Tottenham's £40million strike force could not find a way past Everton at White Hart Lane as David Moyes' men stormed to the top of the Premier League with a 3-1 win.
Spurs boss Martin Jol had Darren Bent, Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane in his starting XI and brought Jermain Defoe off the bench, but it was his problems at the back that were exposed by the clinical visitors.
Joleon Lescott headed in from an early set-piece, taking advantage of slack marking by Anthony Gardner.
Gardner levelled matters, but Leon Osman and Alan Stubbs struck before the break to make it two wins from two at the start of Everton's season.
• Moyes hails England prospects
Spurs finished with just two out-and-out defenders in a back three as they chased the game.
With their four strikers, Spurs have been tipped to break into the Champions League places - something Everton did three seasons ago - but like last year, the north Londoners have suffered a poor start and are playing catch-up already after two defeats.
All eyes were on the strikers at White Hart Lane - with Wayne Rooney's foot injury meaning Steve McClaren could have a close look at Bent, Defoe and Everton's Andrew Johnson as the England coach considers his options for next month's Euro 2008 qualifiers.
Yet for all the English talent in attack for each team, it was a homegrown centre-half who opened the scoring.
Everton's bus needed a police escort to guide them to the ground on time, but Lescott did not receive the same close attention when the visitors were presented with a third-minute free-kick.
Paul Stalteri fouled Mikel Arteta on the right flank for the set-piece, and the Spaniard curved the ball in for Lescott to head home after losing Gardner.
With Keane dropping off to the right flank, Spurs went on the attack in search of the equaliser.
Bent was caught offside when he finished past Tim Howard, then forced the American to save in the 10th minute after Pascal Chimbonda slid him through - with Joseph Yobo throwing himself in front of Berbatov to block the rebound.
Throwing everything forward, however, could not cover up Tottenham's problems at the back. With Michael Dawson, Ledley King and Gareth Bale injured, only Chimbonda was a first-choice defender.
It got worse for Jol in the 18th minute when Younes Kaboul limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. With Ricardo Rocha filling in and Stalteri in an unaccustomed left-back role, Everton sensed their chance to take advantage.
Johnson chased a lost cause and set up Victor Anichebe - the lively youngster who could play for either England or Nigeria - for a drive that was gathered by Paul Robinson at the second attempt.
While Johnson and Anichebe combined with menace, Jol's strikers were failing to click - although Keane's improvisation set up Berbatov to fire over the bar.
When the equaliser came it was centre-back Gardner who thudded in his second league goal for the club, losing Lescott to head home from Jermaine Jenas' 26th-minute corner.
The lead lasted little more than 10 minutes, Arteta chipping a cross from the right to the back post where Rocha managed to scramble the ball away from Anichebe. But it fell for Osman to lash into the roof of the net, catching Robinson out of position.
Arteta almost had goal himself just before the break when he floated a free-kick just over the angle.
Stubbs took over from set-piece duties and extended the lead in first-half stoppage time with a free-kick from 30 yards which found the bottom corner, taking a cruel deflection off Didier Zokora as he wrestled with Lee Carsley in the wall.
It was all-out attack from the hosts in the second half, Keane testing Howard with a drive a minute after the restart.
Berbatov headed against the post in the next attack after meeting Chimbonda's cross from the right.
Everton remained a threat on the counter-attack, and Arteta dragged a shot just wide after bundling his way into the penalty area.
Jol brought Defoe off the bench for Bent for the last half-hour, while Wayne Routledge was also brought on for Stalteri - leaving just three at the back.
Arteta earned another free-kick and almost found Stubbs at the back post as Everton looked to seal the win with another goal.
Johnson forced Robinson into two late saves, and Howard denied Defoe with a parry at the other end.
• Moyes hails England prospects
Everton boss David Moyes watched his side storm to the top of the fledgling Premier League following victory at Tottenham - and saw his players also give England boss Steve McClaren plenty to think about.
McClaren is short of numbers for the European Championship qualifiers next month but would have been encouraged by Andy Johnson's tireless efforts at White Hart Lane.
The Everton striker was not on the scoresheet, though, with Joleon Lescott heading the opener. Moyes feels Lescott would adapt to international football if he received a call-up.
'He won't let them down at centre-back,' said Moyes. 'We'll keep pushing him, trying to get him in, but my job is hard enough without picking the England team.'
Moyes also revealed Victor Anichebe has had a meeting with Stuart Pearce about playing for England Under-21s.
After Lescott scored, Anthony Gardner levelled matters in the 26th minute but Leon Osman, another Englishman, finished calmly to edge Everton ahead again.
Alan Stubbs' free-kick sealed the win to make it two wins from two, while Spurs have suffered consecutive defeats to dent their hopes of a top-four challenge.
Moyes added: 'We got fourth three seasons ago. We're going to do the best we can but I'm not going to come out and say we are going to do that.
'We don't have that expectation and I don't need to burden the players or myself with it. But I'll probably make myself think that I should.'
Dimitar Berbatov struck the post in the second half and Jermain Defoe forced a stunning save from Tim Howard, but Spurs' £40million strikeforce could not find a way back into the game.
'I really thought we played well, the effort and workrate was incredible,' said Moyes.
Mikel Arteta also impressed and was the architect for two of the goals.
'He's got the other side of his game now, maybe the spell at Rangers helped him,' Moyes added.
'I hope he could make the Spain team, I think he would be in the England team if he was English.'
Joseph Yobo picked up an early groin strain but wanted to carry on.
'Hopefully we instil the right thing in players, and they showed that in abundance,' Moyes added.
Spurs boss Martin Jol admitted the only positive from the game was his team's efforts to get back in it.
'I felt we were a bit unlucky, if we got to 3-2 it may have been a different story,' said the Dutchman.
'It's a similar story to last season when we had so many new players and played against Manchester United and Liverpool which didn't help.
'We thought we would do better against Sunderland and Everton but they are good teams.'
Jol now has Younes Kaboul on the sidelines after the defender picked up a hamstring injury.
'We have 10 defenders at the club and we've used all them that have been fit,' Jol added.
'We are still waiting for one or two players to come back and we will do better when they come back.
'You could throw in the towel after three goals but they came out and worked hard, that was the positive thing.'
Meanwhile, Moyes confirmed that Benfica have accepted Everton's bid for midfielder Manuel Fernandes.
