TOTTENHAM 2, LIVERPOOL 1

Harry Redknapp’s Russian raid

CARR-OG-HER - Jamie heads into his own net to cancel out Dirk Kuyt's goal and get Tottenham back level against Liverpool

By ANDY DUNN at White Hart Lane, 01/11/2008

BY the time Spurs build their new stadium, there is a good chance Harry Redknapp will be worthy of a statue outside the front gates.

He has been in the job only a week and he is creating legends by the minute . . . by the last minute to be precise.

Harry clearly arrived with his pockets stuffed full of dramatic comebacks — and this one, against a Liverpool side that dominated for long periods, even knocked the Emirates effort into a cocked hat.

Roman Pavlyuchenko’s 90th-minute finish — after Pepe Reina could only parry a David Bentley shot and Darren Bent dragged back from the by-line — completed a win every bit as unlikely as that draw at Arsenal.

Throw in the Jamie Carragher own goal that cancelled out Dirk Kuyt’s early strike — remarkably the third time Carra has scored for Spurs — and it is clear Daniel Levy has not just appointed a general . . . but a lucky general.

Redknapp said: “I’ve got amongst the lads and hopefully made them believe in themselves a little bit. The result against Arsenal in the week has lifted them.

“We rode our luck but once we got a goal back we were bang in it and it was a great result in the end.”

A pre-match re-run of the midweek Lazarus remake — probably only the 50th time most Spurs fans have watched it since Wednesday — fed the feel-good factor that has been fostered by Redknapp’s arrival.

Arch-pragmatists might have pointed out that it was merely a freakish draw and that Harry’s opening victory was against a shocking Bolton team.

Promising . . . but not exactly cause to line the streets with bunting.

And Liverpool are nothing if not arch-pragmatists.

Under Rafa Benitez, this has become a team concerned only with the practicalities of winning.

And the fact remains Spurs are a team prone to basic mistakes — such as allowing a throw-in to drop on to penalty-box turf.

Benoit Assou- Ekotto was culpable, along with Ledley King, allowing Robbie Keane to nudge a pass to Kuyt who didn’t even need any help from the ever-generous Heurelho Gomes to raise the roof of the net.

For so long, Kuyt in front of goal was like someone groping for the alarm clock in the dark. Now he has found the button, he just can’t stop ringing up the goals.

This was the sort of finish that had the stamp of Fernando Torres on it. Tutorials in training have clearly been paying off.

Kuyt’s strike certainly brought reality raining down on a sodden White Hart Lane and Bent was perilously close to putting through his own net moments later.

Had he been a better finisher, he might have succeeded.

For a brief spell, Spurs looked on the verge of capitulation.

That they didn’t fold was down in part to the motivation that has clearly come from Redknapp and in equal part to Liverpool’s reluctance to target the throat.

With the returning Keane operating on his own, this was one of those slightly conservative Benitez set-ups. But it meant that — unlike at the Emirates — Tottenham’s freedom of expression was stifled.

They did not muster a serious chance in the first half-hour and only the driving rain kept Reina occupied.

He might have expected to be tested by Bentley’s free-kick — because he feels like Superman nowadays, you know — but the comical effort ended up in the clouds. Bentley did enjoy one decent run just before the break which ended with a half-hearted appeal for handball against Daniel Agger.

Suffice to say, Agger will have a shiner this morning.

Tangle

Only when Luka Modric crept out of anonymity and threaded a shot through a tangle of red legs did Reina have to get horizontal. But it appeared that complacency was the biggest threat to a supremely- organised Liverpool team.

Mind you, another danger could have been a reduction in personnel — Steven Gerrard’s lunge at Jonathan Woodgate was correctly punished with yellow but could have been harshly punished with red.

Redknapp knew Liverpool’s iron grip on proceedings could only be altered by decisive action. Although the introduction of Alan Hutton for the hapless Assou-Ekotto was damage limitation, Pavlyuchenko’s emergence signalled a more positive approach.

And the Russian at least displayed instant ambition with a 30-yard effort that forced Reina to show polite interest.

But it was the much-maligned Gomes who had to produce genuine acrobatics, brilliantly diverting Gerrard’s shot on to the upright. It was a shot that hit King on the fingers — purely accidentally — but Gerrard, now the game’s dominant individual, needed no helping hand as he again left the woodwork wobbling.

Poked

Gomes reverted to type with an ill-advised short pass that was intercepted by Kuyt and poked to Gerrard, whose wonderful clipped effort dropped on to the crossbar. The Liverpool skipper had shifted through the gears and when his fiendishly-curling free-kick demanded only a reliable head for reward, it got the unreliable head of Xabi Alonso.

It was becoming wasteful on a grand scale and Liverpool paid a heavy price when Bentley’s corner was headed into his own net by Carragher, before Pavlyuchenko delivered the knockout blow.

Your comments

This article has 19 comments

we may be crap and our bubble may burst but we sure did beat the scousers!!

By Spursforever. Posted November 3 2008 at 6:14 PM.

Matiza, l love you lot, 4 weeks ago you were goner win the lot, Wenger is the best think you have l hope you do sack him bring in Adams he should well and truly --ck you up l said it along ime ago you have to get some British steel in there. all that fancy dan stuff make for nice football but nothing else. Man U and Chelsea got it right. British bulldog inthe middle of your back four. Anyway don't dissmay we will see you on the way up COME ON THE YIDS. PARK LANE 1972

By kenny davie. Posted November 3 2008 at 1:13 PM.

ha ha scousers coming back down to earth wer u belong.

