Despite plenty of bold words on the Official Website, Everton started this vital Premier League game with a serious hangover following Thursday's hugely disappointing exit from Europe during the week.
The team selection raised a few eyebrows, apart from the expected replacement of Yobo and Senderos with Heitinga and Distin. Moyes's response to that dreadful night in Lisbon was to make wholesale changes... some of them very odd. Like dropping Donovan and starting with both Rodwell and Anichebe.
Everton fell behind on 11 minutes as Pavlyuchenko slid in and scored off a cross from Defoe that beat the Everton defence.
Tottenham were bouyed by the early goal and continued to drive forward at pace, with Modrich getting a second goal from the edge of the penalty box to the top left corner on 28 minutes.
Spurs continued to put Everton under the sword, playing a lot better and continually pushing the Blues back.
Moyes made a change at half-time, pulling off Leon Osman for Phil Jagielka. Heitinga had an early shot after the break but Spurs went up the other end and Huddlestone nearly scored under pressure. The tackle on him, however, proved decisive, the big midfielder going off injured... on a stretcher.
From a corner, Rodwell headed the ball back in and Yakubu powered among the crowd in front of goal and got it over the line to give Everton a lifeline. Everton were clearly playing a lot better and started to get some decisions going in their favoour.
A tremendous chance to equalize when Spurs gave the ball away and Pienaar scampered off toward goal, getting past Bassong and firing well but it was too close to the keeper who made a crucial save.
Arteta was booked after fouling unfair challenge on Luka Modrich. And a few minutes later, Pienaar was next in the book for shirt-tugging.
A great move by Everton and Rodwell crossed superbly for Donovan open and all by himself for a simple tap in on the far post and he unbelievably put it into the side netting!
Pienaar then caught Modrich's ankle, and was very close to getting a second yellow card. Rodwell was then replaced by Vaughan for the final push.
Another chance for Donovan, should scored but won a corner and Jagielka got a free header but it flew over the bar.
Six minutes of added time, but it was Spurs who came close to scoring, Krancjar forcing a good save off Howard and winning a corner. Spurs strangled the last nervy minutes of the game and survived the Everton onslaught to take all three points.
With their chances in the second half, Everton could have gone on to win the game with Donovan getting a hat-trick such was the swing of the pendulum... and such was the shocking profligacy of the American in front of goal, missing what surely must have been the easiest goal-scoring chance of his life.
Michael Kenrick
Everton travel to Tottenham for a match with significant ramifications for European qualification hoping to extend their Premier League winning sequence at White Hart Lane and atone for both their meek Carling Cup defeat last autumn and their disastrous performance in Lisbon on Thursday.
Johnny Heitinga and Sylvain Distin are available again after missing the match against Sporting but Tim Cahill is still sidelined with a calf injury.
May appear here later
Author
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