LIVERPOOL 4 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 0
Liverpool - Kaboul (og) 2', Suarez 25' Coutinho 55', Henderson 75'
Man of the match - Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
English football correspondent
Liverpool // The planes were spotted above Old Trafford on Saturday.
There is no need for any similar stunts at Anfield. Liverpool are flying because of their own excellence. They are propelled into the stratosphere by their fearlessly fluent football.
Brendan Rodgers’ men soared to the top of the table as they reeled off an eighth successive win with enviable ease.
They are six games from glory, 540 minutes from ending a 24-year wait and earning a place in the Anfield pantheon.
The weight of expectation could be suffocating.
Instead, as Rodgers said: “You see the confidence. There is no anxiety, no pressure.”
Liverpool are liberated and lethal, cruising towards a century of goals and, perhaps, the landmark achievement that has eluded them since 1990.
“We’re going to win the league” echoed around Anfield at various points.
They just might, too, if they continue to play with such pace and panache.
They added a 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur to December's 5-0 thrashing and an aggregate score of 9-0 is embarrassing for a club with Spurs' lofty aspirations.
They have taken one point off, and conceded 27 goals to, the elite sides this season.
“Our performances against the top four have not been good enough,” said head coach Tim Sherwood.
They have sieved goals, struggled to score and been found wanting tactically in such defining clashes and these flaws have been constants whether Andre Villas-Boas or Sherwood has been at the helm.
Tottenham were English football's big spenders last summer. Liverpool have been its big winners.
If their greatest triumph was keeping Luis Suarez, it is an achievement that benefits them on a weekly basis.
The Uruguayan’s 29th goal of the season set a club record in the Premier League era and, predictably, he tormented Tottenham.
Yet so did a cast of others.
Philippe Coutinho illuminated the opening hour with an exhibition of class.
Raheem Sterling and Glen Johnson dovetailed beautifully on the right flank, both bringing speed and skill.
Steven Gerrard brought drive and purpose at the base of the midfield.
Liverpool were excellent in every element, Spurs abject from the start.
“It was an exceptional performance,” Rodgers said.
Indeed, they were outwitted before the kick-off.
Rodgers switched to 4-3-3, recalled Sterling and reaped an immediate dividend. The winger fed the overlapping Johnson, whose low cross was inadvertently backheeled into his own net by Younes Kaboul.
Liverpool have turned fast starts into a routine – they have struck before the break in 22 successive matches – but, even by their standards, this was quick.
It illustrated the shambles at the back for Spurs but the second also highlighted their defensive shortcomings.
Michael Dawson had just replaced the injured Jan Vertonghen when he attempted to head Gerrard’s pass back to Kaboul.
Instead the predatory Suarez anticipated it, picked the Frenchman’s pocket and sped away from the one-paced Dawson to angle a shot past Hugo Lloris.
“All the plans you make go out of the window with the two goals,” Sherwood said. Coutinho scored the third with an angled drive after Jon Flanagan led a break.
Jordan Henderson completed the scoring with a free kick that sailed untouched through a packed penalty area.
There were four.
There should have been more.
Lloris brilliantly tipped Suarez’s header on to the bar after Sterling had robbed the wretched Kaboul and crossed.
The irrepressible Sterling swapped passes with Daniel Sturridge and, rather than shooting, drew Lloris out of position and squared for Henderson, who missed a gaping goal and lifted his shot into the Kop.
The fans’ involvement came more in the form of raucous backing.
“They are appreciating what they are seeing,” Rodgers said. “They can see it was a long winter and a tough period over 20-odd years and they can see something building here, not just for now but for the future.”
A long-term project has short-term aims.
Rodgers is simply concentrating on the next game, away at West Ham.
“There are only 18 points to play for but you can only take three at a time,” he said.
It is a philosophy that has served him well.
Rather than shrinking from the challenge, Liverpool are embracing it.
Rather than wilting under pressure, they are revelling in it.
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