By mrs christiano ronaldo. Posted November 2 2008 at 11:06 PM.

haha scousers thinking theyl win the league after beating chelsea, get back down where u belong

By rofl. Posted November 2 2008 at 8:24 PM.

At last. Spurs are using the resources they have. Should never have performed so poorly up to now. In every game, there are close decisions. Liverpool didn't execute when they had clear advantage. Then they rocked, when Spurs reorganised and took the game to them. Nothing new in any football game there.

By Resourceful. Posted November 2 2008 at 4:18 PM.

I think Spurs are starting to gel which is a good thing, the only main concern is Gomes...really really need to get rid quick..

With his poor decision making over serval games..it will be soon or later that he will cost us....BIG!!!!

SELL GOMES....thats if anyone wants him

By Felix. Posted November 2 2008 at 10:34 AM.

For long periods this match looked like exactly what it was: Top Vs Bottom. However, you cant expect to win any game if you waste chances like Liverpool did. Fair play to Spurs - they dug in and kept believing right to the end. I think a draw would have been a fairer result but then again Spurs have had more than their fair share of bad luck this season while I can think of a few occasions where Liverpool have been really lucky. Liverpool will finish 3rd and Tottenham will be safely in mid table come the end.

By Andy. Posted November 2 2008 at 10:20 AM.

In a way this could be a wake-up call for Liverpool. You can not expect to win the title by the way they played against the poor spurs side. Liverpool should have won 5-0 or 6-0. Simple fact is they wasted all their chances.

By Neil. Posted November 2 2008 at 9:56 AM.

Yesterday was a performance born from last season's frustration, Liverpool have chances that they don't take and then te opposition takes heart from an equaliser and pushes on.

In all honesty Spurs didn't look like getting anything from the game until Carragher (very unusually) had five minutes of madness where he got a stupid booking and scored the OG.

Fair play to Spurs and Redknapp when the opportunity is there you have to take it, I agree Rafa was too cautious and where he got the subs right on Sunday and Wednesday, he got them wrong yesterday.

I think we can bounce back but let's just hope that this will wake everyone up to say that it's not going to be a stroll to try and win the league

By Mike. Posted November 2 2008 at 9:45 AM.

Wayne

Your correct always promise much and never deliver the goods. The goal difference with Chelski 16 in their favour telss you everything. I am sick of watching Rafa's team scrape 1-0 and him tell me how wonderful they are. wheres the entertainment value in that. I am afraid we have become boring steile and predictable under Senor benitez.

Red Russ

By Red Russ. Posted November 2 2008 at 9:28 AM.

Boo Hoo Liverpool, just a set back eh. Well we are the first team to beat you this season, you are not all that and I bet you put out a strong squad in the Carling cup just to prove a point. You can say Spurs are rubbish all you want but the record books will show that when you were on such a high that bottom of the league Spurs knocked you off your Scouse pedastal.

By Richard Anderson. Posted November 2 2008 at 9:23 AM.

I feel the wheels will come off now, every season we struggle as soon as the results go against and I am suprised we got to november before we imploded. does anyone remember 6 years ago when we never won for 4 months after a west ham game, I hope this isn't the same. the difference between us and man u/chavski is their players seem to score, we go 1 0 then try our hardest to keep it one nil instead of finishing the game, this has always been the problem with benitez, we have never really slaughtered 4/5 teams on the run, therefore the likes of spurs know at 1 0 they do havea good chance of winning it. I think in May liverpool will look at spurs and the stoke results and realise that this was the 5 points needed to have won the league. I think chelsea will just steamroller all the other teams so it won't matter that Liverpool beat them.

By wayne. Posted November 2 2008 at 9:05 AM.

In response to Chuds1976 all I can say is that it is a bitter pill to swallow.

Spurs have got a new drive and energy and are playing the full 90mins, talking of crap teams watch Liverpool fail miserably to win the league again this season.

By Tony. Posted November 2 2008 at 8:55 AM.

Yes we were unlucky against Spurs but we have ridden our luck on more than one occasion this year. Lets face it yesterday was a dose of realism like a cold shower on a November morning. Lets face it we will be competing with Arsenal for 3rd and 4th as usual. The recent run of good fortune left us with false expectations like the last 18 years. Lets face it for sheer qulaity we are light years behind Chelsea and Man Utd.

Red Russ

By Red Russ. Posted November 2 2008 at 8:18 AM.

this is why we will never win the prem under benitez, why didnt he take a holding midfielder off when he wanted to get babel on. too cautious rafa

By JOHN GILL. Posted November 2 2008 at 8:10 AM.

Liverpool were unlucky against spurs but it's a minor setback for Rafa and the boys. For Spurs the are on a high @ the moment but again their bubble will burst and Redknapp will realise the complexity of the task ahead of him. Recent form is nothing to go by until the season is finished for Spurs, they might go on a decent cup run but lets be honest they are crap and fully deserve to be where they are. Its a long way to go and i hope that they do get relegated despite the efforts, come on u Reds!!!!

By Chuds1976. Posted November 2 2008 at 7:28 AM.

Mr Bean - Arsene Wenger - seem to have lost his plot at the Emirates. We just need a new coach with new ideas because as long as we keep Mr Bean at the Emirates we will continue to be as sick as a parrot

By collin matiza. Posted November 2 2008 at 6:57 AM.

We have to check every comment before we can allow it to be published. But don't worry, we've got a team on it 24/7 - so check back soon! Please note that we cannot publish all comments received. The editor's decision is final. Please note that your email address will not be displayed next to your comment.