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Deflated Everton fall easily to Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur 2 - 0 Everton

Predictability was the name of the game at White Hart Lane — the comfortable home win, referee Martin Atkinson's refusal to award a blatant penalty in favour of Royston Drenthe, an injury to Sylvain Distin, and Everton's failure to force a single save from Brad Friedel all game — as a scuffed effort by Aaron Lennon and a 35-yard stunner by Assou-Ekotto were enough to seal the deal for a clearly superior Spurs.

Tim Cahill was passed fit to start in Everton's midfield and he lined up alongside Marouane Fellaini in central midfield with Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Landon Donovan deployed on the flanks. Victor Anichebe started behind lone striker, Louis Saha with Phil Neville will play at right back.

And it was Everton who almost took a surprise first-minute lead when Saha picked up Donovan's cross from the left side of the area but screwed a left-footer agonisingly the wrong side of the post.

Tottenham recovered their composure in short order, though, and a loose pass by Donovan let Emanuel Adebayor in for the home side's first chance of the evening but, thankfully, the big striker blazed wide under pressure from John Heitinga.

Five minutes later, another slack pass in the centre by Bilyaletdinov gifted the ball to Spurs but Gareth Bale's cross deflected behind off Neville before Everton could be punished for their profligacy.

Under constant pressing of the ball by Spurs, David Moyes's side struggled to play their way through midfield despite a clearly deliberate attempt to slow the game down and pick their passes.

Too often, though, Tottenham were quicker to the ball and speedier in thought as evidenced when Bale raced forward on the counter and slipped the ball invitingly inside to Adebayor in front of Howard but the on-rushing 'keeper prompted the striker to take too heavy as touch as he tried to round the American and it rolled out for a goal kick.

A goalmouth melee five minutes later after Luca Modric had a decent shout for a penalty waved away by referee Martin Atkinson then gave Adebayor another great chance to break the deadlock but he poked wide of goal from eight yards out.

Back-to-back chances for Everton 13 minutes from half-time suggested that they might still spring a surprise if they could get things together in attack but Saha dragged one shot wide with Anichebe in close support and Donovan drifted a left footer well over from outside the box.

Three minutes later, after Rafael van der Vaart had curled a dangerous shot onto the roof of the net, Spurs went ahead. a long diagonal ball by Younas Kaboul aimed for Aaron Lennon should have been easily dealt with by Baines but he mis-controlled and was dispossessed by the winger, who cut into the area and scuffed a low shot past Howard who was preparing to dive the other way and it was 1-0.

Bilyaletdinov had a difficult chance to level matters going into the interval when the 'keeper could only punch Baines' free kick to him on the edge of the area but the Russian half-volleyed high and wide of goal.

Everton fared little better in the second half as Tottenham remained comfortable in defence and in their superior possession.

Bale went on another of his 50-yard charges towards the Blues penalty area five minutes after the break but Howard was able to paw his deflected shot to safety.

At the other end, Saha's attempt to turn Baines' low cross inside the near post deflected off Matthew Dawson for a corner while Fellaini should probably have done better four minutes later when could only steer Donovan's center high over the bar.

Either side of the hour mark, further disaster struck Everton: first, Distin, having picked up another injury, was forced to walk gingerly from the field to be replaced by Shane Duffy; then, with Cahill backing off in front of the Everton defense, Assou-Ekotto lined up a drive from 35 yards that he arrowed perfectly into the far corner beyond Howard's despairing dive to double Spurs' lead.

That was pretty much it. The Blues visibly faded after that and, after Duffy had powered a header over from a corner, were it not for Royston Drenthe, who replaced the wholly disappointing Anichebe after 68 minutes, they might not have troubled the Tottenham defence much further.

The Dutchman was his usual effervescent self, though, and when he went down twice in quick succession under clumsy defensive challenges without referee Atkinson batting an eyelid, you knew there was going to be no grandstand finish.

The second foul was clearly a penalty as Kaboul visibly caught Drenthe's heels as he tried to out-pace him to the byline. Had it been awarded, Everton might not only have tested Brad Friedel for the first and only time in the entire game but they could also have set up an exciting last 10 minutes or so.

As it was there was little to cheer for the traveling Blues, not even when great work by Drenthe down the left set up a nice chance for Saha but he sliced his shot awfully and it sailed into the stands.

And that pretty much summed things up... no wins now against any of the top half sides so far this season.

Injuries or no injuries, this is a poor team playing desperately poor football and precious little ability to score goals regularly, particularly from open play. Despite their best efforts to keep the ball this evening, as soon as they were pressured it invariably ended with a ball forward — Anichebe and Saha hardly won anything in the air —or a horribly mis-placed pass.

From Donovan to Fellaini to Cahill, Neville and Bilyaletdinov, so many were guilty of being casual or sloppy with the ball and on a couple of occasions it might have cost the Blues more dearly.

Moyes will point at the injury crisis and others the lack of investment and both are clearly factors but this entire season, irrespective of the personnel, has been dominated by the salient impression of a team that just isn't functioning how it should.

Player Ratings: Howard 6, Neville 5, Distin 7 (Duffy 7) Heitinga 6, Baines 6, Fellaini 6, Cahill 5, Bilyaletdinov 5 (Gueye -), Donovan 6, Anichebe 5 (Drenthe 7), Saha 6

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