Irish duo Darron Gibson and Seamus Coleman were key men as Everton earned a 2 - 2 draw at Spurs yesterday.

And Phil Thompson has dismissed suggestions that Gibson is not effective defensively by comparing his unheralded style to Manchester United metronome Michael Carrick.

Of course Gibson has had a well-publicized falling out with Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni but Thompson told Newstalk Breakfast's Oisin Langan why the midfielder should be an automatic choice for the Boys in Green.

Thompson also turned his attention to Paolo Di Canio's comments regarding the poor fitness of Sunderland's players after their 2 - 1 defeat to Chelsea yesterday.

"It's naivety. Paolo Di Canio's not been in the game too long," said Thompson. "When a young manager comes into the game, the first things they say about the players are that they're not fit or they've got smiles on their faces in training now. I think it's a pretty poorly veiled shot at Martin O'Neill."

And who will win the Manchester derby according to Thompson?

Listen to the full interview here: