Thread: Spurs v Everton

should of scored 3-0 we had so many chances for it then we wouldnt even be talking about bales and bassongs crap defending at 1-0 and mistake of palacios. both things would of never happened .

ah well if we win the next 2 games i will be happy.

8 points out of 4 games is pretty okay considering we played everton and aston villa away.

IF we win our 2 next matches.

I was screaming for the penalty, saw Palacios charging in a mile off. Trust Defoe to miss his fifth penalty in 12 games (I forgive him though, he's been so brilliant this season).

My match report

Everton 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Usually the early enforced appearance of an inexperienced youngster would be a hindrance to a side, but not it seems to Everton, who once again managed to unearth a teenager capable of a man of the match, game-changing performance. 17 year old right-back Seamus Coleman coming on within the first quarter of an hour for the injured Joseph Yobo.

The first half was average at best, turning more into a 'who can get an opposition player sent off first' competition amongst the fans. Assou-Ekotto, having earlier received some stick for a weak tackle on young Coleman wasn't about to be got the better of again, going in hard on Fellaini in a 50-50 tackle as he won the ball but also shoulder-barged his man over. An incensed Cahill chased after Assou-Ekotto and to a lesser extent the ball, going in hard on the left-back as the match started to boil over. Fellaini was claiming an elbow, which was rich as it firstly hadn't been one and as he had last week nearly split Lucas' head open with a carelessly aimed one of his own. He and Cahill confronted Assou-Ekotto, but despite a few hand-offs, handbags and shouts of "off, off, off", Mariner dealt with the incident in the only sensible way by handing out yellow cards and warnings to those involved. Seconds later though they were at it again as Crouch jumped with his arm towards Fellaini's face, only for the Belgian to show him how to really land one, swinging his not so funny bone into the back of Crouch's head, Mariner again using up so much time telling him to calm down that three minutes stoppage time was required in just the first half.

Redknapp decided at half time to replace the terrorised Assou-Ekotto with the ineffective Bale, and for a while as so often is the case the plan seemed to work. Within minutes of the restart Defoe had decided a better plan of action was to attack Lennon's balls across box, having let two go in the first half; duly directing a near post shot with his left boot into the roof of the net. Dawson doubled the lead with his second great goal in a week, powering a diving header just inside the post as Neill was preoccupied with trying to pull his shirt.

Cue a period of the Spurs dominance which has started to become a regular occurrence in the second half in recent weeks. However they did not capitalise with the much needed third goal which would have sealed the game, with an almost blaze reaction to chance after chance being wasted. Howard made one of the great reaction saves to turn a ball which deflected back off Crouch's foot, wide of the post; though it was wrongly given as a corner. Crouch it appears has taken the aim of becoming a bit more like Emile Heskey almost too literally; toughening up in the air, but now needing 10 chances to score one, as he pulled horribly wide after the on-form Kranjcar had played him in. And if Defoe felt a little disappointed about missing out on 6 goals against Wigan, he must have been near suicidal after this performance as time and again he got the opportunities to shoot, only to stick them wide or straight at Howard or to see the terrier-like Tony Hibbert get back with a tackle.
For most of the second half the crowd had been silent, but it took just a moment to change all that, and it came from Coleman. Taking the ball up on the right he ran at Bale, who seems incapable of tackling, before dragging the ball back for substitute and leading goalscorer Louis Saha to score a similar near-post finish to Defoe's opener.

With the crowd buoyant the Toffees pushed on and it was clear that Spurs' poor away defensive record was there for a reason as they started to look nervous. Minuted eeked by and still the lead remained, until a poor clearance from Bassong gave Coleman the perfect chance to cross. Though his ball was poor the Spurs defence somehow contrived to fail to clear as first the ball went across the box and then returned the other way for Cahill to head home the equaliser.

For the next few minutes Everton ensured the Tottenham players couldn't touch the ball let alone think about a winner. But then, reverting to the tried and trusted tactic of humping the ball up to the tallest guy on the pitch, Lennon found Crouch and the big striker found a huge area of space into which Honduran Wilson Palacios was charging at full pace. As he got his head to the ball first he was sent flying off his feet by Tony Hibbert, which considering the midfielder's size is quite a physical feet. Andre Mariner, having not invested in David Moyes' own brand of Everton coloured spectacles, pointed to the spot to give Spurs what seemed a much needed get out of jail free card.

However, the longer Palacios lay clutching his chest between penalty spot and goal and the more Defoe was forced to pace around the box, the more certain you were that he would miss. This only heightening as Saha seemed to whisper something to Howard as he walked back towards the goal he was about to have to defend. Defoe played the double bluff and lost, sticking the classic nervous striker's penalty low down the centre and straight into the path of the clearly psyched Howard, who began punching the post with all the force and bravado as to make Cahill's flag-punching celebration look rather half-arsed.

As Redknapp said post-match it was well and truly 2 points lost for Spurs, who revert to their classic position of looking up the table at Arsenal again, having missed out on 3rd place. Everton, despite a spirited display won't be all that helped by a point either, especially with a trip to fortress Stamford Bridge in the near future.