Richarlison continues great form with first-half brace against Everton

The scorching scoring pace is a far cry from how Richarlison began his Tottenham tenure, with just one Premier League goal in 23 appearances in 2022-23 and two across all competitions this season before scoring in a 4-1 route of Newcastle United on Dec. 10.

Richarlison rounding into form has coincided with Spurs moving from out of a European competition slot to one point clear of Aston Villa for the final place in the UEFA Champions League. 

The outburst has been particularly important since Jan. 6 with fan-favorite Son Heung-Min (10 goals in 15 matches) representing South Korea in the Asian Cup. 

But despite the Brazilian's double against his former club, Everton were the ones who left Goodison Park happy after salvaging a draw on a goal from Jarrad Branthwaite in the 94th minute. 

The result pulled Everton out of the relegation zone, a stress the club is feeling more because of administrative mistakes than poor play.

As the second half of the Premier League season heats up, matches like this are a perfect example of what makes the EPL so different from many American sports. 

If Everton competed in the MLB, NFL or NBA, at this point they might be considering offloading players and making other moves to set themselves up for the best possible pick in next year's draft. 

Instead, they're incentivized to scrap for every possible point or face the unthinkable for a club with Everton's history — relegation. 

Everton currently owns the longest streak of consecutive seasons in England's top division, with this year being their 124th consecutive one. Sitting above Luton Town thanks only to Everton's superior goal differential, the Toffees may need a few more moments of magic to get to 125.