Everton’s Tosun earns draw with Spurs in game marred by Gomes leg injury
Tottenham had a first Premier League away win in 10 months torn from their grasp by a stoppage-time header from Cenk Tosun that may also have reprieved Marco Silva as Everton manager. It all felt completely irrelevant. The sight of André Gomes being carried off and straight to Aintree hospital with a horrific leg-break, players from both sides barely able to look at the stricken midfielder as he received treatment, rendered the problems of Mauricio Pochettino and Silva a footnote on a thoroughly depressing evening.
Tosun saved Everton from a sixth defeat in seven league games when he converted Lucas Digne’s cross deep into 12 minutes of injury time created largely by Gomes’ dreadful misfortune. The Portugal midfielder was sent sprawling by a cynical foul from Son Heungmin although it was a combination of an awkward landing and collision with Serge Aurier that caused a dislocated fractured right ankle. Gomes will undergo surgery on Monday.
Martin Atkinson, the referee, booked the Spurs striker and VAR upgraded his punishment to a red for “endangering the safety of a player which happened as a consequence of his initial challenge”, a Premier League statement clarified.
Son was distraught as he departed to a cascade of boos. The Goodison
Park crowd, in fairness, did not have the benefit of reviewing the incident. Not that anyone would want to. VAR made several unwelcome interventions on a desperately poor game, taking three minutes to decide that Dele Alli, the Spurs’ goalscorer, had not handled inside his own penalty area, for example.
Everton were on the wrong end of VAR in defeat at Brighton the previous weekend and Silva admitted his appeals for players to respect referees is being seriously tested. But all that mattered was Gomes, a stylish footballer and friendly, engaging man now faces a long recovery period ahead. Pochettino may have been correct in his argument that Son’s harsh dismissal cost his team victory but some things are best left unsaid at moments like this.
“Son is better,” said the Spurs manager, although the South Korean’s condition was not the point. “The players from Everton and their captain [Séamus] Coleman came to console him. I thank them for that. Everyone knows on the pitch what happened but no one believed it was intentional. We send our best wishes to André and his family in this tough moment. But VAR needs to check if it was a bad tackle from Son. It was dreadful for André, but judge the action, not judge what happened after. The referees need help. They need to check on the screen, they have the screen so why not? In the end the decision changed everything, we were in control, we believed we were going to win the game, then we conceded the goal. It is unbelievable he received a red card. I don’t know if we will appeal the red card, I don’t know if it is possible.”
VAR checked for penalties against Alli and Yerry Mina, for an alleged foul on Son. Neither was given. It checkeda professional foul by Davinson Sánchez on Richarlison. Again nothing was given. Son’s red card was the one decision made by the referee that was overturned. “André will have all the support he needs,” the Everton manager said. “I am 100% sure he will become stronger as a football player and a man. Our players are sad but the spirit we showed was a good answer. It was the worst moment of the season for us.”
VAR, the game-killer, and Atkinson ignited more passions inside Goodison than the contest itself in the opening hour. The few chances that were created in that time fell to Everton, who, it was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday night, are also investigating an incident of alleged racist behaviour by a supporter during this game. Gomes headed over at full stretch after Djibril Sidibe released Theo Walcott to the by-line and the winger floated a cross to the back post. Gomes was also at the heart of the home side’s first flowing move, switching play from right to left for Digne to find Richarlison inside the area. The Brazilian turned sharply only to shoot
straight at Paulo Gazzaniga.
The Spurs goalkeeper saved impressively from Richarlison early in the second half and the stop assumed greater significance when the visitors took full advantage of a seismic error by Alex Iwobi moments later. The former Arsenal winger was under little pressure inside his own half when he played a careless pass straight to Son. Iwobi instantly put his head in his hands and the fear was well-founded as Son released Alli in space down the left. The England midfielder, who had an otherwise quiet game, came to life as he cut inside Mason Holgate before finding the bottom corner of Jordan Pickford’s goal.
The evening took a darker turn when Gomes sustained his awful injury. Tosun, a late substitute, rewarded Everton’s professional reaction with a thumping header into the bottom corner. But his thoughts were elsewhere after the final whistle sounded. “Everybody is sad inside,” Tosun said.
“Some players they nearly cried. He was in shock, his eyes were open so big. He was like crying, shouting and screaming. I just went over to him and tried to hold him and speak to him; I tried to tell him to stay calm. We couldn’t understand it.”