Tottenham's Frustrating Stalemate Against Everton

Tottenham’s wait for a first Premier League goal – and a first win – drags on. Ninety tense, often turgid minutes against Everton ended with the same familiar frustration: plenty of possession, not enough punch, and a 0-0 that felt like a missed opportunity more than a platform.

Here’s how the Spurs players measured up on a flat afternoon in north London.

Kinsky’s mixed afternoon

Antonin Kinsky – 6
Produced one genuinely important moment, springing to his right to palm away James Garner’s free-kick. That save kept Spurs level when concentration wavered. Then almost undid it all with a dreadful pass straight to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, rescued only by his own recovery stop. A clean sheet, but not a convincing one.

Defence solid, but rarely stretched

Archie Gray – 7
One of the few to inject any tempo. Stepped out from the back with purpose, breaking Everton’s lines and giving Spurs an extra man in midfield. His forward runs carried more menace than most of the front line.

Jan Paul van Hecke – 6
Had an early sight of goal at the far post and should have done better. After that, settled into a calm, controlled defensive display. Rarely flustered, partly because Everton rarely asked enough questions.

Micky van de Ven – 6
Barely broke sweat. Everton’s lack of cutting edge meant his afternoon was more about recycling the ball than emergency defending. Did the basics cleanly, but hardly tested.

Andrew Robertson – 7
Handled Brennan Johnson with authority, shutting down Spurs’ former spark on that side. Picked his moments to surge forward, offering trademark overlaps and driving runs that at least hinted at a breakthrough. One of the few who looked like he understood the urgency of the situation.

Midfield control without cutting edge

Rodrigo Bentancur – 6
Knitted play together in the middle, always available, always composed. Kept the ball moving, but too often sideways rather than incisive. Reliable, if not transformative.

Sandro Tonali – 6
Flashes of class – a cushioned touch here, a sharp pass there – but nowhere near the dominant, £100m-level presence Spurs need him to be. Drifted in and out of the contest as the tempo dropped.

Flickers in attack, but no fire

Savio – 7
For a while, he looked like the one who might light the place up. Lively on the right, direct with his dribbling, and willing to take on his man. Those early hints of danger faded as the minutes ticked by and the game slowed, but the promise is clear.

Mateus Fernandes – 5
Too passive for too long. When he finally let fly from distance, the ironic applause said everything – not mockery of him, but of a team starved of shots. Needs to demand the ball more and hurt teams, not just occupy spaces.

Omar Marmoush – 5
No one can question the work-rate. He pressed, chased, and battled. The problem? Very little end product. Everton’s defence will have appreciated the industry but never truly feared him.

Dominic Solanke – 4
First Premier League start of the season and it showed. Rusty touches, heavy movement, and a half-second off the pace in key moments. Lacked sharpness in the box and never really imposed himself on Everton’s centre-backs.

Substitutes

Mohammed Kudus (on 63, Fernandes) – 4
Arrived with the game crying out for a spark, but never found the rhythm. Drifting on the fringes, he struggled to influence proceedings in any meaningful way.

Lucas Bergvall (on 63, Bentancur) – 6
At least tried to tilt the game. Delivered one dangerous cross that had Everton scrambling and then almost stole it late on with a driven effort. Showed intent where others played safe.

Mathys Tel (on 63, Solanke) – 5
Offered a couple of tricky runs and a bit more mobility up front. Threatened in moments without quite piecing together anything decisive.

James Maddison (on 77, Marmoush)
Too little time to reshape the contest. Looked eager to get on the ball but arrived when the game had already sunk into a stalemate.

Tosin Adarabioyo (on 85, Gray)
A late, tactical change with no real chance to leave a mark.

Subs not used: Dubravka, Davies, Gallagher, Senesi.

The clean sheet will please the analysts. The table will not. Spurs still haven’t scored this season. The question now is how long patience holds before this slow start becomes a genuine problem.