Tottenham vs. Everton: Player Ratings from Spurs' 1-0 Loss

It was the staged as the American Civil War of the English Premier League—as Yankee goalkeepers Brad Friedel of Tottenham and Tim Howard of Everton squared off at Goodison Park.

But nothing changed since what happened in the United States in 1865 as it was the northern, Liverpool-based club of Everton who triumphed over the southern, London-based club of Tottenham.

It was a huge game for Harry Redknapp's men as they began the game just four points ahead of rivals Arsenal for the coveted third-place spot. Only the top three in the league table would be guaranteed a spot in next year's lucrative Champions League. But instead of increasing the gap, they only slipped farther down the hole, losing their third straight.

Louis Saha started on the bench for Tottenham, adding fuel to the fire that Redknapp and Everton manager David Moyes had a "gentleman's agreement" that Saha would go to Spurs on the condition he wouldn't play against Everton.

Fresh off their 3-1 loss to a visiting Manchester United side, Tottenham started the match with Scott Parker back from suspension and Gareth Bale back from injury—key pieces of Spurs' midfield.

Everton started the scoring with Nikica Jelavic taking a lovely turn from Leon Osman and knocking a volley out of Friedel's reach. Halftime saw the Toffees up 1-0 and it stayed that way as the host side played defensively sound football, outclassed Tottenham's supposed "improved" midfield and won the day.

The team looked lackluster overall, but how did the individuals grade out? Check out my player ratings and let me know if you agree.

Goalkeeper

Brad Friedel: 7.0

Made several good saves in the first half—his kick out against Nikica Jelavic's shot in the 21st minute stands out. However, the save deflected and despite the 41-year-old's desperate attempt, Jelavic made a beauty of a volley to open the scoring.

Regained composure and made several more saves as Everton mounted the pressure in the second half. Kept Tottenham in the game. If not for Spurs' lack of offense, would have been a big boost for the Ohio native.

Defenders

Benoit Assou-Ekotto: 7.5

Tried to keep up an energetic pace along the left sideline and held Toffees midfielder Royston Drenthe to a near-invisible status. Great job tidying up. A real find for Tottenham and quite possibly a long-term fixture at the left-back position. Best of the four defenders today.

Ledley King: 7.0

Played well for Tottenham at the centre-back position. Not much else to say about the defender who—for the 17th time this season—played all 90 minutes.

Younes Kaboul: 5.0

Lucky deflection in the 17th minute on Seamus Coleman's shot at the top of the box to force the ball straight into Friedel's arms. Got turned around minutes later when Leon Osman passed through the Frenchman to get the ball to Nikica Jelavic who scored easily. His few opportunities at goal went completely amiss. Poor form.

Kyle Walker: 5.5

Had a little trouble with Seamus Coleman early on, but luckily nothing came of it on the scoreline. Improved play from last week against Manchester United, but not by much. What's caused England's newest international sensation to dip in quality as of late?

Midfielders

Luka Modric: 6.5

Seemed hesitant to go all-in on attacks and take shots from distance. Even stood over the ball at one point. Very weird performance from the normally solid Croatian.

Scott Parker: 7.5

Back from a one-game suspension for receiving a red card in Tottenham's 5-2 loss to Arsenal. Early in the match, several attempts at forcing a ball through to Defoe or Adebayor were barely mistimed and called offsides. A few very good instances of linking up with Bale, however. Played well, but couldn't do enough to carry a lackluster Spurs midfield.

Sandro: 6.0

The rarely used Brazilian is becoming more and more a part of the club's plans lately, earning starts in the last three league matches. Was invisible this match, coming out in the 69th minute for the veteran Rafael van der Vaart.

Gareth Bale: 6.0

Returned to the right flank after missing a few weeks with a hamstring injury and started the match with great pace, dispossessing Everton players left and right, and running directly at opposing midfielders. But after the first few minutes he was taking risky shots and missing them terribly. A rare off day for the Welsh international.

Rafael van der Vaart: 7.5

Came on late in the match in hopes of providing a much-needed spark for Tottenham. Had a few good chances late, but nothing materialized.

Jake Livermore: 6.0

Played the last three minutes for Tottenham. Didn't do much of anything.

Forwards

Emmanuel Adebayor: 6.0

Didn't link up well with Defoe. Needed Saha in the starting role, but there was so much more wrong. Tottenham's midfield didn't help his cause much either. Invisible for much of the match.

Jermain Defoe: 6.5

The rumors circulating about managers Harry Redknapp and David Moyes having a gentleman's agreement that former Everton striker Louis Saha would not play at Goodison Park gained some legitimacy when Defoe was named to the starting lineup.

Unlucky call in the 18th minute when John Heitinga took him down in the box and a penalty wasn't awarded. Was inconsistent in form all night, shooting wildly one minute and then making a great run at Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard the next.

Louis Saha: 7.5

Came on for Adebayor in the 54th minute after the Togolese striker was rendered ineffective by Everton's defense and Tottenham's tactics. Paired better with Defoe than Adebayor did. If he'd nailed that equalizer in extra time of the second half, it would have been pandemonium in Goodison Park. Why wasn't he playing all night? Were the rumors about Redknapp and Moyes really true?