How Liverpool dismantled Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane

Henderson and Allen’s forward runs

While the Liverpool midfielders were exceptional in their defensive play and distribution, they were also particularly impressive in their attacking display. Gerrard, besides creating opportunities, was vital in making runs into the box. Henderson and Allen were able to replicate this against Spurs.

Henderson, who has vastly improved, made regular bursts forward, contributing to the two first half goals. He pressed the Spurs defence for the first goal, winning back possession and seeing the ball roll onto Suarez’ path.

The second goal, though coming after a series of rebounds, was made possible by Henderson’s forward run. The ex-Sunderland man made a darting run towards the box as soon as a long ball was played towards Coutinho, who managed to find his run with a deft first touch.

Joe Allen too was regularly making bursts forward as Lucas was more than adequately protecting the back four and the midfield area. More importantly, the Welshman was composed in the opponents half and was able to pull off quick passes in attacking zones. Something which he desperately lacked earlier on in the season.

Luis Suarez drops deep

Liverpool’s captain for the night scored his 16th and 17th goals of the season as he continues to be the league’s stand out performer. The Uruguayan has led by example throughout the campaign and finds himself at the top of his game.

Often, it is just a spark of brilliance that separates Suarez from the rest of the players. He did well to take his chance for both the goals, the second one being a classy finish over Hugo Lloris in the Spurs goal.

But the Uruguayan works hard to create chances for himself. Constantly moving, constantly chasing down opponents, and always looking to get into the game. As seen above, what Suarez did exceptionally well against Spurs, on a number of occasions was the way he dropped deep from the box when the ball was played out wide onto the flanks.

It not only allowed him to collect the ball, but at the same time, helped in creating spaces for the midfielders to run into. However, more often than not, this space was quickly covered by the Spurs’ defenders. It meant Suarez was left unmarked around the box and with the chance of creating a chance for himself or his team-mate.

In the illustration above, Suarez has pulled away and instead allowed Henderson to make a move forward. Coutinho who has cut inside, is expected to make the through ball to Henderson. Spurs have that bit covered, while Suarez was left completely free, untraced, allowing Coutinho to make the pass to Suarez, who always finds a way troubling the opposition.

It was from this area that Suarez was able to play a number of through balls into the forward running players. Usually, Liverpool had atleast 2 players making runs into the box. Alongwith Suarez, Sterling and Henderson also created opportunities by slipping through balls onto the path of their teammates’ forward runs. Luis Alberto too made one such through ball, resulting in Suarez’ classy second goal.

Wasteful Spurs wingers

It’s hard to find any positive, or anything in an attacking sense for a side that lost 5-0. But Spurs did attempt to create some opportunities as the game wore on. As expected, AVB’s men attempted to make use of their pacey wingers in creating chances.

Particularly, in the first half, Chadli was often found on the far left, skillfully dribbling at the Liverpool defence before cutting it onto his right and attempting a cross. Spurs even managed to find Chadli in acres of space as Johnson ran forward. Chadli however failed to created any meaningful opportunity despite getting into dangerous areas. His crosses were either blocked, or had too much on them to meet a team-mate.

In the second half, it was Lennon’s opportunity to see a lot of the ball, on the right flank. He too ran at the Liverpool defence and attempted to play short crosses into dangerous areas, but failed in doing so. When balls were played in from deep, Liverpool’s central defenders (especially Sakho) did a fantastic job of shutting the opposition out.

Raheem Sterling’s mature performance

Young Sterling hasn’t really sparked much this season, or in 2013 for that matter. But in front of the England boss at White Hart Lane, the youngster put in an impressive shift, worthy of a starting berth. Sterling was active throughout the game, chasing down opponents and always willing to take on his man. It was his impressive showing down the right flank that prompted AVB to take Naughton off and replace him with Zeki Fryers.

Much like Liverpool’s system, Sterling was constantly pressing the Spurs players, forcing them into errors and winning possession back. Liverpool were constantly looking to counter Spurs’ attack (the easiest and straightforward way of catching Spurs out) and Sterling, with his quick pace, played a vital role. His runs forward were proving to be a nuisance for the Spurs defence, as they failed to cover the gap created by his bursts forward.

He didn’t play as an out an out winger, not attempting too many crosses (just 1 successful), but rather preferred to move more centrally and make runs into the box. Noticeable, Sterling looked very confident on the field, calm and composed (regular experience does that for you). He was always looking to have the ball at his feet and attempting shots on goal.

Where does that leave them?

Liverpool need to ensure they keep up their good pace through this festive period. If they can, they’ll find themselves in a good position in the second half of the season. Spurs, despite 6-0 and 5-0 loses this season, have had some decent results (beating teams you’d expect them to beat, exception being West Ham). If they somehow managed to get points of the top sides, they too can sustain themselves at the top. Sacking AVB won’t be the solution.