Tottenham Hotspur‘s goalless start to the 2026/27 Premier League season continued with a draw against Everton on Saturday.
Spurs struggled in front of their home fans once again, hardly testing Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal. The Toffees had the better chances but could not find the breakthrough themselves.
It’s the first time Tottenham have gone four games to start a league season in their history, and it leaves them 17th in the table. Everton, meanwhile, remain unbeaten with three draws and one win, sitting seventh.
Tottenham vs Everton analysis:
Toothless Tottenham struggle again
Four-hundred-and-seven minutes. That’s how long it’s been since Tottenham last scored a Premier League goal.
Roberto De Zerbi tried to shake things up in the attack to end that drought against Everton. Dominic Solanke was handed his first league start of the season, with Omar Marmoush pushed out to the left. Mateus Fernandes was in the No.10, with Savio on the right. On paper, it was an attack capable of bringing Tottenham’s first league goal of the season. But Spurs just couldn’t get them involved.
Solanke lasted 62 minutes before being taken off, managing just 17 touches with no shots. He was far too deep and wasn’t the focal point Tottenham needed, despite early signs of promise with Andy Robertson’s crossing. The main problem wasn’t with the attackers, though. It was the lack of link between the midfield and the front line.
Of the two starting pivot players, neither Rodrigo Bentancur nor Sandro Tonali did enough to get the forwards involved. Bentancur completed just three passes to Savio and three to Marmoush, with only one to Solanke. Tonali completed four passes to Marmoush and Savio — having played more minutes — but also only one to Solanke. That’s despite Bentancur completing 55 passes and Tonali completing 83.
Tottenham had 14 shots against Everton on Saturday night, but only two hit the target. The first came just after half-time and was met by ironic cheers from Tottenham fans. The second was in the 89th minute, with Lucas Bergvall forcing a good save from Jordan Pickford. But it still wasn’t good enough. Spurs accumulated just 0.53 Expected Goals, still boasting the fourth-lowest total in the league.
Mylokenko locks down Tottenham’s right
After the first 10 minutes of the game, it looked like it would be a long evening for Vitalii Mykolenko. The Ukranian had been on the losing side of a couple of battles against Savio. Everton fans were fearing the worst from a player that has received his fair share of criticism already this season.
But Mykolenko stepped up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and more than played his part in keeping Everton’s unbeaten run going. He almost single-handedly kept Savio and Archie Gray quiet for the most part, shutting down Tottenham’s right-hand side. He made a match-high seven tackles and won possession three times in the defensive third.
Mykolenko also led Everton for his four clearances and three effective cross blocks. After giving Savio a sniff, Mykolenko dared the Brazilian to constantly try his luck. And it was a battle the Tottenham man just couldn’t win.
His defensive performance shouldn’t take away from what he could do on the ball. While Mykolenko perhaps wasn’t the best going forward, he still posted 0.25 Expected Assists — the most of any Everton player. He was also a reliable outlet on the ball, with only James Garner (71) having more touches for Everton than Mykolenko’s 64. There’s still a long way to go for Everton fans to fully trust Mykolenko, but this was a good performance to get things up and running.
Everton’s attacking worries catch up
Tottenham aren’t the only team to have their worries in front of goal. Although Everton’s haven’t been as obvious. The Toffees have taken 59 shots in the Premier League so far this season, with only five teams managing more. They also rank third for shots on target, with 21 — only behind Chelsea and Bournemouth (both 24). But Everton have gone for quantity without real quality.
Everton rank 11th in the league for their 4.87 xG goals, with 4.19 post-shot xG. The Toffees had rode their luck at times during their unbeaten run, relying on low-chance strikes to score. That luck ran out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Although Everton had their chances.
The Toffees posted 1.30 xG against Tottenham, facing a defence lacking confidence. But they only hit the target with three of their 12 shots. And one of those really should have been a goal. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was unable to capitalise on a mistake from Antonin Kinsky, with a poor shot straight at the goalkeeper midway through the first half.
Everton now need to make sure this isn’t a problem that continues. But to do that, they need Barry and Co. to bring their synergy up very quickly.