As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the game. E-mail paul@thescore.ie, tweet @thescore_ie, post a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.
You may need to refresh the page for YouTube videos and other elements to display correctly.
Liverpool 4-0 Tottenham
Hello, and welcome to today’s liveblog.
It’s a big day for Liverpool, who could go top with a win this afternoon, while Tottenham will also be determined to keep their faint hopes of Champions League football alive by securing three points.
Blow for Tottenham as Emmanuel Adebayor has unexpectedly fails to recover from injury in time for this game. Check out the full team news below.
LIVERPOOL: Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Flanagan, Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho, Sterling, Sturridge, Suarez. Substitutes: Jones, Allen, Aspas, Sakho, Lucas, Cissokho, Moses.
TOTTENHAM: Lloris; Naughton, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Sigurdsson; Lennon, Chadli, Eriksen; Soldado. Substitutes: Friedel, Dawson, Dembele, Sandro, Townsend, Winks, Kane.
Some pre-match reading for you:
- 5 talking points ahead of today’s Liverpool-Tottenham game
- Rodgers vows Liverpool will stay focused as title dream lives on
- Nine under-the-radar players who could have an impact on the Premier League title race
- Crystal Ball Gazing – Who’s going to win the Premier League this season?
- 5 talking points from Saturday’s Premier League action
A look at how it’s gone in past games between the sides…
This should be an interesting game, with both sides starting with conspicuously attacking line-ups.
We’re underway…
GOAL FOR LIVERPOOL!
Liverpool 1-0 Tottenham: Johnson outpaces Eriksen at the by-line.
The defender’s cross is subsequently deflected into the net by Kaboul (2 mins).
Great start for Liverpool!
Typically fast start for Liverpool, and a typically slow start for Tottenham, who haven’t scored in the first 15 minutes of any of their league games this season.
Suarez has also almost capitalised on Kaboul dwelling on the ball, as the Reds threaten to completely overpower a nervous-looking Spurs side.
Suarez gets in behind the Tottenham defence, but the Uruguayan’s cross narrowly misses the onrushing Sturridge.
Already, Tottenham are struggling to cope with the strike duo.
Tributes at the Hillsborough memorial before the Barclays Premier League match today.
Sterling teases and torments the Spurs defender, but his cross is well headed away by Kaboul.
Tottenham are struggling to cope with the speed of Liverpool’s attacks at the moment, as Brendan Rodgers’ team look the far sharper outfit.
Tottenham can barely get out of their half at the moment, owing to Liverpool’s relentless pressure.
This could be over by half-time if Spurs don’t improve.
GOAL FOR LIVERPOOL!
Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham: Kaboul fails to deal with a hopeful ball forward, and Suarez pounces.
The striker accelerates away from the defenders and finishes consummately (24 mins).
Suarez has now broken Robbie Fowler’s Liverpool goalscoring record with 29 goals this season.
Meanwhile, Dawson had just replaced the injured Vertonghen before that goal went in, and it looked like they were still getting themselves organised in the build-up to that goal.
This game already looks effectively all over.
That said, Tottenham did recover a two-goal deficit to beat Southampton last week, though it’d be a major surprise if they could repeat that feat this time around.
Another mistake from Kaboul and Lloris subsequently somehow manages to keep a Suarez header from going in the net.
Very difficult to see any outcome other than a Liverpool win today.
HALF-TIME: LIVERPOOL 2-0 TOTTENHAM
The moment where Kaboul put the ball into his own net.
Quiet enough start to the second half.
It’ll be interesting to see if Tottenham can launch any sort of a challenge, with Liverpool currently well in control.
Soldado steals possession from Agger, but there’s no one in the box when he looks up to cross — surprising given that Tottenham are in desperate need of a goal.
As I type, Sterling finds himself through on goal. He squares it to Henderson, who woefully blasts over with the goal at his mercy.
GOAL FOR LIVERPOOL!
Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham: Coutinho breaks through the midfield and strikes the ball powerfully into the corner of the net (54 mins).
Game over!
Bentaleb blasts well over, epitomising Tottenham’s frustration.
It’s his last action, as he’s replaced by Dembele, while Townsend comes on for Lennon.
Coutinho has been replaced by Joe Allen, as Liverpool look to shore up their midfield.
Just under half an hour left to play…
Nervous moment for Liverpool, as Luis Suarez stumbles awkwardly and appears to be in some pain following an innocuous challenge with Lloris. He should be okay to continue for now though.
Meanwhile, Danny Rose dwells on the ball and Sturridge steals it off him, but his backheel towards goal is stopped by the keeper.
Steven Gerrard, who has avoided picking up a yellow card that would prompt a suspension, is replaced by Lucas.
Clearly, Brendan Rodgers knows his side have this game won.
Bit of a lull in this game understandably.
Both teams seem to be going through the motions with the outcome effectively decided.
GOAL FOR LIVERPOOL!
Liverpool 4-0 Tottenham: A dangerous free kick is flighted into the box and Jordan Henderson appears to get the final touch, directing it into the net (74 mins).
Sherwood’s post-match interview should be an interesting watch.
Victor Moses gets a run out in place of Raheem Sterling.
This weekend couldn’t really have gone any better for Liverpool.
Kaboul heads just over the bar from a corner as Tottenham threaten a consolation.
Even Liverpool’s defence has looked relatively solid today.
Jordan Henderson celebrates Liverpool’s fourth.
Meanwhile, it’s been a bad day for this man.
FULL-TIME: LIVERPOOL 4-0 TOTTENHAM
A convincing win for Liverpool as they go top of the league.
Can they win the title for the first time in 24 years? Watch this space.
Right, that’s all from me for now.
Thanks for reading and commenting, and stay tuned for further reaction.
