COULD WE SEE Mario Balotelli make a big impact as they get set to take on a Spurs side enjoying some sparkling early season form under Mauricio Pochettino?
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Hello, and welcome to today’s liveblog. The team news is in…
LIVERPOOL: Mignolet, Manquillo, Moreno, Lovren, Sakho, Gerrard, Allen, Henderson, Sterling, Sturridge, Balotelli. Subs: Jones, Enrique, Toure, Lambert, Coutinho, Can, Markovic.
TOTTENHAM: Lloris, Dier, Kaboul, Vertonghen, Rose, Bentaleb, Capoue, Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela, Adebayor. Subs: Friedel, Chiriches, Davies, Dembele, Holtby, Townsend, Kane.
Amazing!
Steven Gerrard is interviewed by Jamie Carragher on Sky ahead of the game.
The Liverpool captain reckons it’ll be a much-improved Tottenham from last year (when they were thrashed by Liverpool twice).
In case you need reminding, here’s what happened when the sides met in this fixture last season.
(A Liverpool fan with the name of new signing Mario Balotelli on the back of his shirt)
Dubious indeed.
All eyes are on this man right now.
We’re underway…
1 min: This game has started with a very fast tempo.
Both sides really look up for this game.
2 mins: Great ball in from Sturridge who finds Mario Balotelli. The Italian’s header is then parried away by Lloris. That would have been a dream start for Liveropool’s new signing, but he’ll feel he should have done better.
Shortly thereafter, Mignolet comes out to collect a through ball but lets it slip from his hands. Luckily for him, the ball rebounds off a Tottenham player and goes harmlessly out of play.
A glorious pass from Lamela almost puts Rose through on goal, but the Liverpool defender makes a timely interception.
GOAL FOR LIVERPOOL!
Tottenham 0-1 Liverpool (Sterling 7 mins)
Great link-up play between Sturridge and Henderson before the latter crosses to Sterling to slot home.
That’s the first goal Tottenham have conceded this season.
9 mins: Tottenham come very close to responding immediately.
Adebayor finds himself through on goal but his lob over the goalkeeper can only find the roof of the net.
Here’s a look at that well-worked Liverpool goal.
12 mins: Another chance for Balotelli. A dangerous free kick is floated in but the Italian heads tamely wide.
Spurs have looked very unconvincing at the back so far.
17 mins: Liverpool’s pressing has been very impressive so far. They’ve barely allowed Tottenham to play at all.
Meanwhile, Gabby Agbonlahor has given Aston Villa the lead against Hull.
21 mins: Sakho gives the ball away cheaply and Lovren has to make an excellent tackle to stop Adebayor rampaging through on goal.
Down the other end, Liverpool threaten a counter, but Sterling’s pass isn’t good enough to expose the Tottenham defence and the danger is averted.
25 mins: Allen concedes possession and then cynically pulls back Lamela, before receiving a booking.
It’s been a hugely entertaining game to watch so far.
It was quite a tackle.
29 mins: Sturridge, who has looked lively, unleashes a shot that Lloris does well to save.
Shortly thereafter, Lloris makes a poor clearance, but Balotelli can’t find the target with his subsequent attempt as the Spurs goalkeeper is left stranded off his line.
33 mins: Spurs have probably had more of the possession and play in recent minutes, but Liverpool look a persistent threat on the counter and are offering that little bit more in attack.
In other words, it’s very finely balanced with just over half an hour played.
38 mins: Chadli passes the ball to Rose, but the Liverpool defender gets a good interception in to stop the attack.
It hasn’t really clicked for Tottenham down that left-hand side.
Andreas Weimann has put Villa 2-0 up against Hull in the other game today.
Meanwhile, Dejan Lovren has just made a superb recovery tackle after Adebayor threatened to burst through on goal.
41 mins: That’s Spurs’ best chance yet — Adebayor heads on to an unmarked Chadli. The Belgian international’s sweet strike is superbly saved by his international teammate Mignolet.
