FINAL, Tottenham 4-0: Tottenham deliver Liverpool a cold, hard slap in the face. Things started poorly for LFC and only got worse as the match progressed. That's all for now. Check NESN.com later for a full match report.
93rd minute, Tottenham 4-0: Adebayor scores Assou-Ekotto finds the Togo striker just right of the penalty spot. He controls beautifully and blasts the half-volley past Reina. He showed great technique. Although it is much easier to do it when you have as much time and space as he did. That is two goals for Adebayor on his home debut.
83rd minute, Tottenham 3-0: And we're back. Modric and Parker still bossing the midfield. It doesn't seem anything has changed since Adebayor's goal. Defoe comes of for the Mexican Dos Santos. Ledley King gets to give his aching knees a rest. He is replaced by Bassong.
79th minute, Tottenham 3-0: Well it seems Foxsoccer.tv has given up on Liverpool. They've cut to pre-match coverage of Man United – Chelsea.
70th minute, Tottenham 3-0: Spearing and Bellamy enter for Downing and Suarez in what the announcer calls, "a damage limitation excercise." The changes come all too late for the visitors.
68th minute, Tottenham 3-0: The misery compounds for Liverpool. Reina spills Defoe's shot from distance. Adebayor is first to react. He flicks the rebound over the on-rushing 'keeper and slots his next shot into the empty net.
66th minute, Tottenham 2-0: GOAL. Defoe runs onto Bale's through pass and is met at the top of the area by Enrique. He turns the Spanish fullback around and fires past Reina at the near post. It was an excellent finish.
63rd minute, Tottenham 1-0: Makeshift fullback Skrtel sent off for a poorly-timed challenge on Bale. LFC must see out the game with eight field players and Reina. The faces of the travelling LFC supporters have hopeless looks.
56th minute, Tottenham 1-0: Spurs finding it all too easy to weave the ball through the midfield. Lucas is the only barrier in the central and he's been, well, invisible.
52nd minute, Tottenham 1-0: There was one halftime substitution. Kranjcar was removed and Van der Vaart entered. This makes the hosts even more threatening in the attack. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is trying to deal the death-blow to the visitors.
50th minute, Tottenham 1-0: This game is crying out for Dirk Kuyt. 10-man LFC can use his energy, experience and composure. It's baffling that he was not named in the starting 11.
46th minute, Tottenham 1-0: Defoe starts the second half just as the first ended. He fires his chance just wide of Reina's goal.
Halftime, 1-0: The end of the first act cannot come soon enough for Kenny Dalglish and LFC. The Reds are down a goal, down a man and half their team are on yellow cards. The 1-0 lead is a poor reflection of the advantage in play the hosts hold. That is not to say, Tottenham have been particularly impressive. LFC have just played so poorly. They must feel some relief to only be down one goal at the half.
40th minute, 1-0: Adebayor in a giants' foot-race brought down by Coates. The debut defender makes a hard tackle. He got a piece of the ball and a bigger piece of the Spurs' striker. He sees yellow for his efforts.
36th minute, 1-0: Martin Skrtel is booked for bringing Bale down. The Welshman's pace is causing LFC all sorts of problems down the right. Dalglish must sort out the problems at the position. Skrtel can do the job on the day, but he is no better than a short-term fix there.
28th minute, 1-0: When you think it can't get worse for Liverpool, it does. Charlie Adam is sent off for a tackle on Scott Parker. It was harsh on the Scottish midfielder. The ball was coming down and he tried to play it out the air … with his studs. He missed the ball and caught Parker's knee. The referee shows him his second yellow card of the match.
26th minute, 1-0: Coates coming on for Agger. It's a debut for the Uruguayan. The oft-injured Agger set for another spell on the sidelines.
24th minute, 1-0: Adebayor booked for a stomp on Carroll. LFC not able to hold and pass the ball. Early jitters are partly to blame.
14th minute, 1-0: LFC are in a state of confusion at the back. Bale giving Skrtel fits on the left. Early chances for Adebayor, Modric and Defoe reflect the hosts' advantage so far in this contest.
9th minute, 1-0: To compoud the misery for the Reds, Daniel Agger is down on the field in a lot of pain. It looks like his groin is the problem. Uruguayan defender Sebastian Coates is warming up and looks set to take his place.
7th minute, 1-0: Goal! Luka Modric fires Tottenham ahead in the early goings! Bale's cross from the left finds Defoe at the top of the 18 yard box. His mistouch is collected by Modric, who hits a screamer into the top corner. It will go a long way towards putting the Croatian back in the good graces of the Spurs faithful after agitating for a move to Chelsea in recent weeks.
10 a.m.: Here are the starting lineups.
Liverpool
Pepe Reina (25), goalkeeper
Martin Skrtel (37), right back
Jamie Carragher (23), center back
Daniel Agger (5), center back
Jose Enrique (38), left back
Charlie Adam (26), midfielder
Lucas (21), midfielder
Stuart Downing (19), midfielder
Jordan Henderson (14), midfielder
Andy Carroll (9), forward
Luis Suarez (7), forward
Substitutes
Doni (32), goalkeeper
Jack Robinson(49), defender
Sebastian Coates(16), defender
Jay Spearing (20), midfielder
Maxi Rodriguez(11), midfielder
Craig Bellamy (39), forward
Dirk Kuyt (18), forward
Tottenham
Brad Friedel (24), goalkeeper
Kyle Walker (28), right back
Ledley King (26), center back
Younnes Kaboul (4), center back
Benoit Assou-Ekotto (32), left back
Scott Parker (8), midfielder
Luka Modric (14), midfielder
Niko Kranjcar (21), midfielder
Gareth Bale (3), midfieler
Jermaine Defoe (18), forward
Emmanuel Adebayor (10), forward
Substitutes
Carlo Cudicini (23), goalkeeper
Vedran Corluka (22), defender
Sebastien Bassong (19), defender
Jake Livermore (29), midfielder
Rafael Van der Vaart (11), midfielder
Giovani Dos Santos (17), forward
Roman Pavlyuchenko (9), forward
12 a.m. ET: At the start of the 2012 season, Fenway Sports Group head John Henry tweeted that anything less than a top-four finish in the English Premier League would be "a major disappointment" for Liverpool FC. He laid down the gauntlet to his team with that one statement.
On Sunday, the Reds take on another team that is realistically looking to break into that elite group when Liverpool visits White Hart Lane, where they will take on Harry Redknapp's Tottenham Hotspur.
Both teams are rested, fit and aiming at the same target. Luis Suarez, Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher and Co. will meet a team that, on paper, is their toughest test so far in this EPL season.
Join us Sunday at 8:30 a.m. ET for NESN.com's live blog of Tottenham-Liverpool. The Reds' goal is a top-four finish and one of their main rivals for the spot in next year's UEFA Champions League host them in this crunch clash.
