Tottenham Hotspur continued their fight for Champions League qualification with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Everton in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Richarlison and Son Heung scored in the opening 18 minutes to put Ange Postecoglou’s side in front at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The North Londoners led the game against the Toffees, but Andre Gomes provided a nervy finish with a consolation.
“The result is of course very pleasing against a very difficult opponent, Everton, who have been the best team in the competition in recent weeks,” said Postecoglou. “Today you can see why, they worked hard and in the first half we somehow outplayed them, apart from our goals our football was good.
“We looked very dangerous, but after we were 2-0 up we settled down a bit and I think that allowed them to get back into the game.
“We took a little bit more time on the ball and something was due to them. They continued to work hard and in the second half the game was a bit of a transition game. We had to show some resilience and some strong defending in midfield and some great saves from Vic, who was great again today. There was a little bit of everything in the game. Our performance was different. I think we are happy to get the three points.”
A third consecutive win means Spurs have replaced Manchester City in fourth place, although Pep Guardiola’s charges have one more game to play thanks to their participation in the Club World Cup.
Spurs have been in good form recently despite a long list of injured players at Hotspur Way. Eight players missed the win over Everton, with Jamie Donley, Alfie Dorrington and Ashley Phillips on the bench for Postecoglou.
James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manor Solomon, Yves Bissouma, Micky van de Ven, Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon all missed the win (will MISS the Brighton game), although some were present in the Spurs’ bathroom on Saturday.
Some joined the Spurs coaching staff near the Spurs’ bathrooms on Saturday, and pictures of the absent players celebrating the win were posted on the club’s official Instagram page.
Fans will be hoping that Cristian Romero is not forced to join the group of players unavailable after he pulled out. The centre-back was replaced by Eric Dier at half-time, after which Postecoglou confirmed that he felt “tension in his thigh”.