• [Liverpool Echo Icon]
• Sport
• Football
• Everton FC

What Everton need to happen next is clearer than ever amid Jarrad Branthwaite injury update

Everton analysis from Chris Beesley following the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at Hill Dickinson Stadium

[Beto misses a chance during Everton's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur]

View 2 Images

Beto misses a chance during Everton's 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur(Image: (Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))

As overhead scissor-kicks go, it was hardly a glorious moment like Pele in Escape to Victory, but Betos acrobatic attempt to try and get his side back into the game summed up how things have been going for Evertons number nine. With the Blues already two-nil down and facing a mountain to climb, Iliman Ndiaye, who went into this season with 11 goals to his name for the club including their last two at Goodison Park and then followed that up with the first at Hill Dickinson Stadium, again showed how of late he has become a potent provider from out wide, having been moved to the right flank.

In his maiden campaign on Merseyside, the Senegal international was a taker rather than a maker of chances which was demonstrated in spectacular fashion by his solo strike in this corresponding fixture which brought David Moyes first three points since returning but while he would often cut inside to have a shot himself, the crosses were in short supply.

Now Jack Grealish is operating on that side of the pitch, Ndiaye has moved over, and it seems to enable him to pick out team-mates. There was the first assist to tee up international team-mate Idrissa Gueye in the Merseyside Derby; Moyes name-checked his delivery that resulted in Grealishs dramatic stoppage-time winner here last time out, and of course, he fed Beto twice in Evertons prior fixture to this at Manchester City.

[Jack Grealishs disgusted reaction spoke volumes as Everton endure another Craig Pawson nightmare]

OPINION

Ndiaye had already put a chance on a plate for his Blues team-mates in the first half, but once more, his centre-forward failed to make a proper connection, and it was left to Grealish to see his effort cleared off the line by Pedro Porro.

Beto knows that he will ultimately be judged by his goal output, and while hes the only Everton striker to have found the net so far this season, one goal in 567 Premier League minutes so far this season doesnt make great reading.

But, for now at least, the striker who hit five in a four-game purple patch in the competition for Moyes last February is going to have to try and play his way out of the slump. Understudy Thierno Barry is not doing any better, and the Blues are in desperate need of some added cutting edge.

Soft centre

All of a sudden, Everton facing being without their most valuable player and defensive colossus Jarrad Branthwaite for a prolonged period came into sharp focus with a disjointed display at the back in the week that the England international underwent an operation after suffering a setback with his hamstring injury.

Going into the previous weekend, Blues boss Moyes was looking forward to having Branthwaite who hasnt kicked a ball all season on the cusp of a return, but now he finds himself further away than ever, and boy was he missed here.

When asked about the recovery period in his pre-match press conference to preview this fixture, the manager refused to put a timescale on proceedings and insisted that his prize asset would not be rushed.

Writing in his programme notes, the 62-year-old said of Branthwaite: We hope he wont be out for too long because obviously he is a hugely important member of our team, and to be without him for such a long period was not what we expected. We wish him well and hope for a speedy recovery.

[David Moyes provided an update on Jarrad Branthwaite's fitness before Everton's defeat to Tottenham]

View 2 Images

David Moyes provided an update on Jarrad Branthwaite's fitness before Everton's defeat to Tottenham(Image: (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images))

To be fair to James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, the pair of them who previously played together at Burnley have so far forged a solid partnership, but this was not an opportune time for the wheels to fall off in such spectacular fashion.

Once again, their general play, particularly that of Keane, who made a strong, well-timed interception on Xavi Simons in the penalty area early on, was mostly sound, but when it mattered most, they and the rest of the home defence were found badly lacking.

Everton couldnt say they hadnt been warned, with Spurs captain Micky van de Ven having already headed in the opener when hed already been left unmarked in the six-yard box but somehow he managed to get himself between the Blues two centre-backs to do it again and double his sides advantage.

