Liverpool Live Blog: Strong Defense From Spurs Gives Tottenham 2-0 Win at Anfield, Europa League Advantage

Full time, Spurs 2-0:

Five minutes added

Kranjcar on for Pienaar

Spurs have a counter, but they take their time getting forward and Liverpool gets back with numbers before Carragher beats Defoe in the area.

Spurs keep the pressure on, and Pienaar takes a great shot from above the area, which bounces just by the far post.

Spurs get another countering chance, but Kranjcar holds up the ball and Spurs take the opportunity to bleed the clock with lengthy possession. Eventually, Lennon makes a run into the area, and he sets up a shot for Defoe, whose effort is blocked.

At the other end, Kuyt shoots from distance, but he is well high.

Carragher makes a great run down the right, and he crosses in well, but Dawson clears.

The final whistle blows.

89', Spurs 2-0:

Cole on for Carroll

Crouch receives the ball in the area, and makes a run toward goal, but he goes down with nothing awarded.

Pienaar quickly gets it back into play, but he can't find anybody and Liverpool clears.

Carroll gets a shot in on target, but it is saved comfortably by Cudicini low at the far post.

Kuyt sends a cross in, but Cudicini gets there easily.

85', Spurs 2-0: Kuyt wins a foul near the corner after Pienaar makes a clumsy challenge.

Shelvey's ball is taken toward Carroll at the near post, and he gets his head to it, but can't direct it toward goal, and it goes all the way for a Spurs throw.

Shelvey and Sandro chase down a ball, and Sandro ends up all the way in the first row of the stands after Shelvey made a little contact.

81', Spurs 2-0:

Bassong on for Rose (injury)

The game has again settled in, with Spurs no longer so penned in at their own end.

Defoe is fouled in midfield by Carragher.

Shelvey sends a great diagonal for Flanagan down the right, and he wins a deep throw.

Danny Rose, though, sits down with an injury, and Bassong immediately comes on. A fan runs onto the pitch, making quite a gallop before play can be resumed.

77', Spurs 2-0:

Ngog on for Maxi (tactical)

The subsequent Liverpool corner is taken very dangerously, and Dawson nearly heads it into his own goal.

After the clearance, a ball is sent back in and Cudicini muffs the catch. The ball, though, is cleared.

73', Spurs 2-0:

Spurs win a corner from Skrtel, but nothing comes of it.

Kuyt makes a great run down the right, but Ledley King comes back and tackles the ball away for a corner.

The corner, though, is cleared easily.

69', Spurs 2-0:

Yellow card — Flanagan — poor challenge on Crouch

Shelvey on for Spearing

Shelvey fires a cracker from distance, but it swerves just wide. It really was a great effort from way out.

Liverpool get a series of crosses and runs into the area, but Spurs continue to defend the box well and prevent clear-cut chances.

Flanagan comes in late on Rose with his studs a little high, and Webb awards him the corresponding yellow.

65', Spurs 2-0: Flanagan finds Suarez well in the area, but the Uruguyan can't keep his shot down — he was in a dangerous spot.

On the next rush forward, Suarez nearly slips Kuyt in on a great through ball into the area.

Flanagan fouls Modric in midfield.

61', Spurs 2-0: Suarez makes a great run down the right, finding Flanagan in the area. He tries to beat Cudicini at the near post, but his effort is off target.

Spurs now seem content to sit back and protect the lead as the action has moved nearly completely into the Spurs half.

57', Spurs 2-0: Since the injury to Van der Vaart, momentum looks to immediately have shifted back to Liverpool, who are again on the front foot.

Pienaar makes a run into the area from the left, and Flanagan barges into him on the edge of area. Webb points to the spot — it was a foul, but it was perhaps not in the area. Modric scores. 2-0.

53', Spurs 1-0:

Defoe on for Van der Vaart (injury)

Crouch and Van der Vaart combine cleverly, and the Dutchman attempts to chip Reina to no avail. He immediately goes down on the pitch with an injury and hobbles off. Defoe comes on for him.

Suarez makes another run into the area, but he trips himself, and Spurs clear.

49', Spurs 1-0: Steven Pienaar challenges well late on Dirk Kuyt. Johnson makes a run up the left and wins a corner. Suarez's ball in is claimed easily by Cudicini, but his throw nearly results in an easy goal for Liverpool. Crouch, though, comes to the rescue and clears.

Half, Spurs 1-0:

One minute added

Yellow card — Sandro — bad tackle on Carroll

Carroll makes a strong run down the center of the pitch, and Sandro leaves his leg out in his way, bringing down the big man. Sandro receives a yellow for his effort, and Suarez gets a shot at goal from a dangerous area.

Suarez beats the wall at the far post, and he tries to curl it into goal, but his effort goes just wide.

Half.

44', Spurs 1-0: Suarez makes another great run down the right. He cuts between two defenders, but Rose tackles the ball for a corner.

The corner is a dangerous one, with the ball falling to Kuyt, but his cross across goal is cleared away.

The ball is sent back in to Maxi at the far post, but he dives over a Kaboul challenge, and Dawson and Cudicini are furious. Nothing is given.

