Liverpool   3   Tottenham Hotspur    0      (Half-time score : 0-0)

Reina

Finnan
Hyypia
Agger
Riise

Gerrard (c)
Alonso (Carragher 85)
Sissoko
Gonzalez (Aurelio 78)

Bellamy (Luis Garcia 68)
Kuyt

Unused subs: 
Dudek
Crouch

Robinson

Chimbonda
Dawson
King (c)
Assou-Ekotto

Jenas
Murphy (Mido 80)
Zokora
Tainio (Davids 62)

Keane
Defoe

Unused subs: 
Cerny
Lee
Huddlestone

Gonzalez 64
Kuyt 74
Riise 90

Tottenham Hotspur

None

     
Hyypia (foul) 69  

A three goal loss does not adequately reflect the part that Tottenham played in this game, but it did highlight the difference between where we are and where we want to be.  Another defeat to one of the regular top four shows the progress Spurs still have to make.

The lack of involvement in the early stages by Danny Murphy and Teemu Tainio let Liverpool deal easily with the Spurs attacks.  Tainio was hampered by a heavy tackle by Hyypia, which the referee let him get away with with just a talking to.  Murphy was returning to the ground where he shot to prominence and after a while started to get embroiled in the midfield mix, with some good passing and movement.  One move with Jenas and Defoe almost provided the perfect pass for Keano inside Hyypia, but it was just too far ahead of the Irishman.

Defoe almost seized on a rebound off a Liverpool defender and Hyypia had to time his challenge right otherwise he would have conceded a free-kick centrally in front of goal.  After treatment, Jermain was ready to continue.

With Jenas filling in on the outside on the right of midfield, worked the line well, but his use of the ball was nto always that good.  His crossing often hit the first man in front of him and sometimes his choice of pass was not the best, but he made himself available for the ball and worked back to tackle as Liverpool broke forward.  Tottenham's midfield worked hard and the expected silencing of the crowd happened, as the Spurs supporters asked if Liverpool needed a song singing for them.

Liverpool's first opening came after 12 minutes, when Ledley failed to clear his lines and Xabi Alonso, fresh from his goal from his own half against Newcastle United, struck a volley, but it bounced along the floor and Paul Robinson could only dive late because of the possibility of a player in front of him getting a touch on the ball.  Luckily they didn't and the ball went past the post. 

Halfway through the half, John Arne Riise was reduced to thrashing a free-kick wide as neither side found their rhythm and the strikers were shackled by the defences.  A couple of moments later, it was a defender - Ledley King - who could (and should) have opened the scoring, when he rose to meet Murphy's delightfully flighted free-kick that found him in the clear, but he missed the ball altogether and Jenas coming in behind him just failed to reach the ball too.   The former Newcastle man was well played in on the right by Defoe on the half-hour and he hit s first time shot that was designed to catch Reina out of position, but missed the target by some distance.

Assou-Ekotto stopped Gerrard getting in a cross at the expense of a corner, which was taken by Gonzalez and with Chimbonda trying to clear the ball as it swung in, he only succeeded in knocking the ball against his own post and Jenas headed away the follow-up effort off the line.  Gerrard was also involved in their next attack, when his shot was blocked by King moving his arm to the ball as he was standing outside the area, but referee Webb gave nothing.   Our Finnish midfielder popped up to volley Chimbonda's cleared cross that had to be blocked by Agger in front of goal and when the play moved to the other end, Robinson was called upon to make a fine save as Bellamy broke into the box to hit a shot across the England Number One just before the break.

With no changes at the interval, it was Liverpool who picked up the pace of the game quicker after half-time.  When Riise flashed a shot too high, it signalled a spell of home pressure, with Bellamy getting in the way of Kuyt, who was coming onto a header and ended putting it over the bar.

Just after the hour, Jol introduced Davids to replace Tainio, with his impact being immediate.  He was set free by Defoe on the left and ran to the line before cutting the ball back to Jenas who was running into the six yard box, but as he stretched for the ball, he was unable to get a decent contact on it and it ended up going just wide of the open goal.  As Spurs rued the miss, Liverpool got on with the game and broke away, as Gerrard nipped past Assou-Ekotto on their right wing and his cross found Bellamy at the far post.  It looked a goal all over, but the Welsh striker struck his close range effort against the post, but luckily for the Reds, it fell into the path of Mark Gonzalez, who fired low into the net.  Sky told us it was 38 seconds between the miss and the goal and it left Tottenham looking back at what could have been.

Didier Zokora had a very good game and his surging run was only ended when Hyypia cynically brought him down 25 yards from goal.  It appeared an unsavoury introduction into  the Merseysiders' game, which they don't need to adopt.  Hyypia got a yellow for his troubles, but the free-kick was wasted as Defoe blasted it over the top.  Spurs must learn to do something better with set-pieces, as they seem to earn them, but can't finish them.

With 73 minutes on the clock, substitute Luis Garcia dinked a little ball through to Dirk Kuyt, who was onside, although the fallen Gerrard who was next to him was off, but the Dutch striker hit the ball home to make it 2-0.  At this stage, Spurs looked deflated.  Not that they gave up, but the way back was too far beyond them.

That was emphasised in the final minute when Riise moved forward with the ball and it took a while for anyone to come out to challenge him, but when they did he let fly with more effect this time and the ball rifled into the bottom corner of Robinson's goal beyond his dive.

Many will look at Jenas' miss and say that was the turning point in the game, but it was perhaps the miss that King produced that was more so.  A goal when Liverpool looked less likely to score might have hit at the heart of their confidence.  As it was, they showed that they are a formidable side once they get ahead.  The trick is to get ahead before they do.

MEHSTG TOP MAN : - DIDIER ZOKORA