Tottenham 0, Everton 1: Identity crisis doesn't put off Steven Pienaar

That it came via a fortuitous deflection off home full-back Vedran Corluka should not be allowed to detract from a deserved victory; the visitors had the better chances and were the better team.

All of which begs the question: will the real Everton please stand up?

Consistency has been a problem for Moyes.

The relatively small size of the squad and a glut of injuries have worked against the Goodison manager, and there was little relief from the latter yesterday.

Winning at White Hart Lane must seem like catching a bus for Everton supporters - after waiting for so long, three have come along in quick succession.

Unfortunately for Moyes, the same could be said about injuries to his strikers.

Yakubu lasted just 11 minutes before hobbling off with what transpired as a ruptured Achilles in his right leg, instantly ruling the Nigerian out for the rest of the campaign.

That was bad enough without substitute Louis Saha, who replaced Yakubu, later being carried from the field on a stretcher after his hamstrings failed for a second successive game.

With James Vaughan out until the New Year, Moyes is facing a striker crisis that it would seem only a dip into the January transfer window can solve.

Pienaar had, to considerable mirth and much embarrassment, taken to the field for the start of the second half wearing a shirt with the name and number of Leon Osman emblazoned on the back before being sent back to the dressing room by referee Steve Bennett to change.

But the South African's wardrobe malfunction was a rare error on an afternoon in which he and his team-mates brought Tottenham's revival under new manager Harry Redknapp to a shuddering halt.

Pienaar, back from a knee injury that forced him to miss last Monday's debacle, was effervescent, floating around the field with real intent in a midfield in which Mikel Arteta, operating in a central role, was far brighter than in recent weeks alongside Marouane Fellaini, who continues to improve.

With a defence magnificently marshalled by Phil Jagielka, there was never any chance of Harry Redknapp securing another success over Everton this season having overseen Portsmouth's 3-0 win at Goodison back in August.

Perhaps mindful of the manner in which Everton were ultimately overrun in the centre of field at Wigan last week, Moyes reverted to a five-man midfield with Yakubu the lone striker.

The Nigerian's unfortunate injury pressed substitute Saha into unexpectedly early service, and the French forward had Everton's best chance of the first half a minute before the interval when directing an inviting header straight at Heurelho Gomes from Arteta's left-wing cross.

After an opening half-hour in which both goalkeepers were largely redundant, the game sparked into life in the 34th minute. Fellaini dispossessed a dawdling Tom Huddlestone, and his forceful run down the left ended with a cross Gomes, with the help of his defenders, scrambled clear.

Tottenham then broke quickly, with Darren Bent feeding a diagonal pass to Aaron Lennon who, coming in off the right, fired woefully high and wide from a good position.

Under-fire goalkeeper Gomes has been a source of such comedy of late, and Everton almost capitalise on his unsteady hands in the 39th minute.

With the Tottenham defence unwisely retreating, Fellaini unleashed a dipping volley from 20 yards that Gomes parried back into play and, after the ball was not properly cleared, the Everton midfielder returned another drive the goalkeeper fumbled behind for a corner.

Bent then wasted a decent opening when, with more time than he realised, the striker shot hurriedly first-time at Howard after Roman Pavlyuchenko had stepped over a Benoit Assou-Ekotto cross.

Given that Everton had previously played 16 away league games during the calendar year and only conceded first-half goals in two of them, a goalless scoreline at the interval should have come as no surprise.

But they wasted no time in forging ahead six minutes after the break. Lennon fouled Arteta 30 yards from goal on the Everton left and, from the Spaniard's quickly-taken free-kick, Pienaar lashed a shot that deflected off Corluka to deceive Gomes and nestle into the Tottenham net.

The home side rarely threatened an equaliser.

And when they did find a way through a solid Everton back-line, American goalkeeper Tim Howard continued his fine form from last week with a strong left hand to prevent Pavlyuchenko converting Bentley's low cross.

Indeed, with Gomes parrying a Pienaar drive and then bravely saving at the feet of the South African to reach Leon Osman's throughball, Everton appeared the more likely to score again.

Substitute Victor Anichebe almost made the game safe in the closing stages when firing wide from a Fellaini pass, before, with Jagielka impressing, the visitors saw out six minutes of injury time with relative comfort.

A victory, then. But not the ideal way Moyes would have wanted to celebrate his 300th game in charge at Goodison.