Suarez makes another great run down the line from the left, winning a corner after his ball is headed behind. The corner presents little danger, but it is held in for a good while before Carroll crosses it out of bounds.

40', Spurs 1-0: Johnson makes a great run wide around Kaboul, winning a corner in the process.

The ball is well taken, but Spurs get the clearance. It is sent back in by Rodriguez, and Skrtel gets to it and sends the ball across goal toward Carroll, who can't finish.

36', Spurs 1-0: Suarez receives a ball from Maxi above the area, and though there is a lot of contact with King, Webb doesn't blow the whistle, and Suarez is furious.

Liverpool creates a great attack. Suarez takes it up the right, finding Spearing at the top of the area. He in turn finds Maxi in the area on the left, and Maxi tees up Spearing for a shot, but he scuffs it.

32', Spurs 1-0: Tottenham looks to have things going, but Johnson intercepts Pienaar's run well at the edge of the area.

Kuyt goes down in the area off a throw, but no penalty is called — though there was an argument.

Carroll has seen very little of the ball thus far — of the Liverpool forward players, he has been by far the least involved.

28', Spurs 1-0: Liverpool is now firmly on the front foot, but they've yet to create a good chance.

A great cross is sent in by Kuyt, which is cleared behind for a corner by Dawson.

Jamie Carragher is whistled for a very soft foul on Peter Crouch in midfield, inciting all sorts of anger toward Howard Webb from the supporters.

24', Spurs 1-0: Liverpool comes back on the attack. Carroll takes a shot from the top of the area, but to no end, and Suarez wins a corner, which also comes to nothing.

Johnson wins a free kick in the attacking half, inducing the foul from Pienaar.

20', Spurs 1-0:

Yellow card — Suarez — kicking Michael Dawson

Spurs win another corner — this time at Carragher's expense — but it comes to no danger for Liverpool.

Suarez and Dawson get into an altercation after a collision on a throw. Dawson goes down easily on the collision, and Suarez kicks him intentionally in a fit of anger. For such, he is awarded a yellow.

16', Spurs 1-0: The game finally appears to be settling in, with Liverpool somewhat coming into the action. They're now the side seeing the better of the ball. Suarez sends in a long cross toward Maxi, but Cudicini is there.

Kuyt is whistled for a late challenge on Rose.

12', Spurs 1-0: Suarez makes a run into the area on Liverpool's first true attack of the match, but the offside flag is incorrectly raised.

Spurs, though, jump right back onto the ball and control for another spell, until Liverpool finally regains possession and holds in their own half.

The teams exchange in midfield thereafter.

8', Spurs 1-0: Spurs have maintained the front foot in the early going, seeing the vast majority of the ball.

After a long stretch of possession, Van der Vaart takes a shot from distance, but he cannot hit the target.

On Spurs' next surge forward, the away side wins a corner, which is taken well and falls to Van der Vaart at the top of the area on the far post. He takes a shot — deflected off Johnson — and in to the top corner. Goal!

4', 0-0: Spurs win an early corner on the left, but it is cleared well by Flanagan. Van der Vaart gets a cross in from a dangerous area thereafter, but his ball is collected easily by Reina.

6 a.m. ET: When Aaron Lennon's injury time winner sunk Liverpool way back in late November at White Hart Lane, it seeemed nearly impossible that the two sides would be fighting for a Europa League berth when they met again in mid-May.

After Liverpool underwent a dramatic turnaround and Spurs sputtered down the stretch, though, that is exactly what is set to unfold at Amfield on Sunday.

If Liverpool beats Harry Redknapp's side, which has not won in its past five contests, they'll be five points clear of the side that usurped their place in the Champions League in 2010-11 with just one match to go. If Spurs do triumph, they'll have a one-point advantage over the Reds with one match remaining for each.

Tottenham has not won in their last 16 trips to Anfield.

Lineups are as follows:

Liverpool

Pepe Reina (25), GK
Martin Skrtel (37), CB
Jamie Carragher (23) ,CB
John Flanagan (38), FB
Glen Johnson (2), FB
Lucas (21), MF
Maxi Rodriguez (17), MF
Dirk Kuyt (18), MF
Andy Carroll (9), F
Luis Suarez (7), F

Substitutes:

Joe Cole (10)
Christian Poulsen (28)
Sotirios Kyrgiakos (16)
David Ngog (24)
Jonjo Shelvey (33)
Peter Gulacsi (42)
Jack Robinson (49)

Tottenham Hotspur:

Carlo Cudicini (23), GK
Ledley King (26), CB
Michael Dawson (20), CB
Danny Rose (25), FB
Younes Kaboul (4), FB
Sandro (30), MF
Luka Modric (14), MF
Steven Pienaar (40), MF
Aaron Lennon (7), MF
Peter Crouch (15), F
Rafael Van der Vaart (11)

Substitutes:

Jermaine Defoe (18)
Roman Pavlyuchenko (9)
Sebastien Bassong (19)
Stipe Pletikosa (37)
Jake Livermore (29)
John Bostock (31)