A 1-0 win over Everton on Monday saw Tottenham climb to eighth place in the Premier League table, moving within one point of North London rivals Arsenal.
Their goal encapsulated the overall poor nature of the match, as Giovani Lo Celso's effort -- which was going wide -- found its way past Jordan Pickford thanks to a deflection off of Michael Keane. While Jose Mourinho will be pleased with the win, especially after the loss against Sheffield United last Thursday, this really wasn't the greatest of performances.
Positives
Before this, Spurs had kept just one clean sheet in their past nine Premier League matches, so it will be encouraging that they managed to do so this time around. Whether it is down to Everton's ineffectiveness or Spurs' defence, it will be even better that they very rarely looked threatened by the Toffees.
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Negatives
Considering how mediocre Everton were throughout, the result should have been more comfortable for Spurs. They often looked like they were forcing things with their passing, failing to threaten Everton too much. They also gave away some careless free kicks. It was far from an entertaining performance and despite getting the win, the hosts could have played far better.
Manager rating out of 10
6 -- Mourinho's side was solid defensively, but considering the talents in their squad, should have provided a far greater threat than they did. The Portuguese tactician did very little to rectify this, making his first substitution in the 78th minute. He'll take the three points and move on.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Hugo Lloris, 7 -- The France international was convincing whenever called upon, but Everton were so underwhelming that this didn't happen too often.
DF Serge Aurier, 7 -- The Ivory Coast international's positioning looked off a few times, but he was fairly solid in his overall play defensively. Carried little attacking threat.
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2 Related
DF Toby Alderweireld, 8 -- Made his first appearance since the restart and warranted his inclusion with a steady performance. Was given a yellow card late in the game.
DF Eric Dier, 8 -- It seems as though Mourinho trusts the England international at the heart of his defence, and Dier looked dominant throughout the game. He made some great blocks and commanded his area well.
DF Ben Davies, 7 -- He was effective in his defensive play, while also playing some threatening passes. Was booked for a poor challenge on Richarlison.
MF Moussa Sissoko, 6 -- The Frenchman was a fairly reliable presence in Spurs' midfield throughout. Picked up a yellow card for a cynical foul on Richarlison.
Toby Alderweireld returned to the heart of the Tottenham defence to great effect. Getty
MF Harry Winks, 7 -- Kept things ticking over in the midfield well, whether that was moving the ball around or helping his teammates deal with the limited opposition threat.
MF Giovani Lo Celso, 6 -- His shot for the opener was going wide before Keane's intervention. He could have done much more in open play, as some of his teammates will have been looking to the Argentina international to make things happen.
FW Lucas Moura, 5 -- Put in plenty of effort, but there was very little cutting edge from the Brazilian, who failed to get the better of Lucas Digne. Came fairly close with a long-range effort.
FW Harry Kane, 7 -- He may not have scored, but the Spurs talisman linked up with he teammates well whenever possible. Did the best he could while feeding off scraps. He was also helpful when defending in his own box.
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FW Son Heung-Min, 6 -- Was berated by Lloris just before the break following a quiet first half. Had some dangerous efforts in the second, but they didn't quite come off for him.
Substitutes
FW Steven Bergwijn, N/R -- Replaced Son in the 78th minute and showed a few moments of quality.
FW Erik Lamela, N/R -- Replaced Moura in the 82nd minute and tried his best to liven things up for Spurs.
DF Jan Vertonghen, N/R -- Replaced Lo Celso in the 92nd minute and helped Spurs to see out the game.
Source: espn.co.uk