Spurs hit by tragedy and a tear-up

TOTTENHAM’S hopes of playing in Europe next season were all but snuffed out by this result, but even that disappointment failed to register on a wretched weekend for the north London club.

First, their preparations for this trip to Merseyside suffered the most traumatic of disruptions when midfielder Wilson Palacios was informed of the apparent murder of his teenage brother in Honduras. Then, yesterday, club captain Ledley King was forced to issue an embarrassing apology after being arrested and bailed following a fracas outside a London nightclub.

King’s misdemeanour could hardly have been worse timed, given the tragedy that struck Palacios early on Saturday morning,