Liverpool had a turbulent start to their Premier League campaign this season with a loss to Harry Redknapp’s Spurs side who were looking to make a big impact after a summer of new signings, including former Liverpool forward Peter Crouch.
The Merseyside club were looking to make a statement of intent going into the run for this years title with a win over a strong Spurs side who are looking to break into the big four.
Former Reds forward Robbie Keane missed a number of good chances early on which could have seen his side go two goals to the good. England super-sub Jermaine Defoe also came close with a good header from a corner which flashed just wide of the post.
However a first half in which neither club managed to dominate ended with a wonder goal from Tottenham defender Benoit Assuo-Ekotto ensured the London side went into the half-time break with an important lead.
Both sides came back from the break looking to push forward and try and get something from the game. Spurs were first to make a move with a good run from England winger Aaron Lennon.
However it was his England team-mate Glen Johnson who made the impact early on in the second-half with a clever run down the right hand side which ended up with Spurs keeper Gomes bringing the former Portsmouth player down for a penalty.
Gerrard happily sloted the ball away from the spot to bring Liverpool level and bring the back into the game.
Unfortunately for the Redmen the period of being back level wasn’t long lived when former Newcastle center half Bassong rose to head the ball into the back of the net and put Spurs back in front.
As expected from this point on Spurs held their ground and tried not to be too adventurous going forward, leading to the first signs of pressure being put on their defense by the Liverpool forwards.
Andriy Voronin was brought on to add firepower up front and made a good break and was forced out of the way, a stone cold penalty not given by Phil Dowd.
Final Score Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool.
Not a good start to the season by any stretch of the imagination. We played poorly and only had a small handful of chances that went begging.
Two plus points to take from the game was the performance of the two full-backs. Both new boy Glen Johnson and youngster Insua showed great potential and suggest that we are well covered in either position.
Lucas look a lot better than last season and showed signs of confidence, especially when moving the ball around the pitch. I doubt he’ll remain a starting fixture once Aquilani is fit but he’s more than good enough as back-up when something goes wrong.
M. Owen
michael@empireofthekop.com