Liverpool   2   Tottenham Hotspur    2      (Half-time score : 1-1)

Reina

Finnan
Carragher
Hyypia
Arbeloa (Babel 63)

Pennant (Kuyt 69)
Mascherano
Gerrard (c)
Riise

Voronin (Benayoun 77)
Torres

Unused subs: 
Itandje
Lucas

Robinson

Chimbonda
Dawson     
Kaboul
YP Lee

Tainio (Malbranque 75)
Jenas
Zokora
Bale

Keane (c)
Berbatov

Unused subs: 
Cerny
Defoe
Huddlestone
Gardner

Voronin 12
Torres 90

Tottenham Hotspur

Keane 45
Keane 47

     
Dawson (foul) 63  

While Tottenham might have been fortunate to be only one goal down approaching half-time, they rode their luck to grab an equaliser just before the whistle for the interval and then snatched another two minutes after the break.  Both times, Robinson's long balls upfield found the head of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane nicked between two Liverpool defenders to flick the ball past Pepe Reina.

A bright start by Spurs saw Voronin penalised for a foul on Zokora as he ran towards the penalty area and Gareth Bale stepped up to curve a free kick just inches wide of Reina's goal.  Liverpool responded with a Riise header over the bar and Robinson needed to be strong to punch away a corner under heavy pressure as the Reds tried to nibble away at his confidence after the tough time he has been having.  After 11 minutes, his confidence took another dive as his own dive to stop Gerrard's free-kick was fierce and low, but ENO got to the ball and should have held it.  A deflection might have unsettled him, but spilling it right in front of the goal in the six yard box left Voronin the easy task of putting it into an unguarded net.

The Tottenham side looked as if it had resigned itself to another Anfield defeat, but Keane's flicked header to a whipped in Jenas free-kick flew just wide, as it looked like Tottenham wanted to get back into the match.  Shortly after a dropping ball fell to Hyypia and it was lucky for Spurs it was him, as he sliced the volley wildly.  He was also involved in the next incident when he blocked off Bale's run on goal and no free-kick was given.  It was one of a number of decisions the frankly pathetic Halsey and his assistants got wrong.

Fernando Torres had been reasonably quiet, but burst into life taking on Kaboul outside the area before sliding a left foot shot a yard wide of the goal, but Liverpool went even closer when Gerrard thumped a free-kick past Robinson and it bounced away off the post to safety.  Spurs were equally as close to an equaliser, but when Keane's back-heel was toe-ended towards goal by Berbatov, Carragher was there to save the day with a timely clearance off the goal-line.  Jenas broke forward to dip one over the bar from long range when he should have done better, then Torres struck a tame shot at Robinson when through, before he, Gerrard and Voronin conspired to mess up a three on two break on the Spurs goal, only being stopped by the flailing leg of a prostrate Michael Dawson, who had fallen over on the edge of the six yard box as he got back to cover !!

Dimitar and Robbie linked to set up Teemu Tainio with a volley that Hyypia got in the way of just before the pair worked the flick on for Keane to get in between Carragher and Finnan to slip the ball past the advancing Reina to make it 1-1 seconds before the break.

The second Spurs goal was a carbon copy but at the other end, as the teams had swapped round by then and this time Keano got in between Carragher and Arbeloa to lift the ball over the goalie.  Tottenham looked as if they might get a third, as a long ball saw Berbatov chase it down and Reina came a long way out and just about made the sliding challenge to win the ball after he had thought about heading it.

John Arne Riise twice hit shots that usually rip into our net, but this time they went a long way wide, while Tottenham were still creating opportunities, with Keane and Berbatov not getting enough on their shots to make Reina work hard to save.  Dawson saved Robbo's blushes by clearing from in front of goal when the keeper spilled Finnan's low shot, although the keeper was on his toes when a low ball into the near post saw Mascherano turn it towards goal and Robinson was down to it quickly to turn it away.  The Argentinian hit a screamer from 30 yards that flew wide, with Robinson flying after it, as Liverpool's attempts got more desperate.

Spurs still had their moments to win it.  Bale went through on goal and Reina came out to take him down, but the referee, in his wisdom, gave a free-kick against our Welshman and Liverpool breathed a sigh of relief.

Even more so, when in jury time Finnan hoisted up a high cross that fell to Torres at the far post and he got above two Spurs defenders to head down into the corner of the net past Robinson.

So many last minute goals are costing us, especially when the game should have been well won by then.

I suppose most Spurs fans might have settled for a point before the game, seeing the form we have been in, but once more, having engineered a good winning situation, we let it slip.  It seems that winning mentality Jol looked for is still not in place.

BENNY THE BALL