The least said about this game the better from a Liverpool point of view. Nine man Liverpool slumped to four goals to nil to a Spurs team who out played us when we had eleven men and a bad day just got worse and worse.
The Reds came in to game hoping to avenge a league double from Spurs last season and to avoid back to back defeats after losing at Stoke last week.
Kenny Dalglish paired Andy Carroll up front with Luis Suarez and opted to again use Martin Skrtel at right back which was my main concern ahead of the game. A centre back who yes gives his all but is just not a good full back lining up against Gareth Bale was a recipe for disaster. The fact that Skrtel was one of the two men sent off for us for taking Bale out twice is no surprise really.
The Reds started badly and conceded all manner of possession to Spurs and never looked forwards really.
We were behind after just seven minutes when the defence was run ragged and we failed to clear the ball leaving Modric to hit a great effort past Reina.
That kept the wind right behind Spurs all the way and we never massively recovered. We did have a goal rules out though after eighteen minutes for offside and having seen it again then it's clearly offside but that's about the best it got for us.
Charlie Adam was a bit harshly booked for me as he brought Modric down as he was falling and that cost him dearly later.
Adebayor was also booked after he put in a cruncher on Andy Carroll in midfield - brought about by a little loose control from the Geordie but it was a booking for sure.
The Reds were forced in to a change after just twenty seven minutes when Aggers injury jinx hit him again and he walked off clutching his ribs to be replaced by Coates. He'd only just got on the pitch when a poor lunge from Charlie Adam caught Scott Parker. Adam got a second yellow and walked for it. I've heard pundits since saying the second was a bit unlucky in some ways as he never aimed for the player but for me it was a poor lunge and in some ways bordered on the Red side of yellow rather than then the nothing card but when you are already on a yellow card it's a silly tackle to make.
It was all one way traffic and even more now as Dalglish elected to make Carroll work harder in midfield rather than changing anything else.
Martin Skrtel blocked Bale off on thirty six minutes and picked up a yellow card and then a few minutes later Coates picked up a yellow when he was late on Adebayor - saved only by a covering man from a red card debut I think.
The only thing on our favour really was that Spurs had not made the advantage count and it was still only one nil as half time approached. Scared of missing out and starved of the game Suarez picked up a yellow card on half time for gestures to the linesman.
In real straw clutching half time thoughts I thought of last season. We were battering Spurs but missing chances and half time was one nil. Surely in the second half we could battle back, sneak a draw somehow and obviously couldn't be as bad again.
It could be just as bad though in the second half and we proved it as spurs continued to be the superior side and dominate throughout.
Almost straight from the kick off Spurs attacked and Defoe somehow managed to hit a shot wide of the goal to save our blushes so early.
We did have a chance in the second half but it was the hour mark before it came and it was when Suarez took a ball down really well but was then fouled on the edge of the box. Sadly Suarez spooned the free kick over the bar and three minutes later we were down to nine men as Skrtel, already on a yellow took Bale out again and could have no complaints at walking off.
Within five minutes we paid dearly for the sending off as Spurs scored twice. Firstly Defoe was sent clean through on goal only For Enrique to get back goal side and then lose out poorly to a turn which allowed Defoe to shoot home.
Next it was Adebayor who made it three as he tapped in a loose ball as Reina spilled along range shot to him and this was when you really started to worry as there was so long left.
Somehow we managed to only concede one more before the final whistle and that came in injury time as Adebayor was free at the back of the box and he fired past Reina. The nine men who were left did try and make it as difficult as possible for Spurs but the damage was done the minute the ref started the game really as we were just off colour and Spurs did everything to make us pay for it as well.
Some games are best off forgotten about and this is very much one of them.
MotM : A dismal performance by so many players makes this one really hard but Jose Enrique gets it purely for his efforts to keep combining attack with defence.
