What a crazy game this was. We started well, finished well, and got completely outplayed in between. Spurs did a great impression of us actually, they should have won this game but instead found a way to lose it by shooting themselves in the foot. We've seen that plenty of times this season, except usually it's us doing the shooting.
The added bonus was that we also managed to come from behind to win a game for once, and whatsmore we've finally beaten one of 'the big boys'. It sure feels great to get the monkey off our back, it's such a relief that we won't have to face that chimpanzee Bale until next season. It's good to finally beat a top six side too. Badumtish!
Spurs are the second best side in the country at the moment. The form guide certainly backs that up, and they came into this on a 12 match unbeaten run. They may even end up second if City continue the way they have been. AVB's men were really impressive I thought, we had our hands full with them and looked a bit overmatched for long spells of the game. Part of that was tactical, we were outmanned in midfield and it took the introduction of Joe Allen to redress the balance there. The other thing is the pace and power of Spurs, it's really hard for us to handle that as we're just not really equipped for it. Dembele is a right handful and Bale is just a freak of nature. They're athletic all over the pitch and we found it hard to match them at times. We hung in there, rode our luck and with a little helping hand from Tottenham we got the job done in the end.
The initial team selection by Rodgers was a bold one, it may not have been the right one but as a firm believer in the 'he who dares wins' approach I can't really criticise a manager for being so positive. I'd take that over negative selections every day of the week, and I don't think Brendan Rodgers actually has a negative bone in his body.
It would have been easy to name the same side that had beaten Wigan 4-0 last week (with the exception of the injured Reina of course), or to leave out Coutinho to accommodate the returning Sturridge, but instead Rodgers left out a midfield player and used Suarez as a 'number 10' in a front loaded 4-2-3-1 formation. That worked a treat against Swansea a few weeks back, but picking such an attacking side against Spurs? Risky business, but you have to applaud the courage behind it.
It worked well in the early stages too, we started brightly and Sturridge shot over after Downing had won the ball high up the pitch to send him clear. Suarez was popping up all over the place and we were clearly the better side in the opening twenty minutes or so.
Our opening goal was sensational. It started in our own box when Glen Johnson used his pace and skill to dribble himself out of a tight spot before playing a pass into space for Coutinho. He held off Walker, then backheeled the ball into the path of Enrique. The pair exchanged passes again before Enrique rolled a perfectly weighted ball to Suarez who took the shot so early he caught the keeper out and beat him at the near post. Brilliant football. Rodgers football.
Rather than build on the lead however, we were forced onto the back foot as Spurs really stepped it up. Dembele began bossing it, although we were doing a surprisingly good job of keeping Bale quiet. Lucas and Gerrard were effectively closing down the space to prevent him getting on the ball, but you're never going to be able to shut him down completely and one delightful flick from him sent Sigurdsson clean through only to drag his shot inches wide.
A big let off for us but it was becoming a real struggle now. We couldn't keep the ball as Spurs were pressing well, that in turn meant that Johnson and Enrique couldn't get forward as we didn't have the ball long enough to build any attacks. The full backs are key to our play but as the half wore on they were not a factor as the visitors took control.
Leading up to half time Spurs had all the momentum and when they equalised it wasn't exactly a shock as to be honest it had been coming. It was a little unfortunate from our point of view though. Bale had been off the field receiving treatment after being clattered by Gerrard in an aerial duel. He'd made a meal of it, as usual, but when the referee waved him back on he hung around on the right wing and as a result of that he wasn't picked up and found space for just about the first time in the game.
The ball found it's way to him, and as soon as he whipped that cross in I muttered "Oh shit" as it had danger written all over it as soon as it left his boot. Vertongen had sneaked forward from the back and he got the jump on Johnson to head the ball into the corner. Fantastic cross by Bale though, and no more than Spurs deserved.
