Liverpool (AFP) – Cenk Tosun’s header eight minutes into stoppage time salvaged a 1-1 draw for Everton against Tottenham in a match overshadowed by a serious injury to Everton midfielder Andre Gomes.
Spurs’ Son Heung-min was shown a straight red card for his foul on the Portuguese international, but the injury was suffered as Gomes’s momentum saw him crash into Serge Aurier.
The visitors led 1-0 at that stage thanks to Dele Alli’s strike just after the hour mark.
Everton were then left frustrated as Alli was not penalised for a handball inside his own area despite a lengthy delay for a VAR review.
The injury to Gomes was the turning point with Son visibly upset even before he was shown a red card.
And Tottenham failed to hold out for a first away win in the Premier League since January when substitute Tosun bulleted home a header from Luca Digne’s cross during 12 minutes of time added due to VAR reviews and Gomes’s injury.
“We feel very sorry,” said Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino. “Was a really bad situaton, very bad luck how he landed in the action.
“We can only send our best wishes and (we are) devastated for the situation.”
A point does little to improve a poor start to the season for either side with Everton still hovering just one place above the relegation zone, while Spurs remain in the bottom half in 11th with 13 points from their first 11 games.
Tottenham hit the Toffees for six on their last visit to Goodison Park last December, but their fall off in form over the past year was in evidence in a dismal first 45 minutes in which neither side threatened to open the scoring.
Spurs badly missed the absent Harry Kane through illness, but were gifted the opener when Alex Iwobi handed possession to Son and the South Korean fed Alli to fire past England international teammate Jordan Pickford.
Alli was then lucky to escape for raising his hand as Yerry Mina attacked an Everton corner, but after a three-minute VAR delay, no penalty was awarded.
Son’s joy soon turned to anguish when he slid on Gomes 12 minutes from time and was eventually shown a red card after referee Martin Atkinson had first produced a yellow.
Players from both sides tried to comfort the former Barcelona midfielder as he was attending by medics before being taking to hospital.
Everton still struggled to make their man advantage count in what proved to be the final 24 minutes, but Tosun was in the right place to power home an equaliser.