Hopefully it proves to be a painful exception to the rule, but Evertons defenders need to re-establish their solidity quickly.

Royal Blue newsletter - subscribe now

[The Royal Blue podcast logo]

The Royal Blue podcast logo

The Liverpool ECHO has launched the Royal Blue newsletter - the latest way to get the inside track on the Blues.

Created by Everton correspondent Joe Thomas, it will provide in-depth insight on the major talking points - on and off the pitch - through an exciting, historic period for the club as the first team moves to the Hill Dickinson Stadium and Everton Women enter Goodison Park.

The idea is to step away from the treadmill of press conferences and player ratings and instead offer a glimpse behind the scenes at the club - and on Joe's travels up and down the country following Everton.

Royal Blue is delivered to your inbox every Wednesday and completely free.

To take a look and subscribe, check it out here

Home comforts

The citadel has been stormed by the banks of the Mersey.

Roma were the first visiting side here to taste victory in the inaugural senior game back in August, but once the competitive action got under way, Everton were, up until this point, undefeated in their new 52,769-capacity home.

Curiously, Tottenham Hotspur, the last incumbent Premier League team to move to a new stadium (Brentfords switch was more recent in 2020 under current Spurs boss Thomas Frank, but they were still in the Championship at the time), went five games unbeaten, but now they have defeated the Blues, who went six.

Like anyone at this level, Moyes men have at times during that run had to ride their luck especially in their Premier League opener against Brighton & Hove Albion, and then last time out when facing Crystal Palace, who could have easily been three-nil up themselves before Everton staged a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory to deny them going 20 games unbeaten but this proved to be an emphatic unravelling in the new surroundings.

Ironically, this was originally due to be the match that fan group the 1878s, who added spark to the final days at Goodison Park, were due to have their first display, but instead the previous evening was used as a fundraiser when they released their set of flags and banners that had filled the stands at The Grand Old Lady now required some serious super-sizing.

Its not often that Moyes team are beaten by such margins, following his return, only Manchester City twice had beaten the Blues by more than a single-goal margin in a Premier League game, but despite what was a bright start here, Spurs would highlight the hosts lack of a cutting edge.

Hill Dickinson Stadium can still be a daunting place for visitors to come to, but it must be remembered that last season Everton enjoyed just five home wins in the league, the joint lowest in their history, along with 1957/58.

As the manager cautioned in his programme notes, Everton was never going to be a quick fix. However, he hopes: We are still pressing all the right buttons to try and fast-forward that process, and the supporters can play a big part in that.

Up to 70% off Everton kits and merch

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

[Content Image]

Various Prices

Fanatics

Shop the sale here

Product Description

Fanatics has knocked up to 70% off Everton kits and merch, including this season's home, away and third shirts.

[Christopher Beesley]

Christopher Beesley

ECHO Everton reporter Christopher Beesley has covered Everton and Liverpool both in the Premier League and abroad since 2005. He cut his teeth in professional sports journalism at the Ellesmere Port Pioneer and then the Welsh edition of the Daily Post, where he also covered Manchester United and Wrexham. Prior to that he worked on the student newspaper Pluto at the University of Central Lancashire where he read History, a role in which he first encountered David Moyes. Christopher is well-known for his sartorial elegance and even though he is now older than the Glaswegian gaffer when he first took charge of Everton, there is a running joke at press conferences where the Blues boss asks: Is that your dad's suit you've got on? He conducted 20 video interviews available to watch on YouTube to coincide with Evertons stadium move, in a series called Goodison Park: My Home, which started with the clubs most-successful captain Kevin Ratcliffe and culminated with current club captain Seamus Coleman at Goodison Park itself. Christopher is the author of two books - Spirit of the Blues: Everton's Most Memorable Matches & Goodison Parks Greatest Games, published in 2025, and On The Banks Of The Royal Blue Mersey: Inside Everton's First Season at the Dock, to be published later in 2026.

[Liverpool Echo Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Liverpool Echo as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.