Luka Modric, Jermaine Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor scored goals in a humiliation of (what was supposed to be) one of their rival's for a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League. The 4-0 scoreline was not even a reflection of a classic Tottenham performance. It was the embodiment of a wretched performance by Liverpool, which leaves supporters wondering: What was all the fuss about over a born-again LFC?
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish takes his share of the blame. His selection and tactics contributed to the drubbing.
He opted to start misfiring striker Andy Carroll alongside Luis Suarez in the attack. Having Carroll in place of a another midfielder -– the energetic and dependable Dirk Kuyt -– meant that midfielders Lucas and Charlie Adam were matched man-for-man against Scott Parker and Modric in the center of the midfield. On paper, the matchup favors Spurs. The advantage was so much greater once they took the field.
Modric opened the scoring with a goal that showed why he was the subject of a £40 million ($63.18 million) transfer bid from Chelsea a few weeks ago. In the seventh minute, he pounced on a ball that bounced off Defoe and fired his curling shot into the far top corner of Pepe Reina's goal.
By that time, LFC was already confused and stretched in defense. Defender Daniel Agger injured what appeared to be his ribs in stretching to deflect Modric's shot. The miserable start to the game would be a distant memory when he was replaced by Uruguayan debutant Sebastian Coates 20 minutes later.
Adam was booked early in the contest and sent off in the 28th minute for a studs-up play on a ball in the air. He missed it and caught Parker's knee instead. Maybe it was harsh, but the enthusiastic Scottish grafter should have been more careful when playing with a yellow card.
Martin Skrtel was playing at right back for the third consecutive league game. He's a center defender by trade and it was only a matter of time before the experiment blew up in the face of Dalglish. When lined up against a nominee for last season's player of the year –- Gareth Bale -– he was exposed as someone too slow to cope with wingers that have any sort of speed. Dalglish even switched Stuart Downing to the right to aid Skrtel against Bale, but it was to no avail. The Czech defender was booked for a first-half challenge on the Welsh winger and sent off in the second for a rash, poorly timed tackle on his tormentor (63rd minute).
That Liverpool only trailed 1-0 at halftime was nothing short of divine mercy. They were down a man, hopeless in attack and inept in defense. Dalglish didn't make the needed substitutions or tactical adjustments ahead of the second half until it was far too late.
Shortly after Skrtel was sent off, Tottenham ruthlessly exploited the space and buried their visitors with a pair of goals. Defoe turned Jose Enrique and beat Reina with a fine strike from 15 yards out in the 66th minute. Two minutes later, Adebayor was the first to react when Reina spilled a Defoe effort. The Togolese striker flicked the rebound over the keeper to himself and slotted the half-volley into the empty net.
The double effectively ended a match that was (at best) one-sided from the outset. Adebayor wonderfully capped his home debut with Tottenham's fourth. He showed great technique when he brought down a pass from Benoit Assou-Ekotto, controlled it and volleyed past Reina.
The ease with which he scored the stoppage-time encore -– with all the time and space he wanted — was a perfect reflection of the gulf between the teams on this day. When it mattered, Liverpool's resistance was nowhere to be found. Dalglish's men were overrun from the outset and the veteran manager made no in-game adjustments to ease the pressure.
This was no case of bad luck. Liverpool's slow start shows that, for some reason, they were not ready to face a team that moves the ball as well as Tottenham do. What is more alarming for LFC supporters is the manner in which they capitulated in the face of adversity. The humiliating loss is a clear indicator of the distance the club must travel if they are to reach the promised land of a place in next season's Champions League. It's not that Spurs were that good. Liverpool was just that bad.
