Tottenham 0 - 0 Everton: Spurs keep the ball, Everton keep the point

Tottenham and Everton drew 0-0 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 12, 2026, a result that says plenty about both sides after four Premier League matches.

For Everton, this was a useful away point, managed without ever needing to dominate the ball. David Moyes left London with his side still unbeaten, now 7th on 6 points. For Tottenham, coached by T. Frank, the concern is sharper: four league games, no wins, no goals, and 17th in the table with 2 points.

Tottenham had 62% possession, 644 passes and 14 shots. Everton had less of the ball and fewer passes, but more shots on target. That was the match in one line: Spurs owned territory; Everton owned the better resistance.

Set-ups and starting XIs

Both teams started in a 4-2-3-1.

Tottenham, T. Frank, 4-2-3-1: A. Kinský; A. Gray, J. van Hecke, M. van de Ven, A. Robertson; R. Bentancur, S. Tonali; Sávio, Mateus Fernandes, Omar Marmoush; D. Solanke.

Everton, D. Moyes, 4-2-3-1: J. Pickford; A. Maitland-Niles, J. Tarkowski, J. Branthwaite, V. Mykolenko; H. Armstrong, J. Garner; B. Johnson, K. Dewsbury-Hall, Tyrique George; T. Barry.

The mirror shapes made the midfield crowded from the start. Tottenham built through J. van Hecke and S. Tonali, with A. Robertson giving width and Sávio asked to make things happen between Everton's full-back and centre-back. Everton were narrower, more patient, and more willing to let Tottenham pass in front of them.

Possession without the punch

Tottenham's issue was not control. It was threat.

J. van Hecke completed 103 accurate passes from 106 attempted, a sign of how often Spurs were able to recycle possession. Tonali also gave them order, completing 83 of 88 passes and adding one key pass. Robertson was one of the few Spurs players to give the attack real edge, with two key passes and constant width on the left.

But D. Solanke was isolated. He played 63 minutes, had no shots, and won only one of eight duels. That mattered. Tottenham could move the ball into the final third, but once it arrived there, Everton's centre-backs held the line and the move often died.

Sávio was Tottenham's most dangerous carrier. He made seven dribble attempts, completed four and produced four key passes. He did not find the breakthrough, but he was the player most likely to disturb Everton's shape.

For Everton, J. Tarkowski and J. Branthwaite were central to the point. Tarkowski won eight of nine duels, while Branthwaite gave Everton calm beside him. V. Mykolenko was also important, making seven tackles and three interceptions. That was not glamorous work, but it was exactly what Moyes needed away from home.

The benches moved the match, not the score

T. Frank went early and hard.

In the 63rd minute, Tottenham made a triple change: L. Bergvall came on for R. Bentancur, M. Tel replaced D. Solanke, and M. Kudus came on for Mateus Fernandes. The message was clear: more speed, more risk, more one-v-one ability.

Kudus gave Spurs some lift. In 27 minutes he completed two dribbles from two attempts, won four of five duels and made one key pass. Bergvall also added a shot on target. The changes made Tottenham livelier, but not cleaner.

Everton answered in the 65th minute, with J. Grealish replacing Tyrique George. Then, in the 75th minute, Moyes made two more changes: H. Hackney came on for B. Johnson, and J. O'Brien replaced A. Maitland-Niles. Those substitutions helped Everton slow the rhythm and protect the draw.

Tottenham added J. Maddison for Omar Marmoush in the 77th minute, then T. Adarabioyo for A. Gray in the 85th minute. Still, no goal came.

Discipline and tension

The frustration showed late.

K. Dewsbury-Hall was booked for a foul in the 68th minute. J. Garner followed with a yellow card for a foul in the 84th minute. Tottenham also had a bench booking for dissent recorded in the 87th minute, another sign of how tight and irritable the closing spell became.

Garner's booking should not obscure his influence. He made six tackles, won 10 of 15 duels, drew four fouls and gave Everton midfield bite. In a match where Tottenham wanted rhythm, Garner kept breaking it.

Match statistics

The numbers are brutal for Spurs. Fourteen shots, only two on target. Eight blocked efforts. That tells the story of an attack finding bodies, not gaps.

Everton, by contrast, had 12 shots and three on target with only 38% of the ball. They did not need to look fluent to look dangerous.

What it means

Everton remain unbeaten after four games, with one win and three draws. Moyes will take that package without hesitation: 6 points, 7th place, 5 goals scored, 3 conceded, and another away result that strengthens belief.

Tottenham are in a different conversation. They are 17th, still without a league goal this season, and their form reads DDLL. The defensive work was good enough for a clean sheet, with A. Kinský making three saves, but the attack again failed to provide the release.

At the top, Arsenal are already setting a punishing pace after their latest win, covered here: Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal: Bruno Guimarães changes the game as Arsenal stay perfect. Tottenham are looking the other way for now, not at the title race, but at how quickly they can get out of the lower reaches.

Next step is simple, not easy: Spurs need a goal. Everton need to turn draws into wins. This match gave both managers evidence, but only Moyes will feel the documents are moving in the right direction.