It was a question of dignity, according to Roberto De Zerbi, which was certainly a valid starting point. But for Tottenham, it was so much else besides. Reputations. Livelihoods. The very future of the club. Everything was on the line because the consequences of a first relegation from English football’s top division since 1977 did not bear thinking about. Even if everybody had thought about them all the same.
It was impossible to ignore the feeling of foreboding. It was there as the Spurs fans made their way to the stadium, which has been a house of horrors for them in the Premier League this season. No club in the division had a worse home record than them at the start of the day. It was there throughout the game, rising exponentially in the second half as West Ham, needing to beat Leeds at the London Stadium to make it very interesting, scored three times. And it hammered on into the 12 minutes of stoppage time; only nine had been signalled.
Spurs scored through João Palhinha in the 43rd minute and they needed only a draw to ensure they finished above West Ham. But there was never a moment when anybody with Spurs in their hearts could relax. There was the sense that one Everton goal would really turn the screw and there were bellowed cries from the home crowd when their goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, touched over a drive from the Everton substitute Tyrique George in the 99th minute.
Spurs stared into the abyss and when they came out on the other side it was a cocktail of emotions, relief prominent among them as some of the players slumped face-first into the turf upon the final whistle.
De Zerbi tore on to the pitch, the manager’s survival mission complete – three wins and two draws from seven matches keeping the club on the right side of the dotted line. The recriminations about a wretched season can wait. This was simply a time for the club’s long-suffering fans to drink in some positivity.
The stadium announcer had set the scene about 40 minutes before kick-off by declaring it to be a “very exciting day”. Which was one way of putting it. Other more accurate descriptions involved words such as fraught and seismic. The biggest game this venue has hosted? Definitely. De Zerbi said it was bigger than last season’s Europa League final triumph over Manchester United in Bilbao.
Everton had nothing to play for. They were in the nightclubs, to riff off the popular phrase. David Moyes had said he would love to help his old club West Ham stay in the league but there was a chasm between the motivation levels for the respective teams. When the Spurs players emerged from the tunnel for kick-off, some of them had their children in their arms.
The Spurs team bus had been welcomed into the ground by thousands of fans and the atmosphere was feverish. De Zerbi’s players had to master the heat on more than just a metaphorical level: it was 30C in the shade.
Spurs pressed on to the front foot at the outset, threatening to get in behind and the first half belonged to them. Conor Gallagher, Kevin Danso and Palhinha squandered half-chances before the water break in the 23rd minute. The tensions bubbled and they spilled over at one point into a row between the benches after Jake O’Brien pulled back Mathys Tel and was booked.
Tel was in the mood, quick and direct. There was a collective energy about the Spurs performance in the first half, a synergy with the crowd and they deserved their half-time lead. Danso had wasted another half-chance and Tel saw a curling shot blocked by James Tarkowski when the breakthrough came.
Palhinha was given yards of space at the back post to meet a Tel corner and when his header came off the upright, he was quick to react to the rebound, stabbing goalwards. Jordan Pickford got something to it and Thierno Barry thought he had cleared off the line but the ball had just about crossed it. Chalk it up as another vital Palhinha goal after his winner at Wolves in April that got De Zerbi’s tenure up and running. Palhinha also scored a last-gasp equaliser in the home game against Wolves last September.
Champions League Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool
Europa League Bournemouth, Sunderland (Crystal Palace will also play in the Europa League if they win the Conference League final on Wednesday)
Conference League Brighton
The second half was always likely to be an ordeal for the Spurs support and so it proved. Moyes made attacking changes, introducing Harrison Armstrong and George and Spurs sank back, seeking to preserve what they had. The mood changed. More so when the news of the West Ham goals filtered through. The TV director feasted on the cut-away shots of anxious fans.
Pickford had fumbled a Djed Spence shot behind for a corner shortly after the restart but the remainder of the second half became a slow and painful grind to full-time. Nothing much happened in terms of goalmouth action but the fear of what might do so increased for Spurs.
The clocks on the giant screens in all four corners of the stadium seemed to transcend the occasion. Pape Sarr, on as a substitute, was guilty of a blatant dive in the area on 80 minutes and was booked. James Maddison and Archie Gray came on to great acclaim.
Could Everton produce something? George almost made it happen with a low cross after a flick from Michael Keane and there were gasps when the amount of stoppage time was shown. Keane headed just over. And if Kinsky had not saved from George, there might have been time for Everton to push for a winner. That would have been too much for Spurs to bear. As it was, they resisted.
