Sean Dyche has been a revelation at Everton and should have been at the club YEARS ago

Michael Keane scored a spectacular last-minute equaliser to move Everton out of the bottom three as they rescued a 1-1 draw against Tottenham on Monday.

Spurs had looked on course for victory when Harry Kane put them in front from the penalty spot just minutes after the Toffees had been reduced to 10 men following Abdoulaye Doucoure’s dismissal for shoving the England captain in the face.

But Lucas Moura was then sent off shortly after coming on for a dangerous tackle on Keane and Tottenham couldn’t hang on, further denting their top-four hopes. 

Sportsmail’s Joe Bernstein takes a look at the key talking points from Monday night’s match on Merseyside.

EVERTON LEFT IT TOO LONG FOR DYCHE

If Farhad Moshiri did self-awareness, he’d realise he should have got Sean Dyche into Everton years ago.

Moshiri always discounted Dyche’s credentials when he went after big names like Ronald Koeman, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafa Benitez and Frank Lampard to occupy the manager’s office at Goodison.

Sean Dyche has given Everton fans hope and has led the Toffees out of the bottom three

Turning to the former Burnley midway through this season was an act of desperation from an owner with nothing left in the kitty and zero credibility with the fans but what a revelation Dyche has been.

Despite a perception he’d be regarded by fans as another Sam Allardyce, the ginger Mourinho has been able to give Evertonians hope where they had none.

He’s not a natural school of science merchant but has put pride and passion back in the shirt even though he had to sell Anthony Gordon, and striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been injured.

Everton are not yet safe despite a four-game unbeaten run and having to find a replacement for Abdoulaye Doucoure after his red card against Spurs.

But Dyche has achieved the near-impossible by unifying the fans behind the team at a time when they feel deep resentment towards the owners. That’s not easy and the atmosphere at Goodison was fantastic on Monday, even before Michael Keane’s injury-time equaliser.

It’s just a pity they waited this long. You can only imagine what Dyche could have done at Everton when they were spending millions on players.

THE BENEFITS OF NOT TINKERING

Everton have kept the same team for the last four matches. If only Graham Potter had tried that at Chelsea, he might still be in a job.

Sean Dyche largely stuck to the tried and tested at Burnley and it seems little has changed at Goodison.

He’s shown faith in players like Michael Keane, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dwight McNeil who weren’t picked by Frank Lampard and they’ve repaid him, particularly Keane whose late strike against Spurs justified his selection ahead of Conor Coady.

Michael Keane has stepped up and delivered since replacing Conor Coady at the back

Dwight McNeil has also found form after being given a run in the side by Dyche

‘I know he believes in me and my ability. This system suits how I want to play,’ said Keane about Dyche, having worked under him at Burnley.

Dyche accepts it’s sometimes hard to choose between players but consistency of performance begins with consistency of selection.

‘It’s always a tough decision. Conor Coady is a fantastic pro and wasn’t doing that much wrong,’ he admits.

If the worst happens and Everton do go down, with all the financial implications, it is hard to see them finding a manager better-suited to bringing them back up than Dyche. He was once relegated from the Premier League at Burnley. They didn’t sack him, and he won promotion back at the first attempt.

STELLINI NOT THE LONG-TERM ANSWER

All the problems Spurs had under Antonio Conte were still in evidence at Goodison Park even though the man himself has gone.

That’s hardly surprising. Stellini was an important part of the backroom team and has a similar view on football to the departed manager.

Spurs were sluggish in the first half, managed to get in front against 10 men, and still blew it by panicking in the closing stages.

Tottenham showed no signs of improvement under interim manager Cristian Stellini

‘Rushed and frantic,’ was Stellini’s description. ‘It is a long process,’ he added. The problem is he has been involved for more than a season-and-a-half.

Spurs have one of the strongest spines in the Premier League. World Cup winners Hugo Lloris and Christian Romero in goal and centre-back. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg who is arguably a more dynamic midfield player than Casemiro or Rodri, and of course Harry Kane at centre-forward.

But the team play with the handbrake on too often. Their individual quality will always see them win plenty of games and if the final league tables stand as they do now, Spurs would be the only team apart from Manchester City to qualify for the Champions League.

But to get to the next level, you feel they have to embrace a coach who pushes the technical as much as the tactical. Brendan Rodgers, anyone?