Adebayor lifts Spurs past Southampton

Southampton, England (SportsNetwork.com) - Emmanuel Adebayor made the most of a rare start on Sunday, netting a brace to lead Tottenham to a 3-2 defeat of Southampton at St. Mary's.

Adam Lallana had put the Saints in front after 13 minutes when he fired a low shot past Hugo Lloris from the edge of the box, but Adebayor brought Spurs level in the 25th minute with a fine volley.

Tottenham continued to push for a go-ahead goal in the second half, and it eventually came in the 54th minute when Jos Hooiveld turned a low cross into his own net.

The lead was short-lived as Rickie Lambert tucked home Lallana's square pass five minutes later, but the day belonged to Adebayor, who took advantage of some slack defending from a throw-in in the 64th minute before firing home the winner.

The win brings Tottenham to 30 points on the season and strengthens Tim Sherwood's case for keeping the Spurs managerial job on a permanent basis.

Southampton, staying put on 24 points, is winless in its last six Premier League contests.

Everton 2, Swansea City 1

Swansea, Wales - A pair of sublime strikes helped Everton earn a 2-1 win at Swansea City on Sunday to bring the Toffees up to fourth place in the Premier League.

Seamus Coleman opened the scoring with a blistering shot in the 66th minute, but an own goal from Bryan Oviedo three minutes later saw the Swans get back on level terms.

The winner came six minutes from time after Swansea conceded a needless free kick at the edge of the box, and Ross Barkley made the Welsh side pay by slamming home a superb shot from the ensuing restart.

Everton is unbeaten in its last 10 league matches as it improves to 34 points this term. Swansea remains on 20 points, going without a win in its last three league outings.