Graham Poll, the referee, left with enough whistles in his ears to cause tinnitus. But the man left with the sorest head last night was surely David Moyes.

Everton lost the chance to go second in the Premiership by going down to an inferior Tottenham side in a fractious game in which Poll’s lenient policing of the Londoners was a key factor. Soon after the French defender Noe Pamarot put Spurs in front, heading in their first goal in more than six hours of Premiership football from a Robbie Keane cross, Jamie Redknapp and Jermain Defoe escaped proper censure for gruesome tackles. Defoe, who went in two-footed on Weir, was guilty of impetuosity but there was something altogether more calculating about Redknapp’s offence. Having waited for the ball to depart he drilled his studs into the side of Tim Cahill’s knee. It was the kind of thing that keeps knee surgeons in work, and Cahill was in hospital last night being checked out for ligament damage. Redknapp offered him a hand of apology as he hobbled off, but both players knew what had gone on and Cahill brushed him aside.

“I don’t think for a minute Redknapp is that type of player but, oh dear, have you seen the replays?” said Moyes. “Most referees would have given a red card. In the case of Defoe, I think he kicks David up the backside and then fouls him with both feet off the ground.”

Like Redknapp, Defoe received a caution when he could have had no complaints with a sending off. So, a different referee, or perhaps the same referee on a different day, might have reduced Spurs to nine men.

Everton’s threat petered in the face of resistance organised by the increasingly regal Ledley King. Keane could have garnished Tottenham’s first win in six years at Goodison with a second goal in stoppage time but spooned the ball into the stand. “That’s football,” said Jacques Santini, offering a cliché that, coming from a shrugging Frenchman, somehow seemed philosophical. “Against Norwich we played well and had seven or eight chances to score.

Today, including Keane, we only had two and Everton could have won the game.”

Addressing the Redknapp and Defoe clash, he said: “When players are tired, it’s difficult to control their actions. I don’t think Redknapp or Defoe wanted to hurt their players.”

Cahill, along with Leon Osman, had been Everton’s prime attacking force. After a poor first 15 minutes he brought life to the game when he beat Noureddine Naybet to head against the post. Cahill then cut past Atouba to bend an inswinging cross that was met by Osman, who headed straight at Robinson. There was no fluency to Tottenham’s passing and Defoe grew irritable, his mood not helped when, having gone down mid-dribble, Poll refused him a penalty. Everton, however, had an even better claim when Marcus Bent went over Edman’s knee.

Pamarot’s goal was the first Everton had conceded in 495 minutes of Premiership play. Spurs worked the ball to Keane who crossed for Pamarot to head home from 12 yards.

Edman was knocked momentarily unconscious later following a touchline clash with Osman, but it was Poll who needed the smelling salts.

STAR MAN: Ledley King (Tottenham)

Player ratings. Everton: Martyn 6, Hibbert 6, Weir 7, Stubbs 7, Pistone 6 (McFadden 77min, 5), Carsley 6 (Ferguson 58min, 6), Osman 7, Cahill 7 (Watson 63min, 5), Gravesen 7, Kilbane 6, Bent 6

Tottenham: Robinson 7, Pamarot 7, Naybet 6, King 8, Edman 6 (Gardener 69min, 6), Davies 6, Redknapp 6, Mendes 5, Atouba 5, Keane 5, Defoe 6 (Ziegler 80min, 5)

Scorer: Tottenham: Pamarot 53

Referee: G Poll

Attendance: 38,264

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