The way the half had ended it was clear that we needed to make some adjustments. I wouldn't have been surprised to see either Allen or Henderson brought on at that stage, as for us to function we need to have the ball and that only happens with control of the midfield. Gerrard and Lucas were doing all they could, they were just outnumbered.
Deciding who to bring off would have been the difficult part. Coutinho would have been the logical choice except he had been superb in the first half, some of his touches and passing had the crowd purring, he's already a fans favourite and he'll only get better as he's not even fully match fit yet. He's what I believe kids these days call a 'baller'. I wouldn't have wanted him to go off at that stage, and obviously you don't take Suarez off, so that just left Sturridge and Downing.
Sturridge was poor in the first half but he can conjure up something out of nothing and you want him on the pitch as he's given us so much in the short time he's been here. So Downing then? Well no, he's actually become an important player recently and helps the shape of the team. He was performing well once again and taking him off wouldn't have even entered my head, we look a better team with him in it right now.
Rodgers must have felt the same way as he kept faith with the starting eleven, but the second half began in the exact same way the first had ended, with Spurs looking the more cohesive unit and us just not able to get going. You can tell when we're on top and playing well because Johnson gets as many touches as anyone, and most of them come high up the pitch. When we aren't on top, we can't get the full backs forward and we don't threaten much. Early on in the game Enrique was rampaging forward, when we lost control of the midfield both he and Johnson were on the back foot.
Defensively I felt we were doing well, for all of Tottenham's swagger on the ball it's not as though Brad Jones had loads to do is it? But Tottenham were definitely looking the more assured side and when they went 2-1 up we looked in real trouble. Once again, we were a little unfortunate with the goal. Firstly, it was never a free-kick in a million years, Bale simply stopped and put his hand to his face because he'd lost the ball. Lucas barely touched him, it was infuriating and sums up why Bale is so damned unlikeable.
That said, we should have dealt with the free-kick better. I was surprised by how deep we were, we could have defended ten yards higher up and let Jones deal with anything that was hit near the penalty spot. Instead we defended the edge of the box, and ended up by the six yard box when Vertongen fired in a loose ball that had dropped to him.
We were rocking badly at that point and Spurs were in complete control. We became a bit ragged, our passing was sloppy and a third goal seemed on the cards. The crowd got really edgy too and you could feel the game slipping away from us. I felt like we were the little kid trying to throw punches whilst the bigger kid held us off at arms length laughing. There were shades of the Arsenal game earlier this season about it, we just looked like we were overmatched.
Bale started finding more space and got a couple of opportunities to run at us. One ended with a shot miles over the bar, the other was simply devastating, as he burst past Lucas and Gerrard, and even though Carragher looked like he had taken a good enough angle to not only force him wide but also to prevent him getting a cross in, somehow Bale dug out a glorious right footed cross that found Sigurdsson in space on the back post. He controlled, and as he shot Johnson got back to get something on it and the ball struck the post.
Scary shit that from Bale though, how do you stop him when he gets into open space and starts running? Had Sigurdsson converted that chance we were done, no way would we have come back from that as we were distinctly second best and this was a really rocky spell for us. Eventually Rodgers had to get Allen on, we had no control of midfield and were in danger of falling further behind.
Coutinho had faded in the second half and it was an obvious move to bring him off. Sturridge continued to struggle though and if we'd have had another striker on the bench he'd probably have been hooked too. It just wasn't happening for him, and a couple of times he incurred the wrath of the crowd by not chasing second balls.
We were losing though, and with no other forward to bring on Rodgers had to ride with Sturridge. I imagine there will have been quite a few people unhappy at the move to bring Allen on for Coutinho, but for me it was a complete no brainer. We can't play if we don't have the ball, and if the midfield aren't in control of the game we won't have the ball.
One of Allen's first involvements was to win the ball well, and then play a horrific pass straight to Sigurdsson. The last thing he needed really, there was a huge groan from the crowd but he didn't let it effect him and slowly but surely we steadied the ship and began to see a bit more of the ball. Allen was vital in that turnaround.
