A disappointing afternoon marred by poor decision-making and individual errors left Everton nursing a 3-2 defeat, as their nine-match Premier League unbeaten run ended abruptly at Tottenham on Sunday.
Presented with a chance to make a statement and close the gap on Manchester United in sixth place, the visitors fluffed their lines and scarcely deserved the closeness given to the result by late goals from Romelu Lukaku and Enner Valencia.
Positives
As much as this defeat sapped the momentum gathered in recent weeks, this tough away assignment is something that both manager Ronald Koeman and his players can learn from with trips to Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United to follow in the weeks ahead.