FA Premiership
Sunday 11th May 2008 @ 3pm
White Hart Lane
Liverpool ended the season with victory away at White Hart Lane, with Fernando Torres crowning off a fantastic season with his 33rd goal (and 24th in the league) in what has been the most impressive debut season for a foreign player in English football.
The reds left it late before unleashing a Voronin/Torres double-whammy on Spurs, but attention will now turn to reducing the gap between the leaders and Liverpool in the summer transfer market.
Xabi Alonso was absent from the squad that travelled in what could be further proof that the Spaniard will be moving back to his homeland this summer.
Benitez sent out a strong Liverpool side with only Insua at left back as a relatively new face. Voronin and Torres started up front with Kuyt on the wing. Crouch was absent.
The first half was poor. Though the reds controlled the first half, a dogged Spurs resistance saw very few chances for either side.
The second half was more open, and in the 69th minute Andriy Voronin scored after a neat flick from Torres.
Further chances fell to the reds, but when Dimitar Berbatov fired an excellent shot at the reds goal it was down to ever-present Pepe Reina to keep another clean sheet. Reina had another great game in his 38th out of 38 Premier League appearances.
But Torres doubled the reds advantage with a goal featuring his trade-mark style – the opportunity he creates for himself.
He deserved another, but the crossbar is sometimes the only thing that can stop him.
A good result for the travelling fans. Liverpool finished 11 points above 5th placed Everton, but 11 points behind the champions. Two wins, instead of defeats against Man United, could have made all the difference.
Liverpool have lost only 4 games in the league this season – our 4th best performance in 104 league seasons.
Not all bad then. Not long till the new season!
Rafa says:
“We knew we had a lot of supporters here and we wanted to win for them.
“We created a lot of chances and could have scored more goals. The first half was frustrating but the second was much better and we deserved the victory.
“Gerrard and Torres are good players and they have a great understanding, but you have to credit the whole team.
“You know when you sign a player like Torres you will get goals and you expect that but this season he has been amazing. He has been fantastic.”
Teams
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Insua, Kuyt (Lucas 80), Gerrard, Mascherano, Babel (Benayoun 59), Torres, Voronin (Finnan 71).
Subs Not Used: Itandje, Hyypia.
Booked: Insua.
Tottenham: Cerny, Hutton, Dawson (Bent 75), Woodgate, Gilberto, Malbranque, Jenas (Huddlestone 46), Zokora, O’Hara (Tainio 46), Berbatov, Keane.
Subs Not Used: Robinson, Chimbonda.
Booked: Hutton.
Att: 36,063
Ref: Uriah Rennie (S Yorkshire).
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