Dirk Kuyt’s second minute goal set Liverpool on their way before a Jamie Carragher headed own goal let Spurs get back in to the game with twenty minutes left.
Liverpool rued their chances when Pavluychenko scored the winner in the 90th minute ending Liverpool’s unbeaten start and returning us to second place in the Premiership.
Liverpool started brightly and after a neat turn from Keane, he played the ball in to Dirk Kuyt who from a tight angle smashed the ball over the keeper in to the top of the net.
Within 5 minutes the reds could have doubled the lead, when Bent’s attempted clearance hit his own post.
Chances fell to either side in an entertaining first half. Modric had a fine shot and Bentley should have done better from a free kick.
At the other end Gerrard headed narrowly over from a Dossena cross.
The second half continued in entertaining fashion but eventually Liverpool cracked when from a corner Jamie Carragher headed the ball past Reina after attempting to challenge Bent to clear it.
Tottenham grabbed the winner after Reina parried a vicious cross away in the 90th minute only for Pavluychenko to skip past Dossena and fire past Reina.
Liverpool’s unbeaten run ends and Liverpool return to 2nd in the Premiership.
Goals
Post Match Reaction
Rafa Benitez very disappointed:
“I can’t believe we have lost this game. After playing well in the first half we started the second half with four clear chances. We hit the bar and Kuyt and Alonso had great chances that we didn’t take.
“Always it’s important to create chances but you have to score from them. We were going forward, controlling the game and were dominant.
“I am really disappointed but it was really bad luck because everybody could see we were better than them.
“We were talking on the bench saying we have to score the second goal to finish the match off. I made some changes and thought the pace of Babel could make a difference, but to concede the two goals is something that is difficult to explain.
“As a team we were really good but we need to take our chances. That makes the difference in a game like this.
“Everybody was really disappointed in the dressing room because we know we had the game in our hands, but sometimes in football you need luck. It was a game we easily could have won 4-0.”
On a positive note the Reds boss revealed that Fernando Torres could be back in his squad for Tuesday’s Champions League clash against his former club Atletico Madrid.
“Hopefully he will be ready. If he cannot start the game then he will be on the bench if everything is okay,” he said.
“It’s good we have another important game on Tuesday and the reaction of the players has to be to play well and win the game. We just have to keep going and keep playing the same way.”
Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Dossena, Riera (Benayoun 77), Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano, Kuyt, Keane (Babel 65)
Subs: Cavalieri, Hyypia, El Zhar, Leiva, Aurelio
Goals: Kuyt 2
Booked: Gerrard, Carragher
Tottenham Hotspur: Gomes, Assou-Exotto (Pavluychenko 45), Woodgate, King, Corluka, O’Hara (Hutton 45), Zokura, Huddlestone, Bentley, Modric (Lennon 74), Bent
Subs: Sanchez, Bale, Campbell
Booked: King
Att: 36,183
Ref: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).
Goals: Carragher og 69, Pavluychenko 90
Match Stats
Liverpool Possession: 56%. Shots: 21 (On target = 4). 383 accurate passes. 45 bad passes.
Tottenham Possession: 44%. Shots 13 (On target = 3). 261 accurate passes. 50 bad passes.
The unbeaten team lost,but who did it?spurs!! I’m sorry for that but it’s happened, we should not lose our form and our spirit we should learn from our mistakes.we should stand up again.
YNWA
I never wanted Robbie Keane who has proved once again that he’s a vastly overrated centre forward who has no pace and hardly anything else.Ryan Babel another expensive signing has flopped and fails to impress but for a few decent touches every now and again!.If he’s the next Thierry Henry as many suggested when he signed up then i am the next Maradona but Riera has impressed me no ends!!!!
On a positive note i am beginning to enjoy the way we play and were unfortunate to have lost against the Spurs however we should keep in mind that lady luck smiled on us against Man City and Wigan even Portsmouth so it all evens out in the end.
Sorry lads but Chelsea are banging them in for fun so they’re my favourites to be crowned champs again but i feel we’ve a good chance of finishing second and winning the Champions league and/or FA cup.We’ll have a chance to gain revenge on Spurs in the cup match soon so hope we run up a cricket score against them!!!.
i very disappointed of the game yesterday.. whatever to happen the reds must be come back to maintain the possion in the league go.. go… reds
the loss was a blessing in disguise.
i couldn’t help not to think, over the past few weeks, that
we had an attitude to think no matter what, we will win this one like the last.
lets hope that this game was the one that gave us the wake up call we needed just like what chelsea got at the “Bridge”
LFC forever******
well every now and again we get no end of chances but blow it.. in some way this reminds me of the stoke game.from what i read the players got angry at that own goal and lost there focus. why do defenders face there own goal when a corner is taken.liverpool are not a high scoring team. many of the wins this year have come because lady luck was there to bail us out. lady luck was not on our side today. perhaps if torres had played might be different. hope torres is not plagued by injuries this season because that will damage our chancrs
As an Irishman I was always embaressed with the fee paid for Keane……….the man was bought to bail out Torres when he’s out ……….once again he failed
Brian
http://shop.tottenhamhotspur.com/spurs08/detail.php?productid=ST39060&proddesc=Arsenal+4+-+4+Spurs+%28DVD%29&supercategory=&branch=&wcategory=&catdesc=&treecode=NULL Have a laugh copy and paste!!
I guess the Spuds will release a DVD like they did after the Arsenal game? Lets a celebrate being bottom of the league (at that moment in time) and releasing a video showing us grabbing a point in the NLD? Classless truly crass only Spurs would do such a thing
Fair play to spurs, they kept going, kept believing and (because of some poor finishing) got the result.
It;s NOW that we’ll see what we are made of!!!!!!!!!!!!! CMON YOU REDS!
Why was Robbie Keane substituted, lost all momentum when he left the pitch, but hey 7 days, 7 points brilliant, come on you Spurs.
As a Spurs fan was embarrassed to win – your guys played really well: outpassing and out thinking us for all but two minutes of the game.
Only ourselves to blame tonight.
We isolated some of our players out of the game and if you don’t take your chances – or at least get your shots on target, then you’ll get punished.
Sooner or later it would be one comeback too far. It’s how we react to this result that matters now.