Meanwhile, down the other end, a corner is played to Balotelli, who shoots well over the bar. The Italian has certainly looked up for this match today, even if his finishing has been below par.
HALF-TIME: TOTTENHAM 0-1 LIVERPOOL
So Liverpool hold a marginal lead at half-time.
It’s probably just about deserved as the Reds look slightly sharper at the back. That said, Tottenham have had more possession, they simply haven’t been incisive enough in the final third.
Balotelli has produced a committed display, though he’ll hope his finishing will improve in time, as he could have had a hat-trick by now on another day.
Spurs, meanwhile, have got in behind Liverpool once or twice, but a combination of desperate last-ditch defending and inept finishing has kept the score at 1-0.
The second half is underway…
PENALTY FOR LIVERPOOL!
GOAL FOR LIVERPOOL!
Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool (Gerrard 47)
Poor play from Dier who throws an arm out towards Allen, with the Liverpool midfielder going down rather easily as a result. It’s a soft penalty, but a penalty nonetheless.
Gerrard subsequently powers the penalty home despite Lloris getting a hand to the ball.
Here’s a look at the penalty and the goal.
57 mins: The ball is passed to Lamela, but he fails to control it and it goes out of play. That sums up how poor he has been today.
Meanwhile, Spurs make a double substitution — Dembele and Townsend replace Eriksen and Bentleab.
GOAL FOR LIVERPOOL!
Tottenham 0-3 Liverpool (Moreno 58)
Townsend, with his first touch, concedes possession and Moreno bursts through on goal and finishes emphatically.
Game over surely, now.
Liverpool make a double substitution, with Balotelli and Allen being replaced by Can and Markovic.
This could end in another rout like last season.
Here’s that classy Moreno goal.
68 mins: Tottenham look a beaten side at the moment.
Liverpool have had the majority of the play in the last few minutes, with the hosts giving the ball away far too cheaply at the moment.
69 mins: Some brilliant dribbling by Sterling makes the Tottenham defence look foolish, but the youngster can’t apply a finish to what would have been a beautiful goal.
Meanwhile, Tottenham make their final substitution, with Ben Davies replacing Danny Rose.
75 mins: This game has understandably hit a bit of a lull now.
Tottenham are continuing to pass the ball around a lot, but there is no real conviction to their play, as a sense of deja vu creeps in from last year’s similarly toothless displays.
In today’s other Premier League game, Nikica Jelavic has given Hull hope against Aston Villa with a header from a Robbie Brady free-kick.
It’s 2-1 there with about 10 minutes remaining.
(Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren (left) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Nacer Chadli (right) battle for the ball)
85 mins: Sterling, who has arguably been Liverpool’s best player, is replaced by Luis Enrique.
Tottenham are continuing to enjoy good possession, but their movement in the final third is poor meaning their attacks ultimately tend to peter out.
90 mins: Claims for a Spurs penalty, as Lovren is tugging Adebayor. There was certainly more contact there than for the Liverpool penalty, but the ref waves play on regardless.
Given that the game is injury time, it hardly would have mattered anyway.
FULL-TIME: TOTTENHAM 0-3 LIVERPOOL
So it’s all over, and Liverpool have secured an ultimately quite comfortable win over Spurs.
The Reds ruthlessly took advantage of Tottenham’s individual mistakes at the back and could have triumphed by more goals if Balotelli had his shooting boots on.
The visitors were a constant menace on the counter-attack and their sharp forward play was in stark contrast to their opponents’ rather ponderous build-ups, with Man of the Match Raheem Sterling in particular posing problems for much of the game.
There was little consolation for Spurs, even if their performance here wasn’t quite as hapless as it was against the same opposition at White Hart Lane last season.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side all too often lacked ideas and invention in attack, and shot themselves in the foot to a degree for all of Liverpool’s goals.
Right that’s all from me.
Thanks for reading and commenting, and enjoy the rest of your weekends.
