Everton FC News: David Moyes suffering more purple pain as team slump out of the Carling Cup at Tottenham Hotspur

Oct 28 2009 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

Everton FC News: IT wasn’t just the shirts that were purple in the Everton dressing room at White Hart Lane last night.

Even before kick-off, David Moyes was still seething at the decision of Carling Cup organisers to force his players into three crucial games inside six days.

And his mood would only have worsened as his exhausted, makeshift team slumped out of the competition against Tottenham Hotspur.

Missing 10 senior players, this was always going to be a big ask for an Everton team imposed a ridiculous schedule by the fixture planners.

That the Goodison outfit lost all three of their games during the last week suggests Moyes’s displeasure, initially voiced the previous weekend, was entirely justified.

From enjoying a seven-match unbeaten run, Everton are now ensconced in the lower half of the Premier League table with perhaps their most likely route to silverware now closed.

Unlike many other clubs, Moyes has always treated the Carling Cup with the greatest respect. A pity, then, that the same courtesy could not be afforded to his team.

This wasn’t a beating in the vein handed out by Benfica in the Europa League last Thursday.

Instead, it had more in common with Sunday’s loss at Bolton Wanderers, Everton once more ultimately undone by some uncharacteristically poor defending and individual errors, the backline having shipped 10 goals in those three defeats.

No matter how Moyes mixed and matched his limited defensive resources, Tottenham found a way through too often, Sylvain Distin struggling desperately to keep the rearguard together.

Defeats sap confidence, and even Everton’s renowned resolves of character and determination will be tested to the limit.

It was inevitable a horrific injury list would catch up with a squad stretched to breaking point.

But the most recent glut of absentees have arrived at precisely the wrong time, the failure of Louis Saha to emerge for the second half with a calf problem adding to the woe.

Everton were not without their chances last night, and it was galling both of Tottenham’s goals – netted in either half by Tom Huddlestone and Robbie Keane – were scored within moments of the visitors spurning clear opportunities.

But, even taking fatigue into consideration, Moyes will surely have noted certain players again falling well short of the standards they have set themselves during a previous 18 months of solid progress at Goodison.

Jack Rodwell, though, could be absolved of any blame for Everton’s exit.

Moyes has already admitted too much is being asked of the youngster this season as his squad’s injury concerns continue to bite. But here he was an influential presence in midfield, cajoling his team-mates and showing maturity beyond his tender years.

For the first time, Everton were wearing the change kit of purple, the adopted colour of Liverpool Unites, who are the club’s charitable partner for this season.

Both John Heitinga and Tim Cahill were patched up and thrown back into the fray after sustaining knocks in Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at the Reebok Stadium.

And Yakubu returned in place of the disappointing Jo for only his fifth appearance since limping off this White Hart Lane pitch almost 12 months ago having ruptured his Achilles.

Like Everton, Tottenham take the Carling Cup seriously having reached the final in the past two seasons. And while Harry Redknapp shuffled his pack, the Spurs manager could still start with almost £30million of forward talent in Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko.

Everton enjoyed good possession during the first half, but were consistently undermined by their slipshod defending.

During a bright opening, Heitinga struck a free-kick into the wall from a decent position and Saha drew a good save from Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes after meeting Marouane Fellaini’s flick-on with an improvised overhead kick.

But there was no excusing Heitinga’s miss in the 28th minute, the Dutchman failing to connect with a free header six yards out from Dan Gosling’s left-wing corner.

Three minutes later, Tottenham were ahead. Everton had already enjoyed a lucky escape when the overworked Distin twice made a hash of attempting to clear Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s diagonal ball and was then relieved to see Keane hit the post.

But Heitinga had no such reprieve for his part in Tottenham’s opener. David Bentley’s cross from the right should have been comfortably dealt with, but the Dutchman fatally hesitated and the ball found its way to Huddlestone, who smashed home beyond Tim Howard.

Even before the goal, Everton were twice grateful for the lack of confidence shown by a woefully out-of-sorts Pavlyuchenko.

When Neill’s clearance smashed against Michael Dawson, Pavlyuchenko was fortuitously put clear only to shunt his effort well wide of the target.

Then Bentley’s clever dummy released Alan Hutton down the right – a constant source of joy for Tottenham – but his low cross was sidefooted wide by the hapless Pavlyuchenko.

Everton came again after the interval, Tim Cahill warming the palms of Gomes with a stinging 20-yard drive. But substitute Jo, on for Saha, shot too near to the Tottenham goalkeeper after being put clear by Fellaini’s pass.

And the home side doubled their advantage less than 60 seconds later.

There was a touch of good fortune about the goal. Keane raced on to a Wilson Palacios pass, cut inside Hibbert and was upended by Distin for a clear penalty.

Howard guessed the right way to save Keane’s penalty and bravely blocked Bentley’s follow-up, but after a tremendous goalline scramble in which Bale and Keane both had efforts blocked, the latter eventually fired in.

To their credit, Everton refused to give in, but no visiting player was on hand to pounce on the rebound after Gomes spilled a speculative Fellaini effort.

Tottenham, though, were the more likely to score again provided the ball was kept away from Pavlyuchenko, Distin brilliantly clearing a Bale effort off the line late on.

Moyes must hope some of his injured troops can return to the frontline for Saturday’s visit of Aston Villa. The cavalry is now needed more than ever.