the back post and, while it would have been a challenging finish, it was an opportunity for the Leeds loanee, who failed to make meaningful contact. The punishment was swift, though self-inflicted. Tarkowski played the ball back to Pickford who had time and space to launch it forward. But, perhaps hampered by a first half deluge, he tried to switch the ball from right foot to left and, in doing so, lost control of it.

Son had closed him down in hope rather than expectation and was rewarded for his effort as he picked up the loose ball, steadied himself after a Pickford lunge and tapped into an empty net. After 25 minutes Everton were out of this game. Spurs continued to dominate but the game moved to the middle third as both sides looked towards half-time. The easing of the pressure did allow Everton an opportunity to win a flurry of corners and free-kicks that caused Vicario repeated problems, but an awkward Doucoure volley that was comfortably cleared off the line was the closest Everton came.

As the game looked set to meander to the finish, Ndiaye and Lindstrom brought a positivity to the away performance that at least offered a reason for the travelling supporters to hang on. But then Romero rose above Michael Keane and Tarkowski to power in the third and Everton suffered one final indignity when their own attack turned into Spurs’ fourth as centre back Micky van de Ven carried the ball through the middle of the Everton team before setting up Son for his second.

This was always going to be an uphill struggle for a threadbare Everton side dealing with an injury nightmare. But at no point did Everton look capable of being able to compete in this match. And for that, this defeat cannot be written off as simply another bad day. After two games Everton lie at the foot of the Premier League table having lost two games, conceded seven goals and not only having failed to score, but having managed just two shots on target across more than 180 minutes. The squad will improve and the opponents should get easier.

But according to Opta, Everton have lost their first two games in a top-flight season by three or more goals for the first time in their history. If the final week of the transfer window is unlikely to provide a solution then answers need to be found from elsewhere. That search needs to begin with an acceptance that not all of the blame for this miserable start can be put down to injury misfortune, controversial refereeing decisions and a lack of Premier League experience.