Ronald Koeman praised his players for answering the ‘mental question’ posed by Tottenham after holding the North London club to a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park on the opening day of the Premier League season.
The Merseyside outfit impressed with a lively, organised display in a first half that saw Ross Barkley's fifth-minute free-kick give them the lead and Gerard Deulofeu's attempt to add a second in the closing stages thwarted by Michel Vorm.
But having offered little, Spurs then snatched an equaliser just before the hour mark via Erik Lamela's header, and the visitors almost won it late on, with two superb saves by Maarten Stekelenburg keeping out a shot from substitute Vincent Janssen and a deflected Lamela strike.