Michael Keane's sensational stoppage-time strike salvaged a 1-1 draw for Everton as Cristian Stellini was denied three points in his first match since stepping into Antonio Conte's void.
The defender scored a 25-yard screamer to snatch a point for the Toffees at Goodison Park against a Spurs side who had otherwise looked set for a win that would have lifted them up to third.
Harry Kane had earlier scored from the penalty spot to give Spurs the lead shortly after he had been involved in an altercation that saw Abdoulaye Doucoure sent off.
Lucas Moura's was given his marching orders as well, and then Keane intervened to spark raucous scenes for Sean Dyche's men.
Micky van de Ven determined to help Tottenham prove doubters wrong
Micky van de Ven is no stranger to proving people wrong and has total confidence Tottenham can continue to silence the “negative” talk which surrounded the club this summer.
The Dutch defender has been a revelation since he signed from Wolfsburg for an initial £34.5million fee and has helped Ange Postecoglou’s new-look team win four of their opening six Premier League fixtures despite the departure of record goal-scorer Harry Kane.
While Van de Ven and Spurs are enjoying a new lease of life under Postecoglou, it has not been a smooth journey for the 22-year-old with a career outside of football considered and a difficult first campaign in Germany navigated before he reached England’s top flight.
Van de Ven was on the brink of being released by Volendam during his under-19 days when Wim Jonk’s arrival as manager resulted in an unexpected first-team opportunity. Fast forward five years and he is in the Netherlands senior set-up while quickly on his way to becoming a fan favourite in N17.
“I like to prove people wrong, yeah it is true,” Van de Ven told the PA news agency after he surprised Lea Valley Primary pupils during a school football session put on by Tottenham Hotspur Foundation this week.
“My dad (Marcel) helped me also a lot at Volendam. It was a difficult situation for me because when people say they don’t trust you when you are 17-years-old, maybe you have to look for work or something.
“You have to have a second choice if you can’t make it to be a professional football player and you have to switch. I said to my dad, ‘maybe I have to work,’ and he was like, ‘no! Trust me. One day a person will come, you will get your chance and grab it’.
“So, I kept working, pushing, pushing, pushing and there was the chance and I grabbed it.
“Also when I came from Volendam and went to Wolfsburg everybody said the step was too big, but I wanted to prove people wrong, so that is the mentality.
“It is true (for Tottenham) because what I saw before I joined Spurs was that people were really negative about Spurs.
“Of course, Kane was maybe going to leave and he scored every year 30+ goals, so yeah amazing striker, but we were there to prove them wrong. I think we are doing good now, but it is just the beginning. We need to keep pushing.
“We want to be at the highest level all season, so I don’t know where it will end but we want the best.”
James Maddison, Son Heung-min and Yves Bissouma have taken the biggest plaudits for Tottenham’s transformation from a disjointed, counter-attacking team last season into a front-foot side.
Spurs have scored 15 times in six league fixtures with Son leading the way, but it is at the other end of the pitch where the bravery and boldness in possession begins with Van de Ven and centre-back partner Cristian Romero.
The duo are opposites in style with World Cup winner Romero known for his aggression, while Van de Ven appears calmness personified, but they have quickly built a bond on and off the pitch.
Van de Ven explained: “I think it naturally happened on the pitch and we felt each other quite fast, but when I came he was also really nice to me and showed me ‘here is the kitchen and where you can get this’, so he was sitting with me and we talked a bit.
“It was really nice the first couple of days I was there, but also on the pitch it felt good.
“Of course he won the World Cup, I saw him play the whole World Cup so I know his quality already.
“I think I know what Cuti’s (Romero’s) qualities are and Cuti knows what my qualities are, so we know what we expect from each other. I have his back and he has my back.
“Cuti is just an amazing player and I know when I run in one direction, he is in my back because he is always there. We just feel each other and of course it is amazing when you have this as a centre-back duo.
View this post on Instagram“Of course we are shouting to each other (in games) but it is not in a negative role or something. It is always positive.
“I think I make him maybe more calm and he makes me more aggressive. He will (always) be a more aggressive player and I am a more calm player, but it fits each other well.”
While it is early days for the Van de Ven and Romero partnership, the youngest member of the duo is crystal clear about his personal ambitions.
Van de Ven wants to become one of the best defenders in the Premier League like compatriot Virgil van Dijk, who he will face on Saturday night when title contenders Liverpool visit Tottenham.
“I am really looking forward to seeing the fans again in the stadium and they will make it a good game from us,” the former Netherlands Under-21 captain added.
