Ronald Koeman bemoaned individual mistakes after his Everton side went down 3-2 to Tottenham Hotspur in an entertaining game on Sunday afternoon, but urged his team to not allow their heads to drop as the season nears its climax.
On a day that saw Romelu Lukaku overtake Duncan Ferguson to become Everton's all time top scorer, the Toffees offered very little against Spurs' fast paced play, and Koeman believed that the Londoners were too strong on the day for his team.
⚽� | The numbers behind @RomeluLukaku9's record-breaking @premierleague haul. Well in, Rom. pic.twitter.com/dEZxjgql1D
"We brought everything to try and get a good result.� said the Dutchman toEverton TVAt 2-1 I was really optimistic about getting one. But the players were a little bit afraid and did not have that ball possession that they have had before.
At 3-1, we brought it back again but there was no time to make a draw. Tottenham are a strong team. Now is the time to keep calm and prepare for the next two home games. That will shape our direction for the end of the season.�
The Toffees went behind to a stunning Harry Kane strike in the 20th minute, but it was Spurs' second goal that really disappointed Koeman, with a defensive howler from Morgan Schneiderlin allowing Kane to slot past a helpless Joel Robles.
They had further chances to score before half time, and what really disappointed me was how they got their second goal, from a mistake by us.
At least we showed great character until the end of the game, and tried to get it back at 2-1. We were hoping for a point but their third killed the final result. It was too easy from the free-kick and if you make that kind of mistakes at this level against a team like Spurs then they will punish you.�
Everton's next two Premier League games are at home against West Brom and Hull City respectively, and the Toffees will need to take six points if they are to make any ground on Manchester United, who sit five points above Everton in sixth place.
No win today, but we showed character after 2-0 down. Two home matches now to find the right direction towards the end of the season! #EFC pic.twitter.com/doXIW10XJX