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Tottenham's winless league streak extends to six after 3-2 defeat to Everton

Published: 20 Jan. 2025, 11:26 Updated: 20 Jan. 2025, 17:58

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, center, looks dejected after losing the Premier League match against Everton at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England on Jan. 19. [AFP/YONHAP]

Tottenham Hotspur inched closer to the relegation zone in the Premier League after extending their winless streak to six matches with a 3-2 loss against Everton on Sunday at Goodison Park in England.

Spurs struggled to contain Everton in the first half, conceding the opening goal to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who found a gap in the defender-congested penalty box in the 13th minute. Iliman Ndiaye doubled the advantage by driving forward with pace and finding the roof of the net in the 30th minute.

Spurs' Archie Gray scored, but at the wrong end, putting the ball into the net while attempting to clear it in first-half stoppage time, leaving Everton 3-0 up at the break.

Dejan Kulusevski scored for Spurs in the 77th minute, before Richarlison reduced the score deficit again in the 92nd minute. That was the final effort from Spurs and stretched the London club's winless run to six games in the league.

“It is a difficult result,” said Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou. “We struggled to really get into the game in the first half, and that gave Everton momentum. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb, but the players certainly tried to claw the game back, though we just fell short.”

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou looks on during the Premier League match against Everton at Goodison Park in Liverpool, England on Jan. 19. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Spurs captain Son Heung-min, who has showcased strong attacking prowess this season with eight goals and seven assists across 27 appearances, played the full 90 minutes but missed a few chances to continue his run of goal contributions.

Tottenham are now eight points clear of the relegation zone, sitting in 15th place in the 20-team table as of press time on Monday.

The London side’s struggles continue in the midst of a busy run this season, with ongoing fixtures in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League.

The Carabao Cup is the silverware Spurs have the best chance of securing at the moment, as the club beat Liverpool 1-0 in the first leg of the semifinals, while they have yet to advance to later stages in the other competitions.

The ongoing tournaments put extra pressure on Spurs, who have to navigate the season with a squad missing players due to injury.

Forward Timo Werner is out with a hamstring injury, Rodrigo Bentancur has a head injury and a host of other players have been sidelined for some time now.

New signee Yang Min-hyeok, who joined Spurs last month from K League 1 club Gangwon FC, could be a temporary midfield option, but he has not featured in any game, failing to even appear in an FA Cup fixture against fifth-tier Tamworth earlier this month, although he was on the bench for Sunday's game.

Spurs will continue their busy run, with the club next facing Hoffenheim in the initial league stage of the Europa League on Thursday.

The London club sits in ninth place in the 36-team Europa League table. Finishing the group stage in the top eight would send Tottenham directly to the knockout stage, while a ninth to 16th place finish would put them in the playoffs to determine who reaches the round of 16.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]