Micky van de Ven’s first-half double helped Tottenham Hotspur secure a 3-0 win over Everton, who were beaten at Hill Dickinson Stadium for the first time.
The Spurs captain scored twice from corners, nodding clinical close-range finishes past Jordan Pickford, to put the visitors in control by the interval.
Everton had started well and had a potential equaliser ruled out shortly after Van de Ven’s opener, with Jake O’Brien denied by a VAR check for offside in the build-up.
David Moyes’ side threatened a comeback, but Spurs' in-form goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario kept them at bay before Pape Matar Sarr headed home in the 89th minute to secure the three points.
Spurs' reward for becoming the first team to win at the Hill Dickinson stadium is a climb into third place, five points behind leaders Arsenal, while Everton are down in 14th on 11 points.
How the match unfolded
The visitors took the lead from their first chance in the 19th minute. Van de Ven flicked in from close range after Rodrigo Bentancur helped Mohammed Kudus’ corner back across goal.
James Garner then saw a curled shot tipped behind for a corner five minutes later, which O'Brien thumped home. Luckily for Spurs, the goal was ruled out following a VAR review, with Jack Grealish and Iliman Ndiaye adjudged to have obstructed Vicario from offside positions.
And in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time, Van de Ven got his second, with Porro’s stunning whipped corner glanced in ahead of Pickford.
Beto almost pulled one back for Everton in the 54th minute, meeting Ndiaye’s cross with an audacious overhead kick, but Vicario was equal to it, getting a strong hand behind the shot.
Vicario made another impressive save to deny Ndiaye before Spurs countered in style. Porro curled in another pinpoint cross and former Toffee Richarlison, who had earlier seen a volley smothered by Pickford, set up Sarr to guide his header past the goalkeeper.
Everton’s fortress breached
Everton’s new home had so far proven a fortress, with no team able to get the better of Moyes’ side since their switch from Goodison Park.
And, with confidence high after earning a last-gasp comeback win over Crystal Palace in their last home match, Everton started on the front foot, helped by the return of Grealish, who was ineligible to play at Manchester City last weekend.
Just three minutes in, Grealish met Ndiaye’s cross on the volley, but Porro was on hand to block it on the line ahead of a scrambling Vicario.
After twice being caught out when Spurs crowded bodies into the box on corners – and seeing a goal of their own chalked off – the home faithful’s frustration was clear at half-time, but Everton took motivation from it.
Ndiaye, a bright spark throughout, sent an audacious flicked attempt wide of the post and forced Vicario into a sharp stop at his bottom-right corner on either side of Beto’s strike as Everton put up a fight.
It fell flat in the end, though, with Spurs getting their insurance goal late on, and Everton will look to respond to their back-to-back defeats when they travel to Sunderland next weekend.
Spurs flying high on the road
Spurs have had their troubles at home in recent weeks, but their outstanding away form continued on their first trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
No team has won more points on the road than Thomas Frank’s side this term, and they were clinical to keep themselves in the mix at the top of the Premier League table.
More set-pieces gave them joy, with Van de Ven twice left with simple finishes in front of the goalkeeper, with Porro putting in a particularly inviting cross at the end of the first half, giving Pickford no chance.
However, even with a strong 2-0 lead, Spurs may not have felt overly confident given their recent history of squandering advantages, including in their loss to Aston Villa last week.
But they were happy to sit back and frustrate their hosts, with Vicario picking up where he left off in their 0-0 draw with Monaco in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, making several fine saves to protect his clean sheet.
Their defensive base, spearheaded by the match-winner Van de Ven, stood firm to the very end, and Spurs can now turn their attentions to a trip to Newcastle United in the EFL Cup before hosting Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.
Club reports
Everton report | Spurs report
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