Stellini wants better game management from Tottenham after draw at Everton

Spurs held 1-1 at Goodison Park despite holding a lead and playing against 10 men for more than 30 minutes

Tottenham Hotspur manager Cristian Stellini issues instructions from the touchline during the game against Everton. Reuters

Interim manager Cristian Stellini said Tottenham need to learn better game management after being held to a 1-1 draw by Everton in the Premier League on Monday night.

Leading 1-0 and with 11 players against 10, Spurs failed to make their advantage count as substitute Lucas Moura followed Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure in receiving a red card, before Michael Keane scored a stunning equaliser in the 90th minute.

"The approach of the game was good ... the only problem? When you find the way to score, and you are leading the game 1-0, you have one extra player, you have to be much more lucid in the way you keep the ball," Stellini said.

The draw against an Everton side battling to avoid relegation was a disappointment for Stellini in Tottenham's first match since manager Antonio Conte was sacked.

Harry Kane scored a penalty in the 68th minute after Keane brought down Cristian Romero in the box.

Keane made up for his blunder in emphatic fashion with a blistering goal in injury time, sending Spurs home with just a point in their race for a top-four finish.

"We didn't lead the game with the ball," Stellini said. "After the red card, we had the chance to control the game better than we did. And you have to do it with the ball, because you have one extra player and you have to lead the game.

"But sometimes we were rushed and frantic, we have to improve in this aspect. We know very well it's a long process and we don't change in one night."

Tottenham are fourth in the standings with 50 points from 29 games. Newcastle United and Manchester United also have 50 points, but have played two fewer games.

Fans at Goodison Park chanted that Kane was a "cheater" after his scuffle with Doucoure led to the midfielder's red card in the 58th minute. Kane had grabbed the shirt of the Mali international, who reacted by swatting the England captain in the face. Kane responded by collapsing to the ground.

Everton v Tottenham player ratings

EVERTON PLAYER RATINGS: Jordan Pickford - 6. Made the right decision by sticking out a leg to stop Porro’s cross from finding Kane in the sixth minute. His passing wasn’t as good as usual. PA

Seamus Coleman - 6. Saw his half-hearted shout for a penalty waived off by the referee in the first half. Made a crucial block to stop a Spurs counter-attack from a corner in the second half. Getty

Ben Godfrey - 7. Had a chance to score his first Everton goal in the 24th minute but was denied by a block from Dier. Could only manage a terrible cross when he had the chance to pick out Simms in the box late in the game. Credited with the assist for Keane’s equaliser. Reuters

Michael Keane - 9. Cleared Kane’s shot off the line in the ninth minute. The first-half hero turned villain in the second half as he was responsible for fouling Romero and giving away a penalty. But he became the hero again and sent the Everton fans into raptures by hitting a long-range shot into the top corner in the 90th minute. AP

James Tarkowski - 8. Made a crunching last-ditch tackle in the sixth minute to dispossess Skipp on the edge of the Everton penalty area. Almost won the game for the Toffees with a shot which was blocked in the 93rd minute. Getty

Idrissa Gueye - 7. Made an important interception to stop Hojbjerg from finding Kane with a through-ball in the eighth minute. Failed to trouble Lloris when he was set up on the edge of the Spurs penalty area in the 47th minute. Getty

Abdoulaye Doucoure - 3. Should have tested Lloris when he met a Gray corner in the 30th minute. Let his teammates and the fans down by flinging his arm at Kane’s face and picking up a needless red card. Getty

Amadou Onana - 7. Tested Lloris with a long-range effort in the 37th minute. Made a brilliant sliding tackle to dispossess Dier on the edge of his box and set up Gueye for a strike. Getty

Alex Iwobi - 7. Crucial to everything the Toffees created in the first half. His brilliant first touch and impressive ball-carrying ability caused serious problems for Spurs’ backline. Reuters

