Liverpool Echo pundit makes 'concerned' Everton admission following Premier League defeat to Tottenham
Pundit Michael Ball has praised the performance of Everton at Tottenham after admitting he was "concerned" how they would get on.
The Toffees were beaten 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday (23 December) in a game that saw them controversially denied a goal.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin thought he had pulled a goal back for Everton early in the second half, only for it to be ruled out after VAR intervened.
Former Everton left-back Ball hit out at the decision in his column for the Liverpool Echo [26 December].
"Not for the first time, I was left totally baffled by a call made by VAR. Just how the Calvert-Lewin goal was ruled out, I will never know," he said.
"In real time, it looked incredibly soft. When I saw replays afterwards, it confirmed what I thought at the time: it was not a foul.
"Quite simply, Emerson Royal knew he was in trouble and went down trying to win a free-kick. Unfortunately for us, the VAR fell for it."
Ball added: "The Tottenham performance gave me a lot of encouragement
"Heading down to the capital at the weekend, I was concerned about how the players might react after the disappointing defeat to Fulham.
"However, I thought we were absolutely superb, and the least we deserved from the game was a point, although we very easily could have won it."
Unfortunate
Everton did indeed put on a strong performance in North London that deserved a point or perhaps even more.
The Toffees had that Calvert-Lewin goal ruled out for a perceived Andre Gomes challenge on Emerson Royal, which was harsh to say the least.
Gigi Vicario also made a couple of late saves, including a rather fortunate stop to deny Arnaut Danjuma very late on in the contest.
The fact this never-say-die display came so close on the back of the EFL Cup quarter-final loss to Fulham was encouraging.
That penalty shoot-out defeat could easily have taken the wind out of Everton's sails, but they performed well against Tottenham.
Ultimately, though, a slow start in the capital in which they were two goals down inside 18 minutes came back to haunt them.
Sean Dyche's men return to action against Manchester City on Wednesday (27 December), so let's just hope they turn up at Goodison Park and get back on track.