In Roberto Martinez's maiden season it was Everton who had achieved a fifth-placed finish, but the Toffees handed Spurs that honour as they lost 1-0 at Goodison Park.
Everton played their 51st game of the term in an end-of-season slumber and Spurs, who themselves were in action for the 57th time, were far brighter during a first period when they dominated possession, eventually sealing the win through a Harry Kane header.
Having reached the Europa League quarterfinals this term, Everton's place in the final Premier League standings was 11th, 17 points behind Mauricio Pochettino's visitors and Martinez was left to reflect on a dismal domestic campaign.
"From a football point of view, the first half we weren't good enough and we lost the game in that first 45 minutes,'' he said. "It's really disappointing because I don't think we performed in that loose manner; our quality on the ball was very poor. We were caught in two minds and we allowed them easy possession at times.
"A simple cross and (Kane's) got a free header in the box so every aspect of our performance was quite disappointing.''
It was the 2-1 defeat to Spurs in the reverse fixture back in November which kickstarted a worrying run of one victory in 13 games in all competitions for the Toffees.
They flirted with the relegation zone before rallying down the stretch with victories over Southampton, Manchester United and West Ham once their Europa League commitments were ended.
"The problem has been we couldn't enjoy any momentum in the first half of the season,'' Martinez added. "I think Europe got in the way; it's not an excuse, it's a reason, but something we can learn from. We want to be in Europe, we want to fulfil our level in the domestic competitions.
"The last 30 points we've showed that character, that fight, that personality of facing adversity, having to win and winning. That's going to be the base of what we need to build for next season.''