LONDON (UPI) — Tottenham Hotspur moved up to the No. 8 position in the Premier League standings after a narrow win against Everton in London.
Spurs earned the 1-0 victory due to an own goal from Everton defender Michael Keane Monday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Spurs had just one win in their previous nine games before Monday’s triumph.
“I feel very happy with the points because we needed them so much,” Spurs manager Jose Mourinho told SpursTV. “I feel very happy with the team’s reaction after such a bad performance that we had against Sheffield United.
“It’s not an artistic performance, not a performance of incredible talent, incredible quality, but it’s a team performance against a very good team.”
Spurs and Everton were scoreless midway through the first half prior to the 24th-minute miscue. Star striker Harry Kane was in the box at the start of the sequence. The Spurs forward received a pass and took a shot toward the Everton goal. The attempt was deflected away by the defense before it landed at the feet of the Spurs’ Giovani Lo Celso.
Lo Celso turned and took a quick shot. The attempt went past one defender but hit Keane as he ran in to defend. The deflected shot then went into the near-post netting as Everton keeper Jordan Pickford dove to the other side of the goal.
“When you play against this team, with this quality and energy, you have to do more,” Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti told EvertonTV.
“The performance was normal, not fantastic. I was sure before the game we could perform better.”
Spurs battle Bournemouth at 1 p.m. EDT Thursday in Bournemouth, England.
Reporting by Alex Butler
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