Tottenham vs. Everton: Score, Grades, Reaction from Premier League

Tottenham Hotspur hauled themselves up to seventh in the Premier League with a battling 2-1 win at home to Everton on Sunday. 

Mauricio Pochettino has gotten off to a tough start as Spurs manager, and it could have gone from bad to worse against the Toffees.

Kevin Mirallas gave Everton the early lead, but Spurs showed tremendous resolve to fight back. Goals from Christian Eriksen and Roberto Soldado sealed the three points for the home side. 

"

A pleasure to see. Here's @R9Soldado smashing in our second on the stroke of HT. #COYS pic.twitter.com/xFYkemt1ch

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 30, 2014"

After a difficult run through September and October, Spurs have hit form in recent weeks. The victory over Everton was their third on the spin in all competitions and it has them pushing up the table.

The aim for Spurs is a top-four finish and a place in the Champions League. A decent run through December could see them place themselves in a challenging position.

After a circumspect start, the match burst into life on 15 minutes, thanks to a quite brilliant goal from Mirallas.

The Belgian forward collected a loose ball on the edge of the box, cut inside onto his right foot and fired a quite brilliant, curling effort into the top corner. Hugo Lloris had no chance.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

It was a blow for Spurs, and it could have gotten worse a couple of minutes later. A sloppy backpass from Vlad Chiriches almost presented a chance to Romelu Lukaku, but Lloris raced off his line to hack the ball clear.

Spurs did not panic after falling behind, however. Their midfield kept probing and they hauled themselves level on 21 minutes. Tim Howard parried a low shot from Harry Kane, but the keeper did not get the ball far enough to safety and Eriksen was the first to react.

The Dane did not make the cleanest contact, but that in all probability played to his advantage, as the retreating Gareth Barry ran through the path of the ball and was unable to react in time as the shot bounced into the net.

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Here's the moment that @ChrisEriksen8's deft finish drew us level. #COYS pic.twitter.com/ovg1enAZZA

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 30, 2014"

Eriksen came close to grabbing a second on 34 minutes. The midfielder collected the ball on the edge of the box following a lengthy Spurs passing move. He let fly, but his effort was deflected just wide of target.

Everton’s forays forward were few and far between, but Seamus Coleman did test Lloris’ handling with a low shot from 20 yards on 37 minutes.

In first-half injury-time, Tottenham got their noses in front—but fingers will be pointed at Gareth Barry, who was robbed of possession in his own half by Kane.

From there, Aaron Lennon charged forward at pace. He got his head up and picked out Soldado, who calmly stroked his shot beyond Howard.

"

593 - Roberto Soldado has ended a run of 593 minutes without a goal (all competitions). Relief.

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 30, 2014"

"

I've never seen Tim Howard this bad.... Confidence is shook big time. Never came out and closed down. Something is up.

— Justin Ellison (@JustinE12_MUFC) November 30, 2014"

Kane was always looking for possession, and he forced a decent save out of Howard 10 minutes after half-time with a curling shot with his left foot from the edge of the box.

Toffees boss Roberto Martinez threw on Aiden McGeady and Leon Osman on 61 minutes in an attempt to spark his side to life, but they were unable to carve out any clear-cut openings.

While Tottenham looked sharp and incisive, Everton's play lacked the pace and spark to set any panic into the Spurs defence.

It was only in the final few minutes that Everton upped the pace, and referee Michael Oliver turned down their late appeal for a penalty for handball by Federico Fazio.

Notable Player Grades

Jan Vertonghen: B+

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

An excellent shift from the defender whose positional play was outstanding all afternoon.

Christian Eriksen: B+

The Danish midfielder continues to impress in a Tottenham shirt. Tireless running summed up Spurs’ play, and Eriksen was at the heart of things.

Harry Kane: B+

The home-grown talent is a huge favourite of the White Hart Lane faithful, and he once again impressed. His direct style of play is tough to defend against, and Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka had their hands full all game.

Jamie McDonald/Getty Images

Tim Howard: C-

Not a great day at the office for the keeper. He was at fault for Tottenham’s opener, as he did not get enough distance on his parry, and he could arguably have got off his line sooner to cut down the angle for Soldado’s winner.

Post-Match Reaction

"

"@ChrisEriksen8: I hit it into the ground and luckily it went in!" Interview on Spurs TV soon... #COYS

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 30, 2014"

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"@ChrisEriksen8: The last home games haven't been great so we're delighted to do it for the fans. We showed we have a good mentality." #COYS

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 30, 2014"