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Electronic Telegraph

After 12 Jan 2003

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Almost a year ago in this same fixture, Everton were lamenting the loss of Jesper Blomqvist to injury, Duncan Ferguson played a full 90 minutes and Paul Gascoigne registered an assist when his free kick was cleared to David Weir who smashed home a wonderful volley to earn the Blues a point and keep Walter Smith's side 13th.

Things will be very different this time around.  Smith's successor, David Moyes, takes his wounded side to one of Everton's worst grounds bidding to bounce back from the humiliation suffered in the FA Cup at Gay Meadow and register a first win since mid-December.

Ferguson hasn't started a game so far this season and both Blomqvist's erratic creativity and Gazza's fleeting appearances are a distant memory.  Most striking, however, is the fact that Everton sit proudly in 5th position — although for how much longer really depends on the result at White Hart Lane, where we haven't won since the Championship-winning season of 1986-87.

Moyes will be hoping that this 100th Top Flight Season — that has seen the Elland Road hoodoo fall, the Toffees' dismal record against Arsenal improve, and the club register six straight wins for the first time in 15 years — will bear witness to the laying to rest of the Blues' White Hart Lane ghost.

His task is complicated by suspensions, injuries and a lingering flu outbreak that have combined to rob him of his first choice line-up for the past few games.  The attack is where his biggest problems lie, with Kevin Campbell struggling with injury, Nick Chadwick about to go under the knife to solve a niggling groin injury, Ferguson still not back in full training and Wayne Rooney starting a four-match ban.  All signs point to loan star Brian McBride making an immediate debut alongside Tomasz Radzinski.

David Weir and Thomas Gravesen both serve one-match suspensions so Alan Stubbs will likely be partnered by Joseph Yobo, with Steve Watson at right back (if, Watson doesn't make it, Ibrahim Said could also be thrown straight into the mix) providing these latter two recover in time. 

Expect Li Tie to take the dominant midfield role.  David Unsworth should get the nod at left back, with Gary Naysmith on the left side of midfield — although it is high time Kevin McLeod was given the opportunity to show that his sterling efforts in pre-season can be transferred to the big stage.

The rest of the midfield is anybody's guess. Scot Gemmill and Niclas Alexandersson may have done enough at Shrewsbury to earn places in the starting line-up, but Mark Pembridge and Lee Carsley's superior playing time this season may give them the edge.  A lot depends on how much Moyes wants to shake things up.

Given the events in the cup last Saturday, the number of players missing, and Everton's dismal record at Tottenham, Moyes would probably settle for a point, although that probably won't be enough to keep tabs on the pack chasing Arsenal or prevent the likes of Southampton or Liverpool pushing us further down the table should they record victories.

Defensive errors cost Moyes's men dear

Blame the White Hart Lane hoodoo or the injury curse that this season appears to have gone after our goalkeepers, if you will, but this one came down to catastrophic defensive errors that allowed Tottenham to win a game Everton certainly didn't deserve to lose after looking like the home side for long periods.  The result leaves David Moyes's side without a win since mid-December and further adrift of the pack chasing Arsenal at the top of the Premiership.

Moyes, already forced to juggle his starting line-up because of suspensions and injuries, had to make another unwanted change when Richard Wright injured his knee in the pre-match warm-up.  Espen Baardsen, drafted in on a short-term contract as cover for the injured Paul Gerrard and Steve Simonsen, was handed the jersey but he never looked comfortable on his return to White Hart Lane, which really didn't help matters.

Still, Everton took the initiative and the lead with a bright start that saw a welcome return to football played on the deck and to feet, capitalising on the speedy and elusive Tomasz Radzinski.  However, it was American debutant Brian McBride who raced onto Scot Gemmill's perfect through-pass to slide the ball past his compatriot Kasey Keller and make it 1-0.

Within three minutes, though, Tottenham were level following a needlessly-conceded corner.  Alan Stubbs, instead of clearing from the six yard box, elected to attempt a cushioned back-header that Baardsen couldn't hold and the ball squirmed over the by-line.  From the resulting corner, the ball was nodded to Poyet who headed past Baardsen with the visitors' defence in disarray.

With matters back on lever terms, Everton resumed control over possession and attempts on goal, Watson forcing a save from Keller, Radzinski blasting just over from 25 yards and Stubbs going close, first with a far-post header and then with a trademark dead-ball exocet from outside the area.

For Spurs, Anderton stung Baardsen's hands with a shot from distance before sending a dangerous free kick straight across the face of the goal.  Half-time: all square.

In the second half, Everton had the first effort on goal — a fierce drive by Alessandro Pistone — but it was Glenn Hoddle's side who scored first after they caught the Blues' defence napping with a ball over the top to Keane, who may have been marginally offside.  The Irishman had time to round Baardsen and slot home to make it 2-1.

It was almost 3-1 soon afterwards but Baardsen pulled off one of his few good moments by palming Simon Davis' shot wide for a corner.  At the other end, Stubbs popped up on the end of a free kick to head what looked a certain goal until Keller parried it wide.

From the corner, Steve Watson swivelled onto a loose ball on the six-yard line to smash the equaliser past Keller.  2-2 and still anyone's game.

10 minutes later, the home side were back in front.  Just a minute after curling a shot just wide of Baardsen's goal, the ex-Leeds striker was picked out by Steven Carr on the edge of the area, Yobo dived in and completely missed the ball, leaving Keane to finish with aplomb into the far corner.

3-2 was inches from being 4-2 three minutes later when Stefan Iversen found himself one-on-one with the 'keeper, but he lifted his shot wide of the goal.

Three minutes after that, it was all square again after Radzinski was put through on the left side of the area and his first-time, left-footed shot flew inside the post to make it 3-3.

The momentum should have been with Everton as the White Hart Lane crowd was silenced for a third time, but there was time for one last defensive error to gift the points to Spurs.

While Stubbs mis-judged the bounce on a ball forward from the Tottenham defence and it flew over his head, Keane had read it perfectly, and he raced toward goal, beat Yobo and slotted past Baardsen.

With the wind now completely sucked from their sails, Everton offered little more in resistance.  Late substitutions that brought Lee Carsley on for Yobo and a Leon Osman debut for Li Tie made no difference; the Blues were condemned to their fifth-successive away game without a win and, you would hope, a heavy week of defensive training.

Lyndon Lloyd