Everton's unbeaten start to the 2026/27 Premier League season continued with a 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening in North London.

The Toffees have picked up one win and three draws from the opening four matches of the campaign, which supporters may well have taken before a ball was kicked.

There may be some frustration that the team failed to beat Spurs, though, because summer signing Brennan Johnson had a huge chance to find the back of the net, and blazed his shot high and wide of the goal unmarked.

The overall mood should be positive, however, because the Toffees continued their unbeaten run and kept a clean sheet against the Lilywhites.

The key to Everton's draw with Spurs

Spurs spent plenty of money to bulk up Roberto De Zerbi's squad during the summer transfer window, paying £100m for Sandro Tonali, £85m for Mateus Fernandes, £75m for Savio, and £52m for Jan Paul van Hecke.

The issue for Tottenham is that they have signed a lot of players who want the ball to their feet and do not have explosive players who can run past defenders or make lightning runs in behind to trouble a defence.

That meant that David Moyes could set his team up to be centrally compact, knowing that Spurs would struggle to find answers to that with their lack of explosiveness, and it worked perfectly, as James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite dominated the box.

Spurs paid £185m to sign Fernandes and Tonali to bolster their midfield, and the pair combined for no goals, no 'big chances' created, and only five duels won combined in the middle of the park.

Because of the lack of quality play in midfield for Spurs, Everton secured a draw by remaining compact and forcing the home side to find answers to their defensive structure, knowing that they would likely struggle to create much.

Everton star looked like a £100m player against Spurs

Whilst some players, such as Johnson, struggled for the Toffees, one of Moyes' players played a key role in the draw by outclassing the Tottenham midfield.

James Garner looked every bit a £100m player in comparison to Fernandes and Tonali, who cost £185m combined, as he dominated the Lilywhites for Everton.

The England international joined the club from Manchester United for a fee of £15m in the summer of 2022, and it looks like a bargain with every passing game that he plays in the Premier League.

His performance, particularly out of possession, was one of the main reasons why the Toffees were able to stick to their game plan and remain resolute defensively throughout the match.

Garner came off the pitch with ten out of 15 duels won in midfield for the Toffees, twice as many as Fernandez and Tonali won combined, and made eight ball recoveries.

The former Red Devils youth prospect strolled across the pitch and dominated a £100m-rated star and an £85m-rated talent in midfield with his combative and cultured play for Everton.

He only lost possession seven times from 71 touches, allowing Everton to regain control and alleviate pressure when they got the ball back, which shows that he was effective on and off the ball.

Garner looked more like a £100m-rated central midfielder than Tonali did because he won more duels, made more tackles, made more ball recoveries, and gave the ball away fewer times.

The 25-year-old star has now won an eye-catching 64% of his ground duels across the first four matches of the Premier League season, whilst also completing 91% of his attempted passes.

Garner, who also played in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United last week, may start to attract attention from elsewhere if he continues to outperform big-money midfielders at top clubs.

He looked far more like a midfielder worth £100m than Tonali did on Saturday evening, due to his play on and off the ball, and Everton may have to field offers for him if this form continues ahead of the January transfer window.