Everton sink Tottenham with first-half blitz to give David Moyes first win | Premier League

The final scoreline indicates a fightback from Tottenham, a spirited revival that left Everton desperately clinging on for their first win under David Moyes and showed spirit still thrives under Ange Postecoglou. The final scoreline is misleading. Spurs paid the price for an atrocious first half performance at Goodison Park as their winless sequence extended to six Premier League games.

Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison struck in the final 15 minutes to give some credibility to the score but this, in truth, was a comfortable afternoon’s work for an Everton team in serious need of a jolt. Spurs and Moyes’ tactics gave them one.

The Scot had two days to work with the players before the home defeat by Aston Villa on Wednesday, when the shape, personnel and lack of quality in attack were all too familiar to the Goodison regulars. What a difference the rest of the week made. For the second game of his second coming as Everton manager, Moyes handed a Premier League debut to Jake O’Brien on the right of three-man central defence and switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation. The results were revelatory. From the performance of Jesper Lindstrom as a right wing-back to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s presence up front, Everton’s composure on the ball to their willingness to put bodies on the line, the hosts were unrecognisable.

The Everton cause was helped, no doubt, by a truly pitiful first-half display by Tottenham. With Dominic Solanke injured Postecoglou claimed he had only 11 match fit players for the trip to Goodison, a ground where Spurs had not lost in the Premier League since December 2012, when Moyes was previously Everton manager. The most glaring absentees from the visiting ranks were defensive organisation and character. Spurs’ attitude was pathetic. ‘We want Levy out’ chants emanated from the away section long before Everton sauntered into a 3-0 interval lead but a basic lack of fight and effort is not on the boardroom. The boos that accompanied Postecoglou’s team down the tunnel at half-time was the sound of Spurs’ fans confirming as much.

Spurs helped Calvert-Lewin end his personal torment after 13 minutes. The centre-forward had gone 16 games without a goal prior to their visit and felt the wrath of Goodison after missing a glorious late chance to equalise against Villa. There were no signs of a lack of confidence, however, when Calvert-Lewin received Idrissa Gueye’s slide-rule pass into the penalty area, turned Archie Gray one way, then the other, and slotted a cool finish inside Antonin Kinsky’s near post. The origin of Calvert-Lewin’s first league goal for 1288 minutes was a careless cross-field pass by Pape Sarr to Lindstrom, who had already had a shot tipped away by Kinsky. Everton did not look back.

The hosts’ second was also well-worked and confidently dispatched. Iliman Ndiaye exchanged passes with Gueye, a dominant figure in midfield, and set off from the half-way line against a retreating Spurs defence. Once inside the penalty area he stepped easily across Radu Dragusin and lashed an emphatic shot into the roof of Kinsky’s net. It was Ndiaye’s first Premier League goal at Goodison since his £16.9m move from Marseille.

Everton created several openings to register a third before it eventually arrived. Calvert-Lewin was played clean through on goal by Jarrad Branthwaite’s searching ball but a heavy second touch off his third gifted possession to Kinsky. The striker teed up Orel Mangala for a first time effort that the Spurs’ keeper tipped onto a post. Lindstrom kept the ball alive and centred for Calvert-Lewin to head straight at Kinsky. James Tarkowski met a Lindstrom free-kick with a diving header but directed his attempt straight at the goalkeeper. Spurs initially dealt with the subsequent corner from Lindstrom. The on-loan Napoli winger was given a second bite, however, and delivered a deep cross to the far post where Tarkowski headed back across goal. Calvert-Lewin flicked on and the unfortunate Gray sliced the ball into his own net. Moyes’ name finally rang around Goodison once again.

The threat from Tottenham until that point had been minimal. Son Heung-min was offered sight of Jordan Pickford’s goal when played through by Ben Davies’ long ball over the top. Tarkowski intervened with a superb challenge inside the area. The Spurs captain should have levelled moments later when Pedro Porro dissecting the Everton defence with a fine ball into Kulusevski and the forward teed up Son near the penalty spot. The striker looked certain to score but placed his shot too close to Pickford, who gathered comfortably.

Postecoglou introduced former Everton striker Richarlison for Dragusin at half-time. The defender needed lengthy treatment for an eye injury just before the break when caught by Calvert-Lewin’s raised arm but the switch was necessary regardless. It sparked an improvement from Spurs, so too the later introduction of Mikey Moore, but it would be a stretch to suggest the final scoreline showed they pushed Everton to the limit. Kulusevski reduced the arrears with a superb finish after Pickford came off his line to challenge the otherwise anonymous James Maddison. The ball broke to Moore and, though his shot was charged down, Kulusevski lofted the rebound over several Everton defenders and in from close range.

Richarlison caused late palpitations among the home crowd when poking home a Moore cross in the final seconds but this was no late charge from Spurs. Postecoglou looks in serious trouble.