Spurs hold off Reds’ charge

Tottenham 2 Liverpool 1

Both men in the dugouts had carved out reputations as thrusting young coaches at Chelsea under the Special One and Tottenham, having decided to jettison Harry Redknapp, had considered hiring Rodgers earlier this year before Liverpool did so.

A superior start was the basis of Tottenham’s success and Bale was central to all of it. The Welshman had already tested Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina with a free-kick and fired another chance across goal before he set up Aaron Lennon for a seventh-minute opener.