Tottenham moved to within one point of Premier League leaders Arsenal as Harry Kane and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg secured a 2-0 win over Everton.

Having been frustrated for much of Saturday's match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs went ahead when Kane converted a 59th-minute penalty he won after Jordan Pickford's blunder.

Everton had missed the game's best chances prior to that, Amadou Onana and Demarai Gray profligate in the first half.

And any hope for Frank Lampard was extinguished when Hojbjerg's deflected strike settled the contest late on.

5 - Harry Kane has scored in each of his last five Premier League appearances for Tottenham, his longest ever scoring run in the competition. Form. pic.twitter.com/2AI8AnAdJ8

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 15, 2022

A thoroughly dominant Spurs start proffered only one opportunity, with former Everton talisman Richarlison heading over at the back post.

Yet it was Everton who had a golden chance in the 23rd minute – Gray spinning clear of Rodrigo Bentancur, only to lash over when one-on-one with Hugo Lloris.

Onana had a similarly glorious opportunity, and like his team-mate failed to apply an accurate finish after capitalising on slack Spurs defending, before Richarlison prodded over at the other end.

After Richarlison's meeting with his old side was cut short by a calf injury shortly after half-time, Spurs crafted a clear opening as Pickford superbly kept out Kane's volley.

Yet Pickford was at fault as Spurs finally broke through, with the England goalkeeper adjudged to have brought down Kane after spilling Matt Doherty's effort. Tottenham's striker made no mistake from 12 yards.

Kane almost made it two for Tottenham with a brilliant turn and shot, though Pickford reacted sharply.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin's introduction offered a much-needed target for Everton, though Spurs had the points sealed in the 86th minute as Hojbjerg's 15-yard effort found the right corner.

23 - Tottenham (W7 D2 L1) have won 23 points from their 10 Premier League games this season, their highest points tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1963-64 (24 pts – considering 3 pts for a win). Competitive. pic.twitter.com/NL7oS0yby5

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 15, 2022

What does it mean? Spurs grind out another one, but Conte might have got lucky

Tottenham have won their eighth straight home league game, which marks their longest run since a streak of 14 between November 2016 and May 2017. However, they were fortunate Gray and Onana had forgotten their shooting boots before the break, and in truth the key moment might have been when Richarlison's injury forced Antonio Conte to change shape.

Yves Bissouma slotted into a midfield three and allowed Bentancur and Hojbjerg to push up, ultimately overwhelming Everton. If Spurs are to truly click, perhaps Conte needs to tweak his system.

This was the Italian's 50th game in charge of Spurs, and he has won 30 of them, ranking him joint-second out of Tottenham managers, alongside David Pleat and behind only Arthur Rowe (who won 32 of his first 50 matches).

Kane at the heart of it… again

Everton will be sick of the sight of Kane (they would not be the only team, of course).

Kane moved onto nine league goals for the season, trailing only Erling Haaland, and has now scored 14 times in 15 top-flight games against Everton. He was also integral to Spurs' second, winning the ball in midfield and playing the ball to Bentancur who in turn provided the assist to midfield partner Hojbjerg.

Pickford slips up

Bar a fantastic save to deny Kane, Pickford had been untroubled prior to that moment just before the hour, when he failed to collect Doherty's strike.

Kane, the instinctive forward that he is, was on the spot to pounce and, with Pickford desperate to atone, the England captain went down when he felt contact.

According to Opta, before Saturday's game Pickford had not made an error leading to a goal since March – against Tottenham. He did not cover himself in glory this time, and Kane capitalised.

Key Opta facts

- Tottenham have lost just one of their last 20 Premier League fixtures against Everton (W10 D9). Overall, they have won more games (29) and scored more goals (97) against the Toffees than against any other side in the competition.
- Tottenham (W7 D2 L1) have 23 points from 10 Premier League games this season, their highest points tally at this stage of a top-flight campaign since 1963-64 (24 points – considering three points for a win), finishing fourth that season.
- Everton have won just two of their 14 away Premier League games under the leadership of Frank Lampard (D3 L9), with two defeats at Tottenham (also 5-0 in March).
- Antonio Conte has never lost (P7 W5 D2) or conceded a goal against Everton in the Premier League. It is the joint most he has faced a side in the competition without ever losing (also 7 vs Leicester). No manager has taken charge of more games against a specific opponent without ever conceding in the Premier League (Roberto Mancini also tallied 7, vs Wigan).
- Harry Kane has scored in each of his last five Premier League appearances for Tottenham, his longest ever scoring run in the competition. He has also scored 30 of the 34 penalties he has taken for Tottenham in the Premier League, becoming just the fourth player to score 30 or more penalties for a single side in the competition after Frank Lampard (41 for Chelsea), Alan Shearer (37 for Newcastle) and Steven Gerrard (32 for Liverpool).

What's next?

Everton's tough away tests continue with a trip to Newcastle United on Wednesday, while Spurs head to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.