Manager David Moyes oversaw the first victory of his second Everton spell, as the Toffees held on for a 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Goodison Park.
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Iliman Ndiaye were on target for the hosts, who ended a six-match winless streak in the Premier League.
Moyes’ side struck twice inside the opening 30 minutes, with Calvert-Lewin netting his first goal in 16 league games before Ndiaye’s fine individual effort doubled their lead.
An Archie Gray own goal made it 3-0 before the break, but Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison netted late on to ensure a nervy finish for Everton, who held on for victory.
The Toffees remain in 16th place but move four points clear of the relegation zone – the same margin that now separates them from 15th-placed Spurs, who are without a win in six league outings.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 |
Spurs
TOT
|
22 | +10 | 24 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
21 | -10 | 20 |
| 17 |
Wolves
WOL
|
21 | -17 | 16 |
| 18 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
22 | -23 | 16 |
| 19 |
Leicester
LEI
|
22 | -25 | 14 |
How the match unfolded
Everton struck first in the 13th minute as Idrissa Gueye found Calvert-Lewin, who neatly jinked away from three Spurs challenges before slotting past goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky.
The Toffees continued to be positive and after Orel Mangala saw a curling effort tipped against a post, the hosts doubled their lead in the 30th minute. A one-two with Gueye released Ndiaye, who drove at the Spurs defence, beat Radu Dragusin and fired into the roof of the net.
It was 3-0 in first-half stoppage time. Calvert-Lewin could not quite apply the finishing touch after James Tarkowski helped Jesper Lindstrom’s deep ball into the six-yard box, but Gray did, as he turned into his own net.
Despite the introduction of former Everton forward Richarlison at half-time, it was not until the 77th minute that Spurs reduced their arrears as Kulusevski neatly lofted into an empty net.
Richarlison then turned in Mikey Moore’s cross following a well-worked short corner in added time to set up a grandstand finish, but it was too late to deny the hosts a morale-boosting win.
Everton deliver Moyes’ first win of second spell
Ironically, Everton’s last home Premier League victory against Spurs came during the final season of Moyes’ first spell in 2012/13, and it proved a good omen.
The Scot may not have enjoyed a happy homecoming on Wednesday as his first match after returning as manager ended in a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa.
However, his players certainly made up for it four days later, with Lindstrom’s early long-range effort a sign of things to come.
Calvert-Lewin’s dry spell was epitomised when he missed a late chance to equalise against Villa in midweek. But if he was lacking in confidence, it did not show as he took the opportunity to score his first league goal since September with aplomb.
Ndiaye’s moment of individual quality doubled the advantage and when Gray put through his own net, Everton led a Premier League game at half-time by three goals for the first time in nearly eight years.
Although they were given a scare towards the end, the hosts generally maintained their discipline to see out a victory that Moyes will hope proves to be the turning point in their season, which continues away at Brighton & Hove Albion next Saturday.
Spurs’ struggles continue
Without a win in five league games, Spurs’ hopes of ending that streak were dented when Dominic Solanke was ruled out not long before kick-off, adding to their extensive injury woes.
Spurs now have 10 senior players out injured.
The visitors responded well to Calvert-Lewin’s opener. It took a well-timed Tarkowski sliding challenge to deny Son Heung-min, who also shot straight at Jordan Pickford soon after.
However, that positive response stalled when Ndiaye capitalised on the space between their defence and midfield before Gray found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Spurs struggled to generate a decent attacking threat for most of the second half, with their first attempt of the period not coming until the 73rd minute when James Maddison shot high and wide.
Kulusevski – perhaps their best player of the match – offered a glimmer of hope, and Richarlison’s brave finish suddenly gave them a chance of snatching a dramatic point.
But it was too little, too late for Ange Postecoglou’s side, whose desperate need for a league win continues when they host struggling Leicester City next Sunday.
Club reports
What the managers said
Ange Postecoglou: "Yeah difficult result. Obviously first half we really struggled within the game, gave ourselves a mountain to climb. The players tried to claw the game back in the second half but just fell short.
"We couldn’t really take control of the game. We struggled to gain any traction with the ball, without the ball. We had some chances also where we probably should have capitalised early on. But in the end it wasn’t enough."
David Moyes: "It feels fantastic. It has been a relatively difficult week with two games against difficult opponents. We didn't do too bad in midweek but we did a really good job today, especially in the first half."
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Key facts
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s goal was his first in the Premier League since September 2024 (v Aston Villa), putting an end to a 16-match run without one in the competition. His goal was also his 57th in the Premier League overall, moving him above Tim Cahill (56) and into third for Everton, with only Romelu Lukaku (68) and Duncan Ferguson (60) scoring more in the competition for the Toffees than him.
Everton led by 3+ goals at half-time in a Premier League match at Goodison Park for the first time since going in at the break 3-0 up vs Bournemouth in February 2017 under Ronald Koeman.
Tottenham Hotspur have lost each of their first three Premier League matches of a calendar year for the first time since a run of seven in 1994.
This was Spurs' 12th defeat in the Premier League this season, making it only the sixth season that Spurs have lost as many 12 games from their first 22 matches of a league season, and the first since 1997/98 (also 12 defeats).
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the first Everton player to score a Premier League goal under David Moyes since Steven Naismith netted 11 years and 245 days ago for the Toffees v Chelsea (May 2013).
