Guest Poster Liverpool v Spurs Player Ratings

Below is Liverpool supporter and friend of the blog @bhprout and his take on the match yesterday. It's always insightful to see other's opinions

Liverpool


Pepe Reina (6.5) – Very little action for the Spain no. 2, but popped up with a good safe after Gareth Bale raced in, clear on goal. Bale should have done better, but Pepe made himself big and denied what would have been a snatch and grab winner.



Martin Kelly (6.5) – the Academy product handled himself rather well, coming in to displace Glen Johnson to LB as Jose Enrique missed out due to injury. Snuffed out several dangerous situations down Spurs’ left flank and got forward on occasion. Provided a great cross that eluded Downing before Carroll blasted over and even tested Brad Freidel with a shot from distance. Solid showing.



Martin Skrtel (8) – The Slovak was excellent on this night, sheparding the admittedly-poor Adebayor out of harm’s way on more than one occasion. He was strong in the air and composed at the back. In truth, didn’t have a whole lot to do but excelled in everything that required of him. Was unlucky to see yellow after cleaning winning the ball off Bale.



Daniel Agger (7) – Again, not much was asked of the Dane in his back-line partnership with Skrtel, but he handled everything throw his way. Solid in the air and confident on the ball – bonus points for the hand-bags with that man Bale following a blatant simulation.



Glen Johnson (7) – The England RB found himself on the left and was likely thankful that Aaron Lennon missed out. Johnson defended well and got forward quite a bit, although the end-product was severely lacking; his inability to put in a good cross with his left boot was obvious far too often.



Jay Spearing (4) – A horror-show for the little man. Full credit for his terrier-like approach to the game, and he is always one that working just about the hardest, but this was not the night for the local lad. Gave away possession too many times to count, often in an egregious fashion. If nothing else, it shows how vital and irreplaceable Lucas has become for this squad in that holding MF role.



Charlie Adam (6.5) – Decent showing from the Scot. He seems to have made a concerted effort to keep things simple in the middle of the park, and it shows with recent performances. Would like to see him get more involved in corners (which have been horrid) and some spot kicks as well.



Steven Gerrard (6.5) – The skipper is trying to find both fitness and form at the same time, which is positive news for his boyhood club. Captain Fantastic wasn’t quite on this occasion, and found it tough-going attempting to break down the solid Spurs back line. Was hugely influential for periods, then seemed to get lost.



Craig Bellamy (6) – Not the best performance from the man who has been the club’s top signing (cough, on a free…). On this day, he ran into a RB, in Kyle Walker, whose own pace nullified the Welsman’s greatest asset. He worked hard and made positive runs all night, but the end product wasn’t there. Too many hopeful crosses that didn’t beat the first defender.



Dirk Kuyt (5) – Poor on the night. Seemed a bit tentative on the ball and was unable to fashion any chances for himself or teammates. Expected much more from the man who scored in two games running.



Andy Carroll (6) – Mixed bag from the big man. He cut an isolated figure at times and did well in his hold-up play; often his flick-on’s went unused as Liverpool had no support players. In a microcosm of his time at Anfield, all that positive play was forgotten as he blasted over from his best chance of the night.



Subs:



Luis Suarez (7) – The little Uruguayan magician is attracted to controversy like a moth to a flame. Was very lively in his 30 minute cameo, for both the right and wrong reasons; kicked out at Scotty Parker and should have scored the winner with a header directed right at Friedel.



Stewart Downing (5) – Continues to disappoint in a red shirt.



Tottenham



Brad Freidel (7) – The American was certainly less busy than he would have expected, but did well when his number was called. Parried away and number of opportunities and was strong on set pieces. A great signing for Spurs, he is.



Kyle Walker (8) – A terrific effort by the likely England RB of the future. The boy is lightning quick and put the right foot in on nearly every challenge down his right side. Very impressive performance, although I would have liked to see him get forward a bit more, it seemed like they were content to sit back and soak up the pressure.



Ledley King / Michael Dawson (9) – As much as I hate to lump the two, it seems fitting. Both were immense on the night, doing any and everything required to repel and sub-par Liverpool attacking effort. Dawson overcame the Carroll height advantage superbly and King didn’t put in a wrong foot all night. Rock-solid defending.



Benoit Assou-Ekotto (6) – Decent enough from the Cameroonian LB, who always seems to be the calmest guy on the pitch – perhaps because he fully embraces that he plays football for a quite large sum of money and sees the lighter side. Didn’t offer as much going forward as he usually does, but handled Kuyt and Kelly well.



Scott Parker (8) – The boy will be sore in the morning. Acted as the terrier in defense to aplomb. Some early fouls soured what could have been a Man of the Match performance. Blocked more shots than most Stanley Cup games. Outstanding composure – England captain? (Be serious, it’s Gerrard or no one).



Jake Livermore (6) – Acquitted himself well in the middle of the park for Spurs. Nothing flashy, like his midfield partner Parker, but solid on the ball and kept possession well.



Niko Kranjcar (6.5) – I’ve always been a fan of the Croat and think a move away from White Hart Lane where he could get regular football would do him a world of good. Has a magical right foot and did well on the night, playing in Bale for the chance of the game. Defended well, to boot.



Luka Modric (6) – Thankfully, for Liverpool, the little man was well off his best. The tactics didn’t necessarily allow for him to be as influential as he usually is.



Gareth Bale (5) – Disappointing from the rising star. Chance of the match fell to his feet late on as he sprung clean through on goal but his finish was poor and easily saved. Booked for diving in the second half and struggled to find a role in the game as he was given license to roam.



Emmanuel Adebayor (4) – Very poor from the Togo striker. Was alone up top and struggled to receive service and then do anything with it.


Subs:


Louis Saha (5) – Touched the ball maybe once. Non-factor.

Danny Rose (n/a) – Didn’t get a touch!



Verdict: Yet another Anfield draw for the men in red will do nothing for their top-4 ambitions. You could hardly make the case they deserved the 3 points despite dominating possession and the few clear-cut chances. They will feel it’s a match they should have won, especially given Spurs reluctance to get forward and attack. You almost sensed it was destiny for Suarez and pop up for the winner in this first game back, but a poorly placed header made it not so. Kenny Daglish will no doubt look back on this campaign and clutch his chest in pain when he sees the sides that have left Anfield with a point.



From Spurs perspective, job done. It was clearly, with Ade up top alone, that they were intent on soaking up the Liverpool pressure and countering when appropriate. They might have done so when Bale had the biggest chance of the night, only to see it go by the wayside. Genuine title contenders? I’m not sure, but on this evidence they are the odds-on favorites to keep that stranglehold on 3rd place and return to the Champions League next year.