Match report: Tottenham Hotspurs Vs Everton (1-1)
Spurs forward Rafael Van Der Vaart found the net yet again for his new club as the host were held to a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane in the premier league.
It was Lieghton Baines who scored the first goal via a free kick on the 17th minute mark. It was Baines’ first goal since January, but the hosts quickly equalized thanks to a Van Der Vaart goal. The Dutch has now scored 5 times in four appearances
at White Hart lane and is in sensational form.
The Spurs missed the Dutchman in mid-week, when they lost 4-3 to defending Champions Inter Milan in the Champions league, but his return to the squad has proved the amount of potential and influence he still yields for the side. He has thus become one of
the most important player for the outfit since his arrival from Real Madrid this summer.
There were injured players on both sides, with Spurs without defender Ledley King and Tom Huddlestone. The visitors had to do without the services of playmaker Mikel Arteta. Yet, the game turned out to be classic premier league material, as the contest remained
open and entertaining for entire 90 minutes.
Everton Striker Ayegbeni Yakubu seemed refreshed following his impressive performance against Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby last week, and it was his clever tactics that led to the foul resulting in a free kick. Baines took the set-piece strike, and
curled in an unstoppable shot over the wall and into the top corner. Spurs goalkeeper Huerelho Gomes had no chance at all to stop the shot, and the side lead 1-0.
Despite not scoring a single goal this season, Peter Crouch remains manager Harry Redknapp’s first choice, with a big reason being his formidable partnership with Van Der Vaart. This partnership struck yet again, when a rare howler by goal keeper Tim Howard
gifted the ball to Crouch, who nodded the ball to Van Der Vaart. The Dutchman then unleashed his powerful right foot just on the goal line to put the things on level terms.
Although both sides maintained a similar sort of possession, it was the home side that created more chance till half time. Luka Modric, who was the captain for the evening, managed a decent effort at goal but was stopped by Howard. Later, Peter Crouch got
a clean header but was denied by the alert shot stopper.
Wilson Palacios, who was booked earlier, was the home side’s first substitution and was replaced by Sandro at half time. However, the Brazilian couldn’t do much on the field, as the Spurs seemed tired from their adventures in Europe. On the other hand, former
Manchester United striker Louis Saha replaced Yakubu up front while Redknapp brought in Pavlyuchenko in favour of Aaron Lennon, who had a lazy evening. However, there were never any clear cut chances for both sides to find the winning goal. Crouch took an
audacious short towards the end of time, while Cahill, who seemed to missing his midfield partner Arteta, took a shot from distance but was wide.
The draw moves Spurs to the third spot, with Arsenal and Manchester United still to play their fixtures tomorrow. Everton remain on the same points as Blackpool and Stoke City, who are also yet to play their respective fixtures. Spurs would have to get used
to results like these owing to the undeniable pressure of the UEFA Champions league and would need to test the depth of the squad in order to have a fresh side for all fixtures.
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