Tottenham dragged itself over the line in the Premier League relegation battle with a 1-0 win over Everton, Joao Palhinha grabbing the decisive goal.

West Ham's victory over Leeds United elsewhere on Modnay meant Spurs would have been relegated with a defeat, but a lacklustre Everton never looked likely to inflict such a result on Roberto De Zerbi's team.

Spurs started brightly, buoyed by their noisy home fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Conor Gallagher and Kevin Danso slashing wide early on.

Yet their performance had grown rather subdued by the time the decisive moment arrived in the 43rd minute.

Mathys Tel swung in a corner, and Palhinha capitalised on slack marking to meet it. He could only direct a header against the post, but the midfielder reacted swiftly to nudge in on the rebound, with Thierno Barry unable to stop it from going over the line.

Jordan Pickford's error almost gifted Djed Spence a goal after the break, but Spurs soon fell back and surrendered territory to Everton, as news of West Ham taking the lead began to go around the crowd.

Everton, though, was woefully short in attack, and it was not until second-half stoppage time that it had a shot on target, with Tyrique George forcing Antonin Kinsky into action as Spurs' first home league win since December ensured its place in the top flight for next season.