Everton and Tottenham Hotspur shared points on the opening day of the new Premier League season after Erik Lamela cancelled out Ross Barkley's early goal at Goodison Park this afternoon.
The England midfielder nudged the Merseyside outfit ahead from a set piece, but on the hour mark, Lamela secured a header that resulted in a 1-1 draw.
Barkley failed to break into Roy Hodgson's England team at Euro 2016, but it seems as though he will be a pivotal figure in Ronald Koeman's formation as he scored the first league goal of the manager's reign.
It took just five minutes to break the deadlock as the midfielder delivered with a free kick, but it was poor defending from Spurs as the defenders allowed the ball to bounce before it nestled into the far corner of the net.
It was a positive response from Mauricio Pochettino's men as they piled on some pressure by moving the ball quickly around the edge of the box, with Kyle Walker, Lamela and Christian Eriksen exchanging passes.
Everton made two quick blocks to deny shots from Walker and Eriksen, and a few minutes later, Gerard Deulofeu came close to making it 2-0 before the 15-minute mark with a low shot from the edge of the area, but the ball was directed straight at goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Despite Tottenham having the majority of possession in the first half, they failed to threaten Everton keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, who made just one comfortable save in 45 minutes following an Eriksen shot.
As mentioned, Barkley was part of almost all of Everton's attacks and he created goalscoring opportunities for himself - one was a 45-yard free kick that forced Lloris to tip the ball over the bar, and the other was a header that he sent over the top from six yards out.
Idrissa Gueye earned his first Premier League start since joining Everton, who were without injured Romelu Lukaku and Seamus Coleman, and he made an early impact by showing his strength and dispossessing Eriksen on the edge of the box.
Phil Jagielka is in danger of losing his place in defence due to the arrival of new signing Ashley Williams, but he staked a claim for his spot this afternoon by clearing balls into the box and preventing an isolated Harry Kane from causing danger in the first half.
Pochettino cut a frustrated figure on the touchline in a disappointing opening 45 minutes, which included the departure of Lloris, who was taken off shortly after the half-hour mark due to injury.
There was some positivity in the substitution, though, as his replacement Michel Vorm denied Deulofeu a goal by saving with his feet after the Spaniard tried to make the most of a poor back-pass.
After the break, Gueye tried to add to the scoresheet with a low shot from just outside the area, but his attempt was blocked.
Despite not expecting to play at all today, Vorm looked comfortable in between the sticks as he denied Deulofeu a handful of times.
Spurs managed to claw their way back into the game when Lamela headed the ball into the far corner of the net after getting on the end of Walker's inch-perfect cross.
The full-back's defensive duties were required a few minutes later when a well-timed tackle stopped Kevin Mirallas from surging through on goal at the other end of the field.
Tottenham took control of the final 15 minutes of the match as they forced Everton into their own half in pursuit of a winner, but the Toffees continued to look threatening on the break.
Ramiro Funes Mori almost became an unlikely scorer when he went for glory from distance, but his attempt grazed inches wide of the post.
Vincent Janssen's movement made a difference for Spurs when he came off the bench, and he would have netted the winner for his team had it not been for a great save from Stekelenburg, who denied the forward from six yards out and minutes later tipped Lamela's cross over the bar.
Neither side could earn maximum points, and the result means that Everton have drawn their last four opening-day games.
Danielle Joynson
