Everton Win as Tottenham Flounder
Two Defeats Have Spurs at the Bottom while Everton Top the Table
Everton's victory over Tottenham Hotspur gives them maximum points and makes them the early season League leaders while Spurs are pointless and languish at the bottom.
Last season Everton finished sixth in the Premier League, just below Tottenham Hotspur but in all the pre-season predictions it has been Spurs who have been tipped to do great things and move up into the top four. Everton have been overlooked but at White Hart Lane, David Moyes’ side outplayed the London side and claimed a comfortable and well deserved 3-1 victory.
After two games Everton are at the head of the League table with a maximum of six points while Tottenham languish at the bottom after losing their opening two games.
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Everton 3
Everton took a second minute lead when defender Joleon Lescott scored with a close range header from a free-kick and rarely looked in any danger. Only for a short ten minute period after that goal when Spurs built up some momentum did Everton look under any pressure. To the observer, a goal was coming and Anthony Gardner scored it from a corner.
However, after that Everton managed to slow the game down and took the sting out of the Tottenham play and went on to score twice more before half-time through Leon Osman and Alan Stubbs with a shot from a free-kick that took a deflection.
In the second half Dimitar Berbatov had an early header against the post and later substitute Jermain Defoe had a shot brilliantly blocked by Tim Howard. Other than that Everton comfortably saw out the half to claim the three points and in fact could have added to their goals as Spurs poured forward in search of a goal.
Summer Transfer Activity
Tottenham Hotspur spent £40 million during the summer to acquire five new players including striker Darren Bent from Charlton Athletic and central defender Younes Kaboul from Auxerre, neither of whom had a memorable evening – Bent making his debut was replaced by Defoe and Kaboul left through injury early in the first half.
However, financial restrictions imposed on the Everton manager meant that he had to be much more limited in his transfer activity - signing only defenders Phil Jagielka from relegated Sheffield United and Leighton Baines from Wigan Athletic, neither of whom have started for Everton this season. David Moyes has shown confidence in last year’s players to build on their achievements and they played with an assurance, endeavour and commitment that was missing from the Spurs’ performance. On this result, it is Everton who appear more likely to gate-cash the top of the table
Martin Jol
The Tottenhasm manager is left to ponder how he can accommodate four international strikers into his team and how to cope with the injuries that have left him with only one of his first choice defenders in the team. Long-term injury problem, central defender and captain, Ledley King, has been joined by Michael Dawson and now Kaboul while full-backs, Lee Young-Pyo, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and new signing Gareth Bale are either injured or returning from injury.
Even at this early stage of the season, a third defeat for Tottenham against Derby County at the weekend would put manager, Martin Jol’s position under considerable pressure.
