Tottenham v Everton

Since losing 5-1 to Manchester City, Spurs have won eight of nine domestic home games with their only failure to do so coming courtesy of a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

They have the chance to draw level on points with second-placed Manchester United, a dream scenario so deep into the season, and are worthy 4/7 favourites to do so by beating an injury-plagued Everton outfit. David Moyes could be without Phil Jagielka, Tim Cahill, Seamus Coleman, Jack Rodwell, Tony Hibbert, Leon Osman and Ross Barkley for the trip south so despite having picked up seven points from a possible 12 on the road of late, they’re very hard to fancy.

The question is, which is the best way to get a home win on-side, without smashing into that perfectly fair 4/7 quote? Our answer is to back Spurs to win to nil, despite the expected absence of William Gallas. Having struggled defensively early-on this season, Harry Redknapp’s side have won six of their last nine games without conceding and this game could follow a similar pattern to when Aston Villa visited in November, creating little on their way to a 2-0 defeat.

The other angles are to back Spurs on the handicap minus a goal at a similar price, while Spurs HT-FT strikes at a similar ratio, but well-drilled Everton are equipped to keep this close without perhaps threatening much at the other end. Rafael van der Vaart has scored both times he’s faced the Toffees and is another 6/4 poke worth considering, but the best of the bunch is Spurs to keep a clean sheet on their way to another three points.

Verdict: Tottenham 2 Everton 0