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Everton delivered a blow to Tottenham's bid to maintain
pressure on the Premier League's pacesetters with a fully deserved
win at Goodison Park.
Seamus Coleman's late header gave the enigmatic Merseysiders
victory to maintain their impressive record against the sides near
the top of the table.
Louis Saha fired the home side into the lead inside three
minutes with his first league goal for 11 months, only for Rafael
van der Vaart's close range header to restore parity eight minutes
later.
In an enthralling game, both sides created and wasted
opportunities to take a stranglehold before Coleman headed past
Spurs goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes when he could only palm out Saha's
shot after 75 minutes.
Toffees keeper Tim Howard twice denied the dangerous Van der
Vaart after the break but Spurs boss Harry Redknapp could have no
complaints about the eventual outcome as Everton played with a
verve and threat that has eluded them too often in a frustrating
campaign.
Everton manager David Moyes, with leading scorer Tim Cahill away
with Australia at the Asia Cup, finally opted for two strikers when
he paired Jermaine Beckford and Saha up front - and was rewarded
almost instantly.
Spurs paid the price for standing off Saha, allowing the French
striker ample time and space to drill a low finish into Gomes'
right-hand corner from 20 yards.
Van der Vaart, as so often this season, led the north Londoners'
response and had already sent an instinctive lofted finish just
wide behind a scrambling Howard before heading in the equaliser
after 11 minutes.
The Dutchman stole in behind the home side's defence after Peter
Crouch rose above Phil Neville to steer Alan Hutton's cross back
into the six-yard area.
Chances continued to come at regular intervals in an open and
entertaining encounter, with Beckford firing just over on the turn
from 10 yards and Crouch having a goal correctly ruled out for
offside when he turned in Gareth Bale's pass.
Everton wasted an opportunity to restore their lead five minutes
after the break when Coleman surged into the area, only to ignore
the unmarked Beckford and send a tame effort straight at Gomes.
Tottenham then suffered a blow when Bale, who required lengthy
treatment in the first half, was replaced by Niko Kranjcar.
Van der Vaart was presenting a huge danger to the Toffees and it
took a fine diving stop from Howard to prevent him rounding off a
Spurs break with another goal.
Saha was also having one of his more influential nights and he
thought he had added his second after 63 minutes when he met
Coleman's cross sweetly, only to see his goalbound effort deflected
wide.
Van der Vaart brought another crucial save from Howard before
Everton finally got the goal their enterprise deserved with 15
minutes remaining. Saha was again involved with a powerful drive
that Gomes could only push in the direction of the advancing
Coleman, who dived to head in.
Substitute Yakubu's lack of pace meant he squandered the
opportunity to wrap things up in injury time, but the miss was not
to prove costly as the north Londoners ran out of steam after their
recent impressive run.