Dwight McNeil - 6. Showed his defensive awareness by sticking out a leg to deny Porro a simple tap-in in the 20th minute. Worked hard on the left flank to help keep Kulusevski and Porro quiet. Getty

Demarai Gray - 6. Had the first attempt of the match which he hit just over the crossbar. Saw his weak attempt get saved by Lloris in the 73rd minute. AP

Vitaliy Mykolenko (Coleman 76’) - N/A. Came on and helped the Toffees dominate proceedings on the left flank. AP

Ellis Simms (Gray 77') - N/A. A willing runner but hardly had a sniff after coming on. Reuters

Tom Davies (Onana 84') - N/A. Reuters

James Garner (Gueye 84') - N/A. PA

TOTTENHAM PLAYER RATINGS: Hugo Lloris - 6. Had several shaky moments in the first half with his mishandling of crosses. Made a number of saves after Kane’s opener to preserve Tottenham’s lead. Reuters

Cristian Romero - 7. Regularly joined the attack as Spurs sought to make their numerical advantage count in the second half. His foray forward paid dividends as he won the penalty for Kane to open the scoring. Picked up his customary yellow card in the 79th minute. AFP

Eric Dier - 6. Unknowingly made a crucial block with his face to stop Godfrey’s shot from troubling Lloris. Almost cost Spurs a goal when he was dispossessed on the edge of his penalty area just after the restart. AP

Clement Lenglet - 5. Outmuscled by Iwobi too easily in the 64th minute. Failed to provide adequate cover for the overlapping Perisic. AP

Pedro Porro - 6. Had an early attempt which was saved by Pickford’s outstretched leg. Caused panic among Everton fans when his inventive shot hit the side netting in the 72nd minute. AP

Ivan Perisic - 6. Almost set up the opener for Spurs but Kane failed to direct his header on target. Played a part in the eventual Spurs opener as his cross led to the penalty incident. Reuters

Oliver Skipp - 6. Took a little too long on the ball when he had the chance to play in Kane early in the game. Kept things simple in the middle of the pitch for Spurs. AP

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 5. Played an excellent diagonal pass to Perisic in the 10th minute. Failed to close down Keane quickly for the Toffees equaliser. AP

Dejan Kulusevski - 6. The Sweden international was one of Tottenham’s better players in the first half as Spurs struggled to get behind Everton’s deep backline. Faded a little after the restart. PA

Son Heung-min - 5. The offside flag spared his blushes after he failed to beat Pickford when he was played through on goal by Kulusevski in the 43rd minute. Struggled to get involved in the second half. Getty

Harry Kane - 8. Unlucky to see his shot cleared off the line by Keane in the ninth minute. Should have at least got his header on target when Perisic’s cross found him in the penalty area. Sent Pickford the wrong way to open the scoring from the penalty spot in the 68th minute. Getty

SUBS: Davinson Sanchez (Lenglet 77’) - N/A. Made a superb block to deny Tarkowski in the 93rd minute. Getty

Lucas Moura (Son 82’) - 3. Gifted Everton a way back into the game by picking up an unnecessary red card in the 88th minute. Getty

"The fan (reaction) is normal," Stellini said. "They are unhappy, but in my opinion it was a clear red card. It happens sometimes, it's normal."

Conte was sacked last week following his furious reaction to a 3-3 draw with Southampton in the Premier League - after which he lambasted his players and criticised the club's culture.

Everton manager Sean Dyche said he was proud of his team's response, adding that the draw demonstrated a newfound resilience and belief from the players.

“I’m really proud of the players. We want to play, of course we do, but it starts with hard graft and energy and commitment to the challenge. The shape and the basic fundamentals have to be delivered and I think we’re delivering that all the time," Dyche said.

“Ten vs 11 is tough enough and then they score a penalty. I thought we were terrific after that. Whatever happened then, I thought ‘this is a group that are improving.’ Then we score a great goal.

“It’s another step in the right direction. It’s only a point but it’s a meaningful point. I think the mentality is getting stronger.”