Still, we didn't look like scoring until Spurs completely imploded. Walker's backpass was awful and Lloris probably should have left it and stayed on his line. Instead he thought he could get there and made a mess of it, only tipping the ball onto Downing. Luck was in our favour for once as the ball landed perfectly at Downing's feet, presenting him with two options. He had Sturridge unmarked in the centre whilst there was just one defender on the line and Lloris was in no mans land.
A few months ago he'd probably have squared it to Sturridge rather than take responsibility himself. He's playing with much more confidence and, dare I say it, balls, these days though. He took it on himself and drilled a right foot shot through the legs of Vertongen on the line and into the net. It wasn't actually a great finish, and last season it would have surely hit Vertongen and bounced clear and everyone would have wanted him strung up!
This was just reward for a great afternoon's effort from him. He put in a real shift at both ends and I can only remember him giving possession away once in the whole game. A remarkable effort for someone who plays in that position. I'm pleased for him as he's been doing well for three or four months now I think, I even thought he did well for us when he had to play left back.
His performances have been unspectacular but to a good level, he's worth place in the side and he's making a good contribution. The one issue is that he doesn't chip in with enough goals for the position he plays. That's two in two now though, and if he ended the season with around 8-9 goals that would be an acceptable return I'd say.
That goal was absolutely huge for us, it changed everything. Getting back on level terms out of nothing lifted everyone, the players sudenly had a spring in their step and a new found belief and the crowd were suddenly roaring them on. All the momentum was with us and we were now the ones on the front foot.
My boy AVB will be seething about our winning goal though. Defoe's awful touch went straight to Suarez and then Assou-Ekotto was just clumsy in the way he bundled into Luis. My initial reaction was that it was a bit soft but that it was a pen as Suarez got to the ball first and the defender didn't get the ball. Looking at it again, it was a stonewall pen. Michael Oliver had missed one in the first half when Coutinho had been pulled back by Walker as he attacked a cross, and we could have had one earlier in the second half when Sturridge was clipped. He didn't get that decision because of the horrendous swan dive he took when he felt the contact. He was lucky not to be booked actually. As they say though, third time is a charm and Spurs can have no complaints about the one given. To be fair to Villas Boas he said afterwards it was a penalty, which is unusual for manager's these days.
For the third home league game in succession Gerrard was faced with a penalty in front of the Kop, and thankfully he buried it without any complications, sending Lloris the wrong way before running around the pitch to go and hug goalkeeper coach John Achteburg, who had told him what way Lloris generally dives. Nice to see that.
Rodgers sent Henderson on for Sturridge, a sensible move as Jordan provides great energy and pressing, two qualities that were going to be needed as Spurs pushed for an equaliser. We defended resolutely though and there were no real scares as we held on for a massive three points.
We've played much better and lost, twice against Man City and also against Man United at Anfield. Those were games we completely dominated and should have won. This was one we didn't dominate and perhaps should have lost. We'll take the three points though, it's about time fortune favoured us. Tottenham impressed me a lot though, but I wonder if they'd have looked so good if we'd started with the extra midfielder? There's no way of knowing, so I can only really comment on what I saw and like I say, I was impressed.
Villas Boas has got Spurs really well organised and they're the best side to come to Anfield all season for me. By some distance actually. Not many teams have outplayed us this season, certainly not at Anfield. Arsenal did it but we're a much stronger side now than we were then, and with that in mind I'd say Spurs impressed me more than any side to come here in some time.
Of course, the difference between them being 'decent' and 'top four' is Bale. We kept him relatively quiet, yet he still had two assists (kind of, as he 'won' and then delivered the free-kick that led to the second goal) and would have had two more if Sigurdsson's finishing had been up to scratch. He also hit two free-kicks that put the shits right up Brad Jones, the second of which was astonishing. He was miles out, and when he hit it half the ground gave a sarcastic "weeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy" as it went up into orbit. They almost choked on their taunts when it suddenly dipped dramatically and ended up about an inch over the bar. I've never seen anyone hit a ball the way Bale does, it's absolutely amazing.
