Played
November 28, 2010 4:00 PM GMT
White Hart Lane — London
Referee:‬ M. Atkinson‎
Attendance:‬ 36310‎
 
66′ (OG) Martin Skrtel
90+2′ Aaron Lennon
 
   
 
 

Player Ratings: Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool

By Wayne Veysey at White Hart Lane

  • Gomes
    61
    15
    3.00

    Gomes

    His kicking was dodgy but his reflexes were in good working order. Pulled off a superb save to deny Rodriguez.

  • Alan Hutton
    38
    41
    3.00

    Alan Hutton

    Never convincing defensively and his crossing was inconsistent but his adventurous raids always added another dimension to Spurs' counter-attacks.

  • Younes Kaboul
    53
    12
    3.50

    Younes Kaboul

    His brilliant week ended on a low when a side injury led to him being withdrawn after 35 minutes. A shame for Spurs as there were further signs of his burgeoning understanding with Gallas.

  • William Gallas
    73
    12
    3.50

    William Gallas

    The stand-in skipper delivered his third excellent performance in a row. Led by example, maintained his concentration and shunted Torres and Ngog down a series of blind alleys.

  • Benoit Assou-Ekotto
    48
    27
    3.00

    Benoit Assou-Ekotto

    Solid rather than spectacular, the Frenchman put in another decent shift at left-back and his steadiness dovetails well with Bale's explosiveness.

  • Aaron Lennon
    71
    15
    3.50

    Aaron Lennon

    Looked really lively early on when he ran at Liverpool's defence but, as is his wont, faded as the game wore on. Took advantage of terrible defending by Konchesky to skip on to Crouch's flick-on and side-foot the stoppage-time winner.

  • W. Palacios
    38
    62
    2.50

    W. Palacios

    Extremely sloppy and ponderous in possession and mis-read the runs of his team-mates on several occasions. The crowd got on his back and his confidence seemed to be affected. Does not seem the same player of 12 months ago.

  • Luka Modric
    193
    13
    4.00

    Luka Modric Top of the Match

    Set up the equaliser with a brilliant run to skin Carragher before his clever, toe-poked cross was bundled in by a desperate Skrtel. At the heart of Spurs' comeback and pulled the strings in the second half.

  • Gareth Bale
    118
    29
    4.00

    Gareth Bale

    Yet another brilliant display by the man-of-the-season so far. Was given licence to not just hug the left touchline but come inside and run at the centre-backs as well as the full-back. His let-wing delivery was more reliable than a Jimmy Carr punchline.

  • Rafael van der Vaart
    65
    13
    0.00

    Rafael van der Vaart

    Passed a late fitness test on his ankle but, after some neat early touches. limped off after 10 minutes with a hamstring injury.

  • Peter Crouch
    64
    14
    3.50

    Peter Crouch

    Preferred to Pavlyuchenko in the starting line-up, he was completely dominant in the air and his touch was more adhesive than usual. A good focal point for his team-mates.

Substitutions

  • S. Bassong
    82
    9
    3.50

    S. Bassong

    Brought in alongside Gallas when Kaboul was withdrawn, the centre-half's communication with his fellow defenders was poor. But twice hauled Torres back when he was sent through, including one superb last-ditch tackle.

  • Sandro
    41
    7
    0.00

    Sandro

    Came on in added time.

  • Jermain Defoe
    37
    36
    2.50

    Jermain Defoe

    His speed and movement was a threat but his radar was on the blink. Belted a sitter against a diving Carragher with the goal at his mercy and then blasted his spot-kick wide. Also guilty of ignoring the bigger picture whenever he got sight of goal.

  • José Reina Paez
    24
    41
    2.50

    José Reina Paez

    Not at his most assured. His fumble almost presented Defoe with the opener and another spilled catch nearly allowed Bale to volley the equaliser before the Spaniard recovered to push it away. Far more convincing when called upon to make saves than crosses.

  • Glen Johnson
    32
    38
    3.00

    Glen Johnson

    Did not allow the threat of Bale to inhibit his own forward runs but got completely skinned by the Welshman on a few occasions.

  • Martin Skrtel
    66
    19
    3.50

    Martin Skrtel

    Had his name on both teams' scoresheets after stabbing home the opener before bundling in an own goal. Sturdy display against one of the most adventurous attacking sides in the League and deserved better than to finish on the losing side.

  • Jamie Carragher
    65
    21
    3.50

    Jamie Carragher

    Fabulous lunging block denied Defoe the opener after half-an-hour and, although his lack of pace was exposed by the speed of Spurs' counter-attacks, his nous and leadership was crucial to a strong display by his team. Dislocated his shoulder late on and was substituted with four minutes left.

  • Paul Konchesky
    69
    56
    2.00

    Paul Konchesky Flop of the Match

    The weakest link for Liverpool today. His decision-making was poor and made a series of unforced errors. One terrible pass from deep in his half almost let in Hutton for the opener and then fell asleep for Lennon's winner.

  • Dirk Kuyt
    34
    27
    3.00

    Dirk Kuyt

    His decision-making was patchy but still delivered some pacy crosses from the right flank. Looked more comfortable in a central role when Ngog was subbed.

  • Lucas Leiva
    66
    17
    3.50

    Lucas Leiva

    Bossed the midfield for the first hour with one of his finest performances in a red shirt. Strong in the tackle, tidy in possession and his energy levels never dropped.

  • Raúl Meireles
    113
    18
    4.00

    Raúl Meireles

    Took on Gerrard's playmaking mantle with some aplomb as he showed further signs that he could be an influential figure for Liverpool. Showed his versatility with a brilliant goal-line clearance from Bale's half-volley and a left-footed thunderbolt that arched just ober the bar.

  • Maxi Rodríguez
    30
    35
    3.00

    Maxi Rodríguez

    A big threat cutting in from the left. Twice came close to opening the scoring with curling shots before he made a complete mess of a one-on-one with Gomes after being sent through by Torres. Some good link-ups with Torres.

  • David Ngog
    23
    38
    3.00

    David Ngog

    His height and presence helped take some of the burden off Torres although there was little evidence of the pair striking up an understanding and wasted a good headed opportunity. You would think he might have known better after Fabregas' example against Spurs eight days ago but jumped with both arms aloft in the wall to gift the hosts a penalty. Withdrawn after 74 minutes.

  • Fernando Torres
    52
    37
    3.00

    Fernando Torres

    His delicate, reverse pass that put Maxi through on goal was one of the passes of the season. But he veered between looking sharp and unconvincing. He twice surged clear of the last defender only to be hauled back by Bassong on both occasions. Dovetailed impressively with Maxi at times.

Substitutions

  • Sotirios  Kyrgiakos
    19
    23
    0.00

    Sotirios Kyrgiakos

    Brought on for the injured Carragher in the dying minutes.

  • Fabio Aurelio
    10
    10
    2.50

    Fabio Aurelio

    Bolstered the left flank when he replaced Ngog but struggled to get involved.

Results
 
Player Ratings
Tournament
Position
Ranking
Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Robin van Persie Robin van Persie
Striker
Manchester United
26 3
Luis Suárez Luis Suárez
Striker
Liverpool
23 0
Gareth Bale Gareth Bale
Midfielder
Tottenham
21 0
C. Benteke C. Benteke
Striker
Aston Villa
19 3
Michu Michu
Midfielder
Swansea City
19 0