Moore the merrier as American's debut goal saves Everton record

EVERTON 2-2 TottenhamHotspur American striker Joe-Max Moore grabbed his first goal in English soccer to save Everton's unbeaten home league record.

Moore was brought on as a late substitute for Francis Jeffers with nine minutes to go as manager Walter Smith's last throw of the dice.

And in injury-time the 28-year-old international, who last saw serious action with New England Revolution, slammed home the equaliser to deny Spurs.

The Everton faithful had booed as Jeffers was hauled off. but it was not long before they were cheering for Moore, as he marked his goalscoring arrival in the Premiership.

Smith joked: "That was a brilliant substitution!" before adding: "I'm using Moore as a late substitute at the moment because he has had so little match practice.

"The US season finished weeks ago and he has missed so many matches. Even since he's arrived here there has been little chance for him to play reserve games to build up any match fitness."

Moore's signing was a gamble by Smith, on the advice of Richard Gough who has played against Moore in the States.

Everton were slipping to their first home defeat and Spurs will no doubt claim they had done enough to deserve a win.

But these days Everton don't give in so easily. From the start, Everton imposed themselves on the game, with Spurs failing to have an on-target shot until their 24th-minute equaliser.

Before that Everton had created and wasted a string of chances and, once gone, it was a period of dominance they found difficult to recreate.

The visitors, who may not be the prettiest side around, mix the flair of Ginola with muscle and effort of Tim Sherwood and Steffen Iversen, while Chris Perry and Sol Campbell stick doggedly to their task at the back.

With England boss Kevin Keegan in attendance, Everton pressed early. After a minute, Jeffers headed narrowly wide from David Weir's cross, and then within seconds Don Hutchison lashed over a low cross that Kevin Campbell and Mark Pembridge missed by inches in the six- yard box.

Jeffers wasted another chance when put clear by David Watson before they finally took the lead after 22 minutes. The slick passing of Barmby, Jeffers and Hutchison carved a hole down the right, and Hutchison's first-time cross was powered home by Campbell with a thunderous header on the run.

Everton, though, were caught cold straight from the re-start. They gave away a free-kick just outside their box, whipped in to the area by Sherwood for Sol Campbell to head against the post and Chris Armstrong to force home the ball on the line.

Everton, from being masterful and creative, became tentative in an instant, and George Graham side's do not waste that sort of opportunity.

They pressed, probed and were ahead after 29 minutes. Ginola, out on the right, sent in a cross that struck Watson and ballooned high into the air before dropping over Paul Gerrard into the net.

Spurs could easily have had a third a minute before the break when Sherwood's pass set up Iversen, with Gerrard having to dive bravely at his feet.

Not surprisingly, Spurs dug in after the break. Justin Edinburgh, Sherwood and Stephen Clemence, - plus Hutchison and Watson - were all booked in a fractious 15-minute spell.

Graham dragged off Ginola as the studs began to fly and put on Allan Nielsen to add even more of a competitive edge. It took Nielsen just eight minutes to get his name in the book.

Everton could not find their old spark and Jeffers had lost his way against Campbell and Perry, but he cannot have enjoyed being substituted under Keegan's gaze with nine minutes left. However, in the first of four injury-time minutes, the substition worked.

Mark Pembridge hurled a long throw into the box, it dropped inside the six-yard box and everybody froze - except Moore. He spun to lash the ball high into the net and Everton's home record was safe.

A disappointed Graham said: "We started sluggishly, but we showed tremendous character to defend like that after getting ourselves in front.

"The lads are very low and upset in the dressing room to lose points again in the last few minutes. It was very late when Chelsea scored to beat us in midweek, and now we lose an equaliser in injury time.

"Everton put us under a lot of pressure, but we handled it all very well until that one last long throw. It wasn't a fair reflection on how we played."

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