Tottenham Hotspur were annihilated at White Hart Lane by a rampant Liverpool side captained by Luis Suarez. Read Spurs player ratings here.
Hugo Lloris: 4/10
When Hugo Lloris was signed by Tottenham Hotspur, he made a mockery of his reputation as a rash goalkeeper who tended to flap at crosses, and was soon widely regarded as the best in his position in the Barclays Premier League – largely thanks to his revolutionary “sweeper ‘keeper” style never seen before in the English top flight.
In recent weeks, a crisis of confidence has undone all that, and Lloris now resembles his Manchester United counterpart David De Gea when he first arrived at Old Trafford.
Kyle Walker: 5/10
Sloppy in possession, and pinned back in his own half for much of the match. Booked for a cynical challenge.
Michael Dawson: 4/10
It appears that Michael Dawson is only good in central defence with a quick, technical player alongside him.
Dawson showed absolutely no understanding with his partner Etienne Capoue – and of course they had hardly played together prior to this game – but the Yorkshireman appeared woefully off the pace, and simply unable to deal with the trickery of Luis Suarez and the forward runs of the Liverpool attacking midfield through the lines.
Etienne Capoue: 4/10
A defensive midfielder by trade filling in at centre back, Etienne Capoue had a poor game against one of the best strikers in the world.
Kyle Naughton: 3/10
Made Raheem Sterling look like Cristiano Ronaldo. Hauled off at half time.
Sandro: 5/10
Sandro was clearly unfit, but Andre Villas-Boas gambled on him for some steel to anchor his midfield. Sandro was as combative as ever in the competitive early stages, but was taken off injured in the first half.
Mousa Dembele: 6/10
Mousa Dembele was the only Tottenham Hotspur central midfielder comfortable enough on the ball to break beyond the Liverpool midfield, but was unable to get forward as much as he would have liked due to players in Red pushing him back.
Nacer Chadli: 6/10
Nacer Chadli was selected because of his tactical acumen, and protected Kyle Naughton and later, Zeki Fryers as best he could. Added an aerial threat too.
Paulinho: 5/10
It’s hard to work out what kind of player Paulinho is. The Brazilian is good in possession, strong in the tackle, athletic and offers a decent goal threat, but is not either a protective or creative player.
His role in the Spurs side appears undefined and there is an argument that it might function better without him. Unfortunate to receive a red card though.
Aaron Lennon: 5/10
At times, Aaron Lennon was Spurs’ best attacking threat, but drifted in and out of the game. Given that Liverpool had novice Jon Flanagan at left back, Lennon should have done more.
Liverpool certainly exploited Kyle Naughton enough in the opposite position.
Roberto Soldado: 6/10
It sounds ridiculous, but Roberto Soldado was actually one of Tottenham’s best players.
Although he didn’t score, he showed more desire and movement than he has in previous weeks, and was unfortunate to have a goal ruled out for a soft foul on Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Substitutes:
Lewis Holtby: 5/10
Could not match Sandro’s combative presence in midfield.
Zeki Fryers: 6/10
A big improvement on Kyle Naughton, but was unable to stop the tide of Liverpool attacks.
Andros Townsend: 5/10
Was barely able to get into the game.
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