He's just so incredibly unlikeable, but he's fucking brilliant and any time he had the ball there was a collective clenching of arse cheeks around Anfield. Taunting him with "You're just a shit Stewart Downing" didn't sit too well with me. Not only could it have come back to bite us in the arse, I also thought it was a bit disrespectful to Downing, especially when it was met with laughter from all four corners of the ground!
Either Bale or Suarez would be a worthy winner of Footballer of the Year, and as much as I dislike Bale I accept that there are obviously fans of other clubs who feel the same about Suarez. I can see why they'd feel that way, Luis is an absolute pain in the arse and he's a proper sneaky little fucker. If he played for someone else I'd hate him, but he doesn't, he plays for us and I absolutely love him.
MOTD2 compiled a little montage of him being a right sly little bastard, I think it was meant to make him look bad (and that Jason Roberts tit and pint sized blueshite Pat Nevin certainly tried to take it down that road), but I thought it was magnificent! He pulled all that shit and got away with it scot free because it's only when you look at slow motion replays that you realise what he's done. I didn't get onto any of it at the time, and nor did the officials. He's got it down to a fine art, niggling away at opponents and getting them wound up. Little things like kicking out but making it look like an accident. He has lumps kicked out of him every week but he knows how to give it back without getting caught, he's proper streetwise is Luis.
I saw Dembele kick out at him and I was screaming at the ref to do something. What I hadn't seen was that Luis had done it first. I didn't see it because he disguised it so well. He did it to Vertongen as well, and last week he used a Zenit defender as a human surfboard but made it look like an accident. He's an absolute master. Remember that game when he tore the mancs to shreds at Anfield when Dirk got a hat-trick? In that game Rafael chopped Lucas down and in the resulting melee, Luis walked up behind Rafael and just yanked his hair and then walked away like nothing had happened. Hilarious!
He's a rogue, a scamp, a scoundrel. He takes a kicking but he gives it back in his own subtle, under-handed, evil genius kind of way. Bale on the other hand, is just an out and out shithouse. That's the difference.
Luis got the man of the match award from Sky, which I thought did Gerrard an enormous dis-service as for me he was easily our best player on the day. Suarez was good, but Gerrard was immense, especially in the second half. So many interceptions and challenges, and his use of the ball was superb. He's having a fine season after a somewhat slow start. Like the team as a whole really, although we've still got a lot to do before the season could be described as 'fine'.
This was something of a 'bonus win' really. A game where we could easily have lost yet we've picked up three points. We didn't play that well but we showed character. Too often this season it's been the opposite, good performance but a poor result. When we play well and lose, the critics will say it's all about the result. When we don't play and win, they'll complain about the performance.
They must be running out of things to complain about now though, the form table had us at 12th for the first half of the season but 3rd so far in the 2nd half. Clearly progress is being made, and only Manchester United have scored more goals than us now. We're only seven points behind last season's points tally and we have nine games left. Things are looking up but we need to keep it going now.
There were two things I wanted to see from us between now and the end of the season. One was beating one of the teams above us, and the other was to put together the kind of run Spurs have been on. We went into this game on the back of two straight league wins, and we've now made it three after beating the most difficult opponent we had left to play.
It's not about getting into the top four, or even finishing 5th. We can't worry about that as it's entirely dependant on what other sides do. We need to just keep doing what we are doing and try to put a long unbeaten run together and pick up as many wins as we can. If that takes us to 5th or even higher, fantastic. If it doesn't, so what. This was always going to be a season of laying foundations, and I'd say we've certainly done that and people are beginning to take us seriously again. We just have to ensure there are no more letdowns between now and May.
Team: Jones; Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Enrique; Lucas, Gerrard; Downing, Suarez, Coutinho (Allen); Sturridge (Henderson):
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