Credit: Imago

James Barker

Sun 24 May 2026 18:08, UK

Everton were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham on the final day of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

The Toffees signed off in disappointing style, unable to snap their six-game winless run to take the mood into the summer as one of frustration.

David Moyes made one change to his starting lineup against Tottenham from the side that were beaten by Sunderland, with Thierno Barry coming in for Beto at the spearpoint of the Everton attack.

However, a lethargic first-half performance saw Spurs monopolise the possession and chances, before eventually taking a deserved lead on 43 minutes through Joao Palhinha.

That’s how things would stay until the full-time whistle blew, as Tottenham’s win over Everton secured their Premier League survival at the expense of West Ham.

Mathys Tel had the beating of Jake O’Brien

O’Brien hasn’t enjoyed a good season for Everton, with the 25-year-old coming in for significant criticism over the course of the campaign.

The Irish international has been Moyes’ starting right-back for the majority of the season, but a host of inconsistent and unconvincing performances has seen his Toffees future put firmly up in the air.

However, Tottenham provided him with one final chance to prove to Moyes that he’s a viable starting option in his side moving forward, but unfortunately, he didn’t take it.

O’Brien was booked after just 13 minutes on Sunday, after cynically dragging back Tottenham winger Mathys Tel, who had the beating of the Everton defender all afternoon.

As per FotMob, Tel created four chances, delivered three accurate crosses, took four touches in the Toffees’ box and registered a 92 per cent pass success rate respectively.

O’Brien did well not to pick up a second yellow card, as he very easily could have done, but that was about as far as the praise will extend for him on Sunday.

He was eventually hooked just after the hour mark with Harrison Armstrong coming on in his place, in what was a display that perhaps sealed is Everton fate ahead of the summer transfer window.

Merlin Rohl at fault for Tottenham’s goal

Entering Sunday’s game with Spurs fresh off the back of a strong display in the defeat to Sunderland, which saw him score his first Toffees goal, Merlin Rohl was the talk of Hill Dickinson Stadium.

It was hoped the young German may just have kick-started his Toffees career, but he wasn’t able to follow that performance up against Tottenham.

Rohl was massively at fault for Palhinha’s goal, leaving the Spurs midfielder unmarked on the back post from the corner, not once, but twice.

Palhinha found himself standing in front of Rohl to send his free header crashing off the post, before being allowed to send the rebound back goalwards uncontested by the Everton midfielder, with the ball just crossing the line.

Rohl wasn’t able to create a single chance against Spurs, taking just 18 touches, winning two of his five ground duels, committed two fouls and had zero shots on goal.

He was also extremely lucky to escape any punishment for a nasty challenge on Micky Van de Ven, which was actually awarded as an Everton free-kick despite Rohl clearly catching the Spurs defender high on his lower leg with a straight boot.

Moyes eventually dragged him off just after the hour mark, ending a run out that suggested there’s still an awful lot of work to do if he’s going to be a Hill Dickinson Stadium transfer success story.

Everton player ratings vs Tottenham

Jordan Pickford – 5

Jake O’Brien – 4

James Tarkowski – 6

Michael Keane – 6

Vitalii Mykolenko – 5

James Garner – 6

Tim Iroegbunam – 5

Iliman Ndiaye – 6

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 5

Merlin Rohl – 4

Thierno Barry – 4

Subs

Tyrique George (for Rohl, ’62) – 5

Harrison Armstrong (for O’Brien, ’62) – 6

Beto (for Barry, ’84) – N/A

Carlos Alcaraz (for Dewsbury-Hall, ’84) – N/A

Seamus Coleman (for Iroegbunam, ’84) – N/A

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.