“We are going to play our own way and play like we want to play. We don’t have fear for Liverpool.
“I think Virgil was the last couple of years and this year also one of the best defenders in the Premier League, for sure.
“The year they grabbed the title he was unbelievable and showed how important he is for Liverpool. He shows how important he is the last couple of years.
“Yeah, that is my ambition to be one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League and I will work hard for it to make it happen, but I just started so hopefully I can be there in I don’t know how many years.”
:: Micky van de Ven appeared at a school’s football session delivered by the Club’s Foundation at N17 Arena – a community hub located on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium campus.
Football rumours: Real Madrid, Chelsea and Saudi clubs eye Victor Osimhen swoop
The Daily Mail reports that Real Madrid, Chelsea and Saudi Arabian clubs are spearheading a pursuit for Victor Osimhen, with the possibility of the 24-year-old striker pushing to leave Serie A side Napoli in January.
Staying in Italy, the BBC reports that Roma could look to make a move for Tottenham’s Eric Dier in January. The 29-year-old England international has yet to feature for Spurs this season and is out of contract next summer.
Manchester United will open contract talks with Hannibal Mejbri to keep him at Old Trafford, according to the BBC, although Spanish side Sevillia are rumoured to have their sights set on the 20-year-old Tunisia midfielder.
Social media round-upAccording to the Transfer News Live Twitter account, Barcelona has verbally agreed to a 35 million euro (£30m) fee with Manchester City to see Joao Cancelo‘s loan turned into a permanent move.
Players to watchJadon Sancho: The i reports that the soured relationship between the England winger and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may be beyond repair.
Chelsea: Italian football site Calciomercato reckons the Blues are on the hunt for a new left-back, and the Stamford Bridge club apparently have their eyes set on Inter Milan’s Federico Dimarco and AC Milan’s Theo Hernandez as their first stops in the January transfer window.
Sean Dyche knows process to revive Everton will take time after another win
Sean Dyche insists Everton cannot rush their recovery after the Toffees’ impressive Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa.
James Garner and Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired the visitors into the fourth round – and a home tie with Burnley – following their 2-1 victory.
Boubacar Kamara pulled a late goal back to spark a Villa rally but any comeback would have been undeserved for the awful hosts.
Everton lost 4-0 at Villa Park in the Premier League just five weeks ago but have secured back-to-back wins for the first time in a year as their season splutters into life.
Investment firm 777 Partners is also waiting for approval on its takeover and Dyche knows the process to revive the club takes time.
“The story of Everton has been a two-to-three season story, the cloud hanging over it a little bit. The only people who can change that story is us,” he said, after four defeats from their opening five league games.
“The team starts the process, bonding the club together, bonding the fans. You want that bond.
“We want a strong connection with the fans, the rest I can’t control, but a strong connection is something we can get with the way the players go about their business.
“We are trying to work with things on and off the pitch, there’s so much alignment which needs to be done from top to bottom. You can’t just fast track everything. The last couple of seasons have not been where Everton want to be.
“Now it’s step-by-step, building a team which is more competitive and gets more wins. The rest of it takes care of itself.”
Everton’s press unnerved Villa and earned them the opener after 15 minutes when they forced a mistake.
Robin Olsen’s poor clearance under pressure landed for Amadou Onana on the edge of the area, with Calvert-Lewin and Arnaut Danjuma returning the ball.
Onana slipped a clever pass through to Garner to smash in his first Toffees goal from 10 yards.
Olsen stopped a comical John McGinn own goal and thwarted Calvert-Lewin but was powerless to stop the striker adding a second five minutes after the break.
Youri Tielemans’ poor pass left Ezri Konsa short and Calvert-Lewin darted in to run through and beat Olsen.
It was all the visitors deserved yet they needed Jordan Pickford to stop Moussa Diaby pulling a goal back immediately.
Calvert-Lewin tested Olsen but Kamara gave Villa faint hope when his strike from the edge of the box deflected in off Michael Keane.
Diaby and Douglas Luiz went close to forcing penalties but poor Villa slumped to their first home defeat since February.
“It’s not (about being) tired,” said boss Unai Emery, who made five changes from Sunday’s 1-0 win at Chelsea which lifted Villa to sixth in the Premier League.
“I don’t want to use all our effort with the players each match. We are trying to keep a balance with some different players but trying to be competitive.
“We’re disappointed with the start and mistakes we made but we are trying to go forward and building the team.
“We made the second mistake quickly (in the second half) and it was difficult to come back.
“We have to move on quickly, try to recover the players for Saturday (against Brighton) because we need the best performance.”
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