Rodgers joy as Reds end Pochettino’s honeymoon

Tottenham 0 Liverpool 3

Claims Tottenham have developed more resolve under Mauricio Pochettino appear misplaced while suggestions Liverpool are a faded force with Luis Suarez look to be equally far-fetched.

At least that is how it appeared in a game that might have appeared in a highlights reel of last season.

Twice Brendan Rodgers’ side overwhelmed Spurs last term, winning 5-0 here and 4-0 in the return at Anfield. And, painfully, from Pochettino’s point of view, it was business as usual yesterday, with the home side being spared a more embarrassing scoreline only by Liverpool’s careless finishing.

It was all too familiar. Liverpool, inspired by Raheem Sterling and enhanced by the presence of Mario Balotelli, overwhelmed Pochettino’s side, cutting Spurs open with a succession of incisive, pacy counter-attacks.

Sterling finished one such move to put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute