Tottenham earned their fourth consecutive Premier League victory with a stunning 2-6 victory over Everton on Sunday.
After an exhilarating start to the game, Everton were able to open the scoring after 20 minutes through Theo Walcott. The former Arsenal man drifted into the box unmarked and steered the ball beyond Hugo Lloris after it was squared to him by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
That lead lasted just six minutes before Tottenham were able to draw level. Son Heung-Min capitalised on a mix up between Kurt Zouma and Jordan Pickford before curling a shot into the empty Everton goal from a very tight angle.
Tottenham then went about turning the game on its head, scoring two goals before the half-time interval. First Dele Alli found the back of the net after a decent Pickford save and then Harry Kane got in on the act, scoring another rebound when Christian Eriksen fired a free-kick against the post.
The goals continued to fly in at both ends after the restart. Eriksen extended Spurs' lead with a stunning half-volley before Gylfi Sigurdsson pulled one back for the hosts.
Son then grabbed his second and Tottenham's fifth to restore their three goal lead, finishing off a swift attack with a composed finish through the legs of Pickford. Not to be left out, Kane got a brace of his own with around 15 minutes left on the clock, latching on to a cross from Son.
That proved to be the last action of the game, with Everton unable to pull any more goals back despite a late assault on the Tottenham goal.
EVERTON
Key Talking Point
Everton have been struggling of late and had failed to pick up a win in any of their previous four matches heading into this one.
Marco Silva was certainly brave to line up with such attacking intent, but that approach proved to be rather naive. Their high defensive line left far too much space for the Tottenham forwards to run into, directly leading to Spurs' opening two goals.
There were signs that the Toffees will be able to bring their winless run to an end sooner rather than later, but they have to make sure they are far more switched on in their defensive third.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Pickford (4); Coleman (5), Keane (5), Zouma (5), Digne (6); Davies (5), Gomes (6), Walcott (6), Sigurdsson (6), Richarlison (5), Calvert-Lewin (6).
Substitutes: Schneiderlin (5), Bernard (6), Tosun (N/A).
Star Man - Gylfi Sigurdsson
There weren't many decent performances on show for Everton, but Sigurdsson was their standout performer on account of his admirable work rate in midfield.
He also got onto the score sheet with an impressive finish in the second half, which is his eighth goal in all competitions - highlighting just how important he is for the Toffees.
Gylfi Sigurdsson for Everton this season...
— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) December 23, 2018
- Games: 19
- Goals: 8
- Assists: 2
A goal or an assist every 154 minutes in all competitions!#EFC#EVETOT pic.twitter.com/wYKZlCXy25
That was an absolute mess. Awful tactics from the manager I'm afraid, high line against this lot with our back line? All players not good enough except Sigurdsson and Calvert-Lewin. #EFC #EVETOT
— Everton Rando (@RandoEFC) December 23, 2018
Worst Player - Jordan Pickford
Pickford wasn't entirely culpable for Tottenham's opening goal as Kurt Zouma didn't cover himself in glory either, but the England number one simply shouldn't have been so far out of his box.
Pickford has now made three errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season - no player in the league has made more.
TOTTENHAM
Key Talking Point
Tottenham have been going about their business very efficiently this season and, minus one or two shaky performances against the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal, have been looking incredibly sharp.
They took some time to get into their stride, but once they found an equalising goal in their first-half, they looked utterly irresistible going forward. The win means that Mauricio Pochettino's side have won nine of their 11 Premier League away matches this season, which is a remarkable record.
Competing for the Premier League title may be a little ambitious, but Tottenham are in a
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Lloris (6); Trippier (5), Alderweireld (6), Sanchez (6), Davies (6); Winks (6), Sissoko (6), Eriksen (8), Alli (7), Son (9*); Kane (8).
Substitutes: Lamela (7), Skipp (6), Moura (N/A).
Star Man - Son Heung-Min
Tottenham will be hoping that South Korea end up crashing out of the 2019 Asian Cup very quickly, because they will not want Son to be away for very long in January.
He has been outstanding recently and once again he played a starring role in the Tottenham forward line. His clever movement and link-up play caused the Everton defence all sorts of problems and he demonstrated just how clinical he can be when he is given too much space.
50 - Son Heung-Min has now been directly involved in 50 Premier League goals in 112 appearances for Spurs, scoring 35 and assisting 15. Super. #EVETOT pic.twitter.com/9tz9ewKgtN
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 23, 2018
Always felt that Son is the unsung hero of this team. Really glad to see other fans appreciating how good a player he is. #EVETOT #COYS
— Dan Curtis (@Dancurtis87) December 23, 2018
Son Heung-min is one of those players that is just a joy to watch. Fast, skilful, great finisher: just has a really kind, happy face too. Looks like he’s really nice to his mum. #EVETOT
— MUNDIAL (@MundialMag) December 23, 2018
Worst Player - Kieran Trippier
Trippier has been exposed on a few occasions this season and he had one or two very unconvincing moments at the back, particularly in the first-half.
It mattered for little in the end, and Pochettino may be wary of the fact that the England right-back is looking very vulnerable when under pressure at the back.
Looking Ahead
Both sides have a very short break before they are back in action on Boxing Day. Everton travel to face lowly Burnley, whilst Tottenham welcome Bournemouth to Wembley Stadium.
Source : 90min