Tottenham Hotspur 2 v Liverpool 1
Liverpool's Title Bid Dealt A Blow in Premiership Opener
A tame start to the game saw little action with the only major talking point being a clash of heads between Jamie Carragher and Martin Skertl. Liverpool were temporarily without any recognised centre-halves on the pitch as both players received treatment. Spurs however couldn’t capitalise on a brief period of power-play.
The first chance of the game came on the half mark. An Aaron Lennon cross was turned back in by Luca Modric and with the goal at his mercy, Robbie Keane's weak header was too close to Pepe Reina who was able to scramble across his goal and saved with his legs.
Frustration for Robbie Kane
The Liverpool keeper denied Keane again five minutes later when the Spurs striker was put through on goal, but another poor effort was easily palmed away by the Spaniard. And Keane was culpable of a third miss shortly before the break when he blazed wildly over from the edge of the 18-yard box when really he should have done better.
Spurs did make a breakthrough after 44 minutes. A free-kick 20-yards from goal was hit straight into the wall and when the rebound fell to Benoit Assou-Ekotto he unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top corner with his left foot to give Harry Redknapp's side a 1-0 lead at the break.
Ten minutes into the second half Liverpool were level. A powerful run into the box by new signing Glen Johnson saw him brought down by Huerelho Gomes in the Spurs goal. It was an undeniable penalty and captain, Steven Gerrard stepped up to despatch straight down the middle.
Three minutes later however, Spurs restored their lead. Carragher with a 2-inch gash stitched and bandaged as a result of an earlier clash of heads with Martin Skertl, brought down Jermaine Defoe. From the resulting free-kick, Cameroon International, Sebastien Bassong, was on hand to head home at the back post.
The game was opening up. Gerrard's fearsome free-kick was beaten away by Gomes for a corner. At the other end Keane hit a strike with the same venom but it was straight at Pepe Reina. After 68 minutes both managers made changes. Yossi Benayoun came on for the ineffectual Ryan Babel and Peter Crouch replaced Keane to make his Spurs debut nine years after first leaving White Hart Lane to face his former employers.
Liverpool Denied Penalty
But it was Benayoun for the Reds who made the biggest impact. He started off a some good build up play which was almost rounded off by Fernando Torres, but the Spain striker could not get enough direction on the ball to trouble the Spurs keeper. The injection of the little Israeli sparked life into a previously lacklustre Liverpool performance. He was again involved when Andriy Voronin, back from a loan spell with Hertha Berlin, was through on goal before being barged off the ball by Assou Ekotto. Referee Phil Dowd waved away Liverpool appeals and denied the away side the chance of an equaliser. A minute later another penalty appeal was waved away when the same Spurs defender handled in the box, but it was quite rightly adjudged to have been ball to hand.
Liverpool applied pressure late on, but they couldn't do enough to trouble the Spurs defence and after a disappointing attacking performance Benitez's men got what they deserved. On the day the better side ran out winners.
Teams
Tottenham Hotspurs: Heurelho Gomes, Vedran Corluka, Ledley King, Sebastian Bassong, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Luca Modric (Jamie O’Hara 84), Aaron Lennon, Wilson Palacios, Tom Huddlestone, Robbie Keane (Peter Crouch 68), Jermaine Defoe (Roman Pavlyuchencko 91)
Subs: Carlo Cudicini, Alan Hutton, Kyle Naughton, David Bentley, Jamie O’Hara, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Peter Crouch
Liverpool: Pepe Reina, Glen Johnson, Jamie Carragher, Martin Skertl (Ayala 75), Emiliano Insua, Dirk Kuyt (voronin 79), Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, Lucas Leiva, Ryan Babel (Yossi Benayoun 68), Fernando Torres
Subs: Diego Cavalieri, Martin Kelly, Daniel Ayala, Andrea Dossena, Yossi Benayoun, Andriy Voronin
Goals:Assou-Ekotto 44, Gerrard 56 (pen), Bassong 59
Bookings: Lennon 25, Mascherano 31, Skertl 51, Gomes 55,
Carragher 59, Assou-Ekotto 67,
Referee: Phil Dowd
Attendance: 35935
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