Everton FC analysis: David Prentice on a potential season-changing win over Tottenham

10 December 2012 03:00
The comprehensively buried header that Steven Pienaar butted past Hugo Lloris was the 1,000th that Everton have celebrated in 20 years of Premier League football.

By an odd quirk Clint Dempseys cruelly deflected shot which looped over Tim Howard was the 999th they have conceded in the same time frame. Which suggests Evertons Premier League history has been exceedingly average. It hasnt. Blue fans have been tormented and treated to two wildly contrasting decades since the Premier League began. For 10 years Everton were appalling under-achievers, a once great club not just flirting with, but passionately embracing relegation twice, regular bottom half feeders, a decade lightened only by the 95 neon of an FA Cup. For the following decade, the AD timescale thats after David the Blues have been upwardly mobile and ambitious and this season threatening their most impressive season of that entire timescale.

Two wildly contrasting spells of Premier League football a little like yesterday. For long periods of a frustrating second half Everton were exceedingly average. Sloppy passing, scrappy play and then a horribly deflected strike threatening to undo the good work of a hugely promising first half performance. Then came three minutes of magical penalty box goal grabbing. If anybody left early to beat the rush they will be kicking themselves. Pienaars equaliser would have sparked celebrations in itself, but there was still time for Nikica Jelavic to spark the wildest of parties.

Source: liverpool_echo