Tottenham vs. Everton: Player Ratings from Spurs' 2-0 Win

It was a win that put Tottenham level with Manchester United in the league table. It was a win that cemented the Spurs as challengers for the title. It was a win that put the club within striking distance of seemingly invincible Manchester City.

In short, it was a win Tottenham should have gotten and desperately needed.

Rarely used midfielder Aaron Lennon scored his third goal of the season in the 35th minute to calm everyone's nerves at White Hart Lane, and then defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto scored his first of the season off a beautifully placed Rafael Van Der Vaart free kick in the 63rd.

It looked like just another day in the office for Tottenham, but how did all the players do? Check out my ratings and tell me if you agree.

Goalkeeper

Brad Friedel: 7.0

Collected his eighth clean sheet of the year—an incredible feat for any goalkeeper in the Premier League—but it had less to do with Friedel's skill in front of the net and more to do with how well the defense played and how poorly Everton was at offense.

Everton managed zero (yes, zero) shots on target. It was little more than mop up duty for the 40-year-old American, but it will still count towards Friedel's pursuit of this season's Golden Glove.

Defenders

Younes Kaboul: 8.0

Continues to cement his place as the favorite to replace the legendary Ledley King. Great play at center back not allowing a single shot on target for Friedel to contend with.

Michael Dawson: 7.0

Hadn't started since that humiliating (and hopefully forgettable) display against Manchester City in August. Didn't show any signs of rust and paired well with Kaboul in the center of the defense. Was patient and nearly always in position to thwart Everton's attacks.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto: 9.0

Played with incredible discipline, intelligence and energy. Supported the attack well and had some of the best crosses this side of Luka Modric.

Kyle Walker: 7.5

His biggest assets tonight were his clearances, which stopped Everton from stringing anything together. Great performance.

Midfielders

Luka Modric: 7.5

Was solid as ever at the holding midfielder position. Commanded the field well and seemed to be playing a chess match with Everton in the first half only to check and mate them in the final 30 minutes.

Jake Livermore: 6.5

Nothing special for the rarely used Livermore as he didn't do anything special, but also didn't do anything foolish with the ball. Capable and competent.

Gareth Bale: 7.0

Like most of the midfield, didn't show anything special, but also didn't have to. Played much more strongly in the second half.

Aaron Lennon: 7.5

His stamina needs a bit of work (could hardly keep pace when he was subbed out in the 78th minute), but capitalized well on an Everton mistake to steal the ball and knock it in with his left foot from the right side of the box.

Steven Pienaar: 7.5

Came on as substitute in the 78th minute but did nothing more than show himself as adequate transfer bait to anyone watching.

Forwards

Emmanuel Adebayor: 6.0

Played slow for the 87 minutes he was on the pitch, but that could be because he played three full matches (Norwich City, Swansea City and WBA) from December 27-January 3 and had yet to see the pitch until tonight's make-up game. It's little bother as he wasn't needed for much, but if the dragging continues on Saturday against Wolves, it will be cause for some concern. Tottenham paid him too much to be hit-or-miss in the middle of the season.

Rafael Van Der Vaart: 8.0

Was as good as ever in the roving role he loves best. Dictated the pace of the forwards as well as Modric did with the midfield. Tottenham has quite the well-oiled machine with Van Der Vaart at forward. Placed the ball perfectly for Assou-Ekotto's goal in the 63rd minute.

Roman Pavlyuchenko: 7.5

Was subbed on in the 87th minute for Adebayor. Like Pienaar, nothing more than transfer bait.