‘Incredible’ Tottenham star lauded for display of ‘perfection’ against Everton, as strong top four claim issued

Richarlison has been praised for his ‘incredible’ and ‘outstanding’ performances after he bagged a brace against his former club Everton, while a pundit has also weighed in on whether Tottenham Hotspur will crack the top four.

Tottenham took the lead early on when Richarlison swept a great left-footed strike into the roof of the net after good work by Destiny Udogie out wide. But the Toffees got level in the 30th minute when Guglielmo Vicario failed to deal with a corner under pressure from Jack Harrison, which allowed a combination of Harrison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to bundle over the line after a James Tarkowski header.

11 minutes later Richarlison again tormented Everton by sending a cultured right-footed effort into the top corner following a clever James Maddison pass.

Tottenham thought they had picked up all three points at Goodison Park, only for Jarrad Branthwaite to bag an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Cristian Romero won the first header from an Everton free-kick, but Branthwaite overcame Vicario at the back post and managed to head over the line, sparking wild scenes among the home fans as the thrilling clash ended 2-2.

During TNT Sports’ post-match analysis, former Spurs striker Peter Crouch heaped praise on Richarlison for his lethal performance, while also labelling the Brazilian’s second goal ‘perfection’.

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“Having gone so long without a goal, what’s he got, nine [goals] in eight now? It’s an incredible return,” Crouch said.

“He looks back to his best, he looks confident, getting involved in things, he wants the ball. And that [his first goal] was such a good finish. It’s easy to go back where you’ve come from there, to angle that into the other corner was fantastic.

Richarlison showed ‘perfection’ for Tottenham – Crouch

“And this one [his second goal], he opened his body up and curled it in – perfection.”

Fellow pundit Joe Cole joined in on the praise for Richarlison by adding: “He’s been outstanding. It’s not just the goals, his all-round game has improved.

“When he came to Tottenham, he was a little bit lost. You can imagine being the No 9 at this place [Everton], the fans loved him. Then he went to Tottenham, and you’re always going to play second fiddle to Harry Kane. He didn’t really adjust to it.

“But this year he’s on it, he’s back to his best. I think he’s going to be a right good player for Tottenham.”

Crouch and Cole then backed Richarlison to keep his spot at centre-forward when Son Heung-min returns from international duty. That is despite Son brilliantly leading the line for Spurs in the first half of the season.

Attention then turned to whether Spurs will manage to finish in the top four this season. The draw against Everton leaves them in fourth spot, one point ahead of fifth-placed Aston Villa prior to their clash against Sheffield United.

When asked if Spurs will secure a top-four place at the end of the season, Cole responded: “Absolutely.”

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