Rodgers' 'signature win' can be watershed for Reds (ESPN article)

by Dave Usher for ESPN

There has been much to admire about Liverpool in the 18 months or so that Brendan Rodgers has been in the Anfield hot seat, but there was one thing that had been lacking until now, and that was a "signature win" against one of their main rivals.

The Reds have been free-scoring in 2013 and recorded several thumping victories against sides in the bottom half of the table, but against the top seven it had been much more difficult for Liverpool to show their quality. Narrow victories over Tottenham last season and Manchester United earlier in this campaign represented the only two successes for Rodgers against the rest of the top seven in 15 attempts (league and cup), and there appeared to be something of a psychological barrier that needed to be overcome.

As the saying goes, to be the best you have to beat the best, and that was the hump Liverpool needed to get over, for their own self-belief as much as anything, especially with the fixtures they have to contend with this month.

Whilst Tottenham are not exactly the best, they've certainly been one of the top sides in recent years and they've generally been better than Liverpool. The loss of Gareth Bale levelled the playing field somewhat, but this still looked all set to be a very difficult test for a Liverpool side that had slipped to fifth in the table following results the day before. Defeat would have put a significant dent in Liverpool's top-four challenge, especially with trips to Manchester City and Chelsea on the horizon.

Even at this early stage of the season, there was pressure on both sides to get something from this game. It was a real test of Liverpool's credentials and they passed with flying colours. To go to Tottenham and win as emphatically as they did should do wonders for the confidence and belief of Liverpool's players, as this was a truly remarkable display. The performance and result will have sent some shock waves around the Premier League, that's for sure. I was genuinely stunned by what I saw, and while he'd never admit it, I'm sure Rodgers will have been too.

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