Roberto Soldado scored his first goal in eight months and it proved to be a big one.
Tottenham overcame a wondergoal from Kevin Mirallas, as Christian Eriksen leveled and Soldado put them through to give Spurs its first consecutive victories since the opening two weeks.
Everton and Spurs matched up at White Hart Lane in a pairing of two teams running through the Europa League but struggling with consistency back home.
A cagey start opened up a few minutes in, and allowed Everton to take the first chance. Ross Barkley cut up the Spurs midfield and found Romelu Lukaku, but the Belgian’s effort was easily smothered by Hugo Lloris.
Both sides eventually returned to their test but conservative possession play, but things would soon open up again.
Kevin Mirallas looked for an opening at the top corner of the box on 15 minutes, but with nothing open to his liking, he took aim and ripped the far corner with a booming strike that put Everton in front.
MATCH REPORT
The lead wouldn’t last long, as Spurs responded immediately. The home fans loudly urged their team on, and with Harry Kane pushing through the midfield, he loosed an off-balance shot. It forced a diving save from Tim Howard, who parried the low shot right, but Christian Eriksen got there first to poke home with Howard on the ground.
Play exploded open after the pair of goals, with things going end to end in exciting manner. Muhamed Besicnearly left a header backwards to Tim Howard short, but it landed just out of reach of Roberto Soldado on 37 minutes.
Just before halftime, with Mirallas’s stunner a distant memory, Spurs took the lead. Harry Kane ripped the ball from Gareth Barry with a precise tackle from behind, and it started a 5-on-3 break. Aaron Lennon jumped on the loose ball, and he found Soldado who finished calmly for his first goal since March 2nd and a 2-1 lead.
The second half began just as open, but it was much sloppier play. The best early chance of the second half fell to Ryan Mason who got a great layoff from Eriksen but his rip for the top corner flashed just over.
Everton had a solid spell with 20 minutes to go looking to level, and Seamus Coleman was played through on the right edge but it was a hair too far. They pressed as time ran out, a set-piece proved controversial. With a minute remaining in regulation, a ball delivered for Romelu Lukaku was headed goalbound and blocked by a raised hand from Federico Fazio, but referee Michael Oliver did not catch it.
Time ran out on the Toffees, and Spurs jumped past the Toffees and Swansea too into the top seven in the table. Everton drops to 10th in the table and remains without a good run of form in the Premier League.
LINEUPS:
Tottenham: Lloris, Vertonghen, Chiriches (Dier 70′), Fazio, Davies, Bentaleb, Mason, Lennon (Lamela 61′), Eriksen, Kane, Soldado (Paulinho 80′).
Goals: Eriksen 21′, Soldado 45+1′
Everton: Howard, Baines, Jagielka, Distin, Coleman, Barry, Besic, Eto’o (Osman 61′), Barkley, Mirallas (McGeady 61′), Lukaku.
Goals: Mirallas 15′
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