2023/24
Matchweek 18
All times shown are your local time
Sat 23 Dec 2023
Kick Off:
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Att: 61,808
Ref: Stuart Attwell
KOMins
18
23
26
  • HT
    75
    82
    83
    86
  • FT
  • WHO'S GOING TO BE YOUR

    MAN OF THE MATCH?

    Report

    Tottenham Hotspur beat Everton 2-1 to move into fourth place, knocking Manchester City down to fifth and ending Everton's four-match winning Premier League run.

    Richarlison and Son Heung-min scored the goals before Andre Gomes set up a nervy finish at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with his first Premier League goal since February 2019.

    The hosts were indebted to goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who made seven saves and somehow kept out Arnaut Danjuma's effort in the last minute of stoppage time on the goalline. 

    How the match unfolded

    Spurs took a ninth-minute lead when Richarlison steered in Brennan Johnson's low cross for his fourth goal in three Premier League matches, following a run of only two in his previous 39 appearances for the club.

    It made Richarlison the 13th different player to score against Everton in the Premier League having previously played for the Toffees in the competition, and the first since Joshua King in October 2021. 

    Johnson then missed a big chance to double the lead moments later, but in the 18th minute it was 2-0. Jordan Pickford saved Johnson's shot in the box but the rebound fell to Son, who finished first time past five Everton bodies for his 11th goal of the season, behind only Erling Haaland's 14 in the Premier League Golden Boot race.

    Things got worse for Everton in the 24th minute when Idrissa Gueye injured himself in a challenge with Richarlison and was forced off. With Abdoulaye Doucoure already injured and missing the match, Sean Dyche brought on Gomes for his first Everton appearance since May 2022.

    Despite Spurs's lead, Everton outshot their hosts by eight to five in the first half, with Vicario in fine form to save Dominic Calvert-Lewin's header, James Garner's shot, and Jack Harrison's big chance on the break in added time. 

    Vicario was finally beaten six minutes after the break, but Everton were denied a goal their play deserved because Calvert-Lewin's strike was ruled out following a VAR intervention due to a foul by Gomes in the build-up. 

    Everton continued to look dangerous, with Garner clipping a post shortly after the hour mark, while at the other end Pickford made a fantastic save from Dejan Kulusevski. 

    Finally, in the 82nd minute, Everton scored. A corner wasn't cleared and Gomes fired back across goal from a tight angle for his first goal in over four years.

    It was all Everton from then on, with the Toffees going all out attack, bringing on Beto and former Spurs player Danjuma, and the latter twice came close to earning a late, late point. 

    First, he was denied by a flying save from Vicario before, deep into six minutes of stoppage time, striking the woodwork with a shot that bounced down and off the line via Spurs's goalkeeper.

    A third consecutive win for Spurs means they end Everton's four-match winning run and move onto 36 points, three off top spot ahead of Liverpool v Arsenal. 

    One sour note for them, however, will be Cristian Romero's half-time withdrawal with an apparent injury that left him with ice on his hamstring on the bench during the second half.

    Everton, meanwhile, stay in 16th place, four above the relegation zone.

    Spurs report | Everton report

    Match officials

    Referee: Stuart Attwell. Assistants: Richard West, James Mainwaring. Fourth official: Tim Robinson. VAR: Michael Oliver. Assistant VAR: Harry Lennard.

    Show All

    Club Reports

    Match officials

    Referee: Stuart Attwell

    Fourth Official: Tim Robinson

    VAR: Michael Oliver

    Assistant VAR: Harry Lennard

    Match related content will appear here

        Season So Far

        Spurs
         
        Everton

        Top Player Stats

          Match Stats

          Spurs
           
          Everton

          Head-to-Head

          Spurs
          Total Wins
          30
          Home
          20
          Away
          10
          Everton
          Total Wins
          9
          Home
          5
          Away
          4

          Played

          64

          Draws 25

          Recent Meetings