Kane helps Spurs beat Everton but can Conte's lack of rotation last?

LONDON -- Tottenham Hotspur bushed Everton arsenic Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored to unafraid a 2-0 triumph connected Saturday to gully level connected points with second-placed Manchester City successful the Premier League.

Spurs struggled to enactment themselves into the lead, lone earning their breakthrough from a Jordan Pickford mistake arsenic helium brought down Kane for the 60th infinitesimal spot-kick aft Frank Lampard's Everton missed bully opportunities successful the archetypal half.

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Conte's broadside made definite of triumph 4 minutes from clip arsenic Hojbjerg struck a precocious blow. Midfield spouse Bentancur recovered Hojbjerg successful the container and the Danish midfielder sent a deflected changeable past Pickford to wrapper up each 3 points for Spurs.

JUMP TO: Player ratings | Best/worst performers | Highlights and notable moments | Post-match quotes | Key stats | Upcoming fixtures

Rapid Reaction

1. Tottenham triumph again but tin Conte's deficiency of rotation truly last?

Any casual observers would beryllium forgiven for reasoning Tottenham lone had astir 16 players. Despite the instrumentality of Champions League shot this season, Conte is minimally rotating positions, mostly astatine left-sided centre-back, near wing-back and connected the close broadside of his onslaught successful the preferred 3-4-3 system. Those were the 3 positions successful which helium changed unit against Everton connected Saturday and aft a promising opening 10 minutes, Spurs were level for agelong periods.

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They did nutrient amended spells successful the 2nd fractional to grind retired a 2-0 win, but it is hard not to deliberation fatigue could beryllium a origin -- particularly fixed Conte's notoriously gruelling grooming regime. Nevertheless, Tottenham recovered a mode to triumph erstwhile more, their seventh triumph from 10 league games, to determination wrong 1 constituent of Arsenal having played a crippled extra.

This was different lawsuit of Spurs dragging themselves implicit the enactment alternatively than impressing with the authorization of their show but Conte's methodology is vindicated by the stats: it's their highest points full aft 10 games since 1963-64, having won 11 of past 12 league location games dating to past season. The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is proving a hard spot for immoderate squad to travel close now.

2. Kane nets different punishment successful 400th crippled but Richarlison disappoints

The England skipper is getting plentifulness of punishment signifier earlier the World Cup. Saturday saw Kane instrumentality his 5th spot-kick of the month, converting for the 4th clip aft 59 minutes present to interruption the deadlock successful an adjacent crippled anterior to that moment. It marked his 400th quality for Tottenham successful the astir affirmative way, much truthful than Richarlison against his erstwhile club.

The Brazilian scored 43 goals successful 135 Premier League games for Everton anterior to joining Spurs this summertime successful a £60 cardinal deal. He was thing of a astonishment inclusion present fixed the genu wounded helium sustained against Marseille successful midweek but past again, Dejan Kulusevski was ruled retired wholly and, arsenic already discussed, Conte is presently not considering galore options extracurricular of what helium sees arsenic a halfway radical wrong the first-team squad. Richarlison was a peripheral fig -- attempting conscionable 4 passes and 3 shots successful 52 minutes earlier limping disconnected with what appeared to beryllium a calf problem.

Everton really had the amended chances successful the archetypal fractional and Richarlison's wounded prompted Conte to present Yyes Bissouma and power to a 3-5-2 signifier which helped Spurs enforce themselves thereafter. The information some Rodrigo Bentancur and Hojbjerg vacated cardinal midfield to harvester for Tottenham's 2nd extremity was a payment of this change.

3. Pickford falters arsenic Everton's advancement slows

A week ago, Everton had the champion antiaircraft grounds successful the division. Successive defeats against Manchester United and present Tottenham person dented the committedness created by that tally with Jordan Pickford efficaciously handing an vantage to Spurs with a infinitesimal of mediocre goalkeeping.

Pickford failed to clasp Matt Doherty's tame changeable and past collided with Kane arsenic helium reacted to the rebound, conceding a punishment which turned the crippled irrevocably successful the location side's favour.

Pickford is apt to stay England's No. 1 for the World Cup but Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale and Newcastle's Nick Pope are making pressing cases to regenerate him. High-profile errors similar this volition not assistance nine oregon country.

Player ratings

Tottenham: Lloris 7, Romero 7, Dier 7, Davies 7, Doherty 7, Bentancur 7, Hojbjerg 8, Perisic 7, Richarlison 6, Kane 7, Son 7.
Subs: Bissouma 6, Moura 6, Spence 6, Moura 6.

Everton: Pickford 5, Coleman 6, Coady 6, Tarkowski 7, Mykolenko 6, Iwobi 6, Gueye 6, Onana 6, McNeil 6, Maupay 5, Gray 6.
Subs: Calvert-Lewin 6, Garner 6, Rondon 6.

Best and worst performers

BEST: Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tottenham.

Gave Spurs a consciousness of power successful midfield and capped his show with a well-taken 2nd goal, steering a changeable past Pickford into the apical corner.

WORST: Jordan Pickford, Everton.

One mistake compounded the different arsenic helium talented Tottenham their important opening goal.

Highlights and notable moments

A singular accomplishment for the captain.

After the match: What the managers, players said

Spurs' Harry Kane connected his punishment against Jordan Pickford, to BT Sport: "Whenever you miss a punishment the adjacent 1 is the astir important one. I've practiced truthful galore against Jordan and I consciousness similar I'm coming up againat a batch of English keepers this season. It was bully to get that one, it was truly important."

Everton's Amadou Onana connected the loss, to BT Sport: "That punishment broke america down mentally but we haven't got clip to consciousness atrocious for ourselves. We've got to bounce backmost astatine Newcastle."

Key Stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- Harry Kane has reached the 30-goal plateau from the punishment spot, becoming the 4th Premier League subordinate to execute this (Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard).

Up next

Tottenham: Spurs sojourn Old Trafford adjacent connected Oct. 19 and past Newcastle connected Oct. 23. With Manchester United successful 5th spot and Newcastle successful 6th, Conte's broadside volition beryllium enactment to the trial to clasp onto their 3rd spot spot. Spurs volition past big Sporting successful the Champions League, erstwhile a triumph volition each but corroborate their qualification into the knockout stage.

Everton: Frank Lampard's broadside sojourn an in-form Newcastle adjacent connected Oct. 19, followed by a location lucifer against Crystal Palace connected Oct. 22, and past a sojourn to Fulham Oct. 29. Everton is nether unit this play to execute aft past season's relegations scare, and players specified arsenic Iwobi and Calvert-Lewin volition beryllium expected to measurement up.