Spurs 2-2 Everton - Match Report

A bright afternoon at White Hart Lane saw two teams battling for Champions League places come up against each other and share the spoils. Everton kicked things off. Spurs stunned the Toffees within the first 40 seconds as Jan Vertonghen found himself in possession on the left wing and delivered a whipped-in ball which was met by Emmanuel Adebayor. The Togolese striker needed a little bit of luck, as he struck the ball straight at Tim Howard, but the ball ended up in the back of the net to give the Lilywhites a dream start to the match. Less than three minutes later, Spurs were nearly through again. Dempsey was clean through, but Jagielka nipped in to touch the ball back to Howard, who took no chances and cleared promptly. Everton started to press a little bit more and Leon Osman on the left almost played Victor Anichebe through in the sixth minute, but Hugo Lloris calmly gathered. In the eleventh minute, Dawson gave the ball away on the edge of the box to Osman, with Lloris out of position. The midfielder's speculative effort went both high and wide, however. Barkley found space in the Spurs box on the right and drilled in a dangerous low ball, but Caulker cleared for a corner on fifteen minutes. The resulting corner found Phil Jagielka and the defender scored a scrappy equaliser to ensure Spurs went a seventh game in a row without keeping a clean sheet. In the eighteenth minute, a strong Moussa Dembele run in a congested midfield ended up with a long distance effort from the Belgian flying just wide. This was quickly followed by a much poorer effort from similar range by Clint Dempsey as Spurs pressed Everton hard. Good work in the 23rd minute from Gylfi Sigurdsson saw the Icelander find Vertonghen deep in the Everton box. The Belgian defender got in a great, dangerous cross that had to be frantically cleared. In the same minute, boyhood Everton fan Lewis Holtby struck high and wide from 25 yards. A pacey run down the right from Kyle Walker on 25 minutes resulted in the England right back working his way in to the Everton box and hitting a 16 yard effort just wide. Great vigour from Dempsey saw the American win possession on the left. He found Dembele and the Belgian charged in to the Everton box to win a corner in the 30th minute. Tim Howard gathered the cross easily and a fast Everton counter-attack saw Lloris gather a Baines through ball before it found Kevin Mirallas. Further Spurs pressure saw them win two corners and have penalty appeals waved away within the space of a minute around the 32 minute mark - Seamus Coleman seemingly having handled the ball in the box with his arms flailing high. A drop ball was ordered in the 36th minute - you don't see too many of them these days - as a tangle occurred. Osman and Walker contested it as the match got a little bit feisty. The ball looped high and Caulker cleared. A minute later Anichebe went down in a heap and the match was stopped so he could be treated. He was, however, able to continue. In the 41st minute, Sigurdsson got in the first shot on goal in some time, but his tame 20 yard effort was comfortably gathered by Howard. Aside from a couple of speculative crosses from Spurs - the best of which coming from Dembele - the final few minutes of the first half were relatively uneventful and the sides went in at the break with the score level at 1-1. Spurs got the second half underway with neither side having made any changes to their lineups and started on the front foot to no immediate avail - Dempsey swinging wildly over from twenty yards a couple of minutes in. Great, determined (and uncharacteristic) play from Adebayor in the 50th minute saw the striker create himself an opening from nothing. He won the ball on the halfway line and began running at the Everton defence, only to have the ball nicked off him at the last minute before he could rifle a shot in. A minute later, Darron Gibson nearly put Everton ahead with a low, drilled shot from the edge of the box. The ball whizzed past Lloris' right hand post with the French stopper beaten. And another minute later Everton really were ahead. Anichebe found Mirallas and the Belgian ran at Spurs with intent before thundering a low strike in to Lloris' bottom right. Everton made an attacking change with Nikica Jelavic being brought on to replace Ross Barkley. Spurs very nearly replied instantly. Dembele was shown inside on his weaker right foot. He shot, Howard saved and the ball ended up deflecting on to the crossbar. The match really came to life as Everton found another opening on 55 minutes. A squared ball to Osman was desperately gathered by Lloris before the midfielder could get on to the end of it. On the 60 minute mark, a nice interchange of passing between Dempsey and Scott Parker saw the American strike a half decent effort at goal. Howard seemed to have it covered as the shot went just wide of his right post. Sylvain Distin found himself free in the box as a corner was swung in. But the defender headed woefully wide in the 64th minute. A spell of Spurs pressure ended on 66 minutes when Vertonghen found himself in possession 18 years out. He struck a shot that deflected out for a corner. Everton cleared to bring themselves some relief. A minute later, space opened up for Adebayor to charge in to. He opened up his body and tried to steer a curling effort in to the far corner, but Howard was equal to it. Another curling effort in the same minute off the left foot of Dempsey went well wide. Anichebe jumped with Dawson in the 70th minute and won possession. He shot poorly from 20 yards and, incorrectly, was awarded the corner. Fortunately for Spurs, nothing came of it. Tom Huddlestone was brought on to replace Dembele in the 75th minute as Spurs looked for the creative spark necessary to unlock a resolute Everton defence. Parker was tackled from behind by Gibson just outside the Everton box on the Spurs left and a free kick was awarded in the 76th minute. Sigurdsson crossed it, but Heitinga headed out for a corner. Sigurdsson took that too, but it came to nothing, as the ball fell to the newly introduced Huddlestone. The big-haired midfielder shot from 25 yards and the ball clearly deflected out off an Everton player. Andre Marriner awarded an Everton throw-in with what wasn't the first poor decision in Everton's favour of the afternoon. Parker turned Mirallas brilliantly in the 81st minute, which resulted in the Belgian fouling him and receiving the first yellow card of the afternoon. Sigurdsson crossed the free kick in, but Howard gathered easily. Very disappointing delivery. Anichebe struck a decent 20 yard effort in the 83rd minute, but it went over Lloris' bar, as Tom Carroll started warming up for Spurs. Dempsey received a yellow card for simulation 30 seconds later, after having lost his balance on the edge of the Everton box. Both dugouts were alive with activity as both teams seemed to be ready to make changes. Steven Naismith was brought on to replace goalscorer Mirallas after 86 minutes. Spurs drew level as Walker got in behind Baines for the first time. The right back crossed low for Adebayor, who hit the post. Gylfi Sigurdsson followed up the rebound to make it 2-2. Tom Carroll was then brought on to replace Scott Parker. In the last minute of normal time, Anichebe battled with Dawson - out-muscling the Spurs captain - before finding himself one on one with Lloris who made a fantastic save. Jelavic then tested the Frenchman again after a messy spell of Spurs pressure, but the keeper held easily onto the 18 yard effort. The last action of the 4 minutes of added time was a Baines cross that Lloris collected, before Andre Marriner blew the final whistle to end an entertaining game from which Everton will come away much more satisfied. Spurs now lie only 2 points ahead of Arsenal, having played a game more than their North London rivals. Referee: Andre Marriner. Attendance: 36,192. Tottenham Hotspur Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Caulker, Vertonghen; Parker (Carroll, 87), Dembele (Huddlestone, 75); Sigurdsson, Holtby, Dempsey; Adebayor. Everton Howard; Heitinga, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Coleman, Gibson, Barkley (Jelavic, 52), Osman; Anichebe, Mirallas (Naismith, 86).