Since Project Restart, Alex Iwobi has played his part in Everton’s run of good results.

From helping keep the shape in the goalless draw against Liverpool and his impressive performances against Norwich, it was clear that Iwobi had become an important player under Carlo Ancelotti. 

Everton travelled to London to face Tottenham on Monday, July 6 where they suffered their first loss since Project Restart. 

It was an awful game played at a walking pace. Neither team had tempo going forward and it was fitting that the only goal of the game came from an own goal. 

There was nothing for Iwobi to do in that game that saw no invention on the ball or impressive combination play in the final third. 

Playing from the left of a midfield four in a 4-4-2 setup, he had the ball a couple of times but could do nothing with it. Perhaps, it is his risk aversiveness that has often made his game look average at times. 

In this game, there were times he had the ball and could have done something with it. Maybe run towards a defender and try and beat him or play an incisive ball to either Richarlison and Dominic Nathaniel Calvert-Lewin but he usually turned back or sideways and just passed to the closest teammate. 

Midway into the first half, he spotted an opening and made a fine run in between defenders but he wasn’t quick enough to get the pass that came from midfield. 

In the end, Iwobi offered nothing going forward for Everton but he again showed how much he has improved defensively with how he tracked back to stop the advancing Serge Aurier. 

The first 45 minutes he played before he was taken off at halftime. But it was a dire, slow and abject performance but not just from him but the whole Everton players, maybe including Tottenham in the worst Premier League game since the restart.