It’s time for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to step it up for Everton, David Moyes has one clear alternative

Everton fell to defeat against Tottenham Hotspur as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall turned in a quiet display.

Everton’s unbeaten start to life at Hill Dickinson Stadium is over.

The Toffees lost 3-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as set pieces proved to be David Moyes’ downfall.

Moyes couldn’t complain about Jake O’Brien’s disallowed goal, but two Micky van de Ven headers left Spurs 2-0 up.

Pape Matar Sarr’s goal added a third for Tottenham and left Moyes to consider some tweaks.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall under pressure after Everton display
Everton piled pressure on Tottenham but simply didn’t have the cutting edge to get back into the game.

Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye had their moments, but it wasn’t enough for Everton to get back into the game.

Everton didn’t see enough from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, though, as the number 10 endured a fairly ineffectual performance.

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Dewsbury-Hall could have had an assist to his name, having crossed the ball in for O’Brien’s disallowed goal.

From open play, Dewsbury-Hall really struggled to make any kind of impact.

The summer signing from Chelsea too often slowed the play down and took the safe option in the final third.

Moyes has deployed Dewsbury-Hall as a number 10 throughout this season, but this isn’t really his role.

The 27-year-old racked up 12 goals and 14 assists for Leicester City in the 2023-24 Championship season, but he didn’t play every game as a number 10 in that campaign.

Dewsbury-Hall predominantly played as a central midfielder under Enzo Maresca, rather than as a number 10.

Perhaps a change in role can help unlock Dewsbury-Hall, but his lack of creative spark against Spurs leaves him under pressure.

Carlos Alcaraz is knocking on the Everton door
Dewsbury-Hall certainly should not feel safe in his role as Everton’s number 10.

Carlos Alcaraz impressed against Crystal Palace, bringing real impetus and energy from the bench to help Everton turn the game around.

Alcaraz couldn’t make a similar impact against Tottenham, but he has shown his quality as a number 10 since joining Everton.

The Argentinian needs chances to shine, and while he has been stuck out on the right flank at times, he is at his best as a number 10.

Dewsbury-Hall either needs to ramp up his displays or drop into a deeper role, with Alcaraz knocking on the door for first-team action.