Everton’s new home has been a fortress so far this season, but their unbeaten start there was under serious threat in the early stages here.
The Toffees were the only team yet to concede from a set-piece this season coming into this game, but that record went up in smoke when Rodrigo Bentancur kept Mohammed Kudus’ corner alive at the far post and the unmarked Micky van de Ven headed in from six yards out.
The hosts responded with a corner goal of their own just six minutes after falling behind, with Jake O’Brien heading home Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s teasing delivery. Their joy was short-lived though, as after a quick consultation with the pitchside monitor, referee Craig Pawson adjudged the offside Iliman Ndiaye had restricted Guglielmo Vicario’s ability to save it on the line.
Spurs more than held their own in a hostile atmosphere after the decision to rule out Everton’s equaliser, and they almost dampened the mood further when Bentancur’s wicked volley from the edge of the area bent inches wide of the post.
Set-pieces were proving to be the order of play, and it was another wicked corner which yielded Spurs’ second goal of the game. It was Porro this time with the pinpoint delivery, and the man finishing it was the same as for the first goal - Van de Ven - nipping in front of Jordan Pickford to flick home his fifth goal of the season.
Everton needed a huge response after half-time, and they almost found one within five minutes of the restart when Ndiaye’s inventive flick at the far post drifted a whisker wide of the target.
The game could’ve been placed beyond them soon after the hour mark, and it was a familiar face who almost came back to haunt them. James Tarkowski’s limp backward header didn’t have enough on it to reach Pickford and afforded Richarlison the chance to nip in, but he could only fire an effort straight at his former teammate.
Everton continued to push and probe for a way back into the game, but chances kept coming and going for them, with Merlin Rohl heading over the bar from close range.
Despite finishing the game with a flurry, David Moyes’ men slumped to their first defeat in their new home with a bit of a whimper and remain firmly inside the bottom half.
Spurs have capitalised on a weekend where a few of their big-six rivals faltered, rounding off victory in style in the closing stages through Pape Matar Sarr as they moved into third place ahead of a crunch London derby with Chelsea next weekend.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Micky van de Ven (Tottenham)
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