Spurs downed by Toffees

Lescott and Arteta delight

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Teams

• Everton
• Tottenham Hotspur

Players

• Alan Stubbs
• Joleon Lescott

• More Players +

  • Anthony Gardner
  • Leon Osman

Also see

• David Moyes Reaction
• Martin Jol Reaction

Tottenham's £40million strike force could not find a way past Everton at White Hart Lane as David Moyes's men stormed to the top of the Premier League courtesy of a 3-1 victory.

Spurs boss Martin Jol had Darren Bent, Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane in his starting XI and brought Jermain Defoe off the bench, but it was his problems at the back that were exposed by the clinical visitors.

Joleon Lescott headed in from an early set-piece, taking advantage of slack marking by Anthony Gardner.

Gardner levelled matters, but Leon Osman and Alan Stubbs struck before the break to make it two wins from two at the start of Everton's season.

Early lead

Everton's bus needed a police escort to guide them to the ground on time, but Lescott did not receive the same close attention when the visitors were presented with a third-minute free-kick.

Paul Stalteri fouled Mikel Arteta on the right flank for the set-piece, and the Spaniard curved the ball in for Lescott to head home after losing Gardner.

With Keane dropping off to the right flank, Spurs went on the attack in search of the equaliser.

Bent was caught offside when he finished past Tim Howard, then forced the American to save in the 10th minute after Pascal Chimbonda slid him through - with Joseph Yobo throwing himself in front of Berbatov to block the rebound.

Throwing everything forward, however, could not cover up Tottenham's problems at the back, and in the 18th minute their woes were compounded, when Younes Kaboul limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

Johnson then chased a lost cause and set up Victor Anichebe, for a drive that was gathered by Paul Robinson at the second attempt.

Equaliser

When the equaliser came it was centre-back Gardner who thudded in his second league goal for the club, losing Lescott to head home from Jermaine Jenas's 26th-minute corner.

The lead lasted little more than 10 minutes, Arteta chipping a cross from the right to the back post where Rocha managed to scramble the ball away from Anichebe. But it fell for Osman to lash into the roof of the net, beating a crestfallen Robinson.

Arteta almost had goal himself just before the break when he floated a free-kick just over the angle.

Stubbs took over from set-piece duties and extended the lead in first-half stoppage time with a free-kick from 30 yards which found the bottom corner, taking a cruel deflection off Didier Zokora as he wrestled with Lee Carsley in the wall.

Spurs briefly rallied before the break when Berbatov headed against the post after meeting Chimbonda's cross from the right.

Constant threat

Everton remained a threat on the counter-attack, and Arteta dragged a shot just wide after bundling his way into the penalty area.

Jol brought Defoe off the bench for Bent for the last half-hour, but the England man failed to make the desired impact.

Arteta earned another free-kick and almost found Stubbs at the back post, as Everton looked to seal the win with another goal.

Johnson forced Robinson into two late saves, and Howard denied Defoe with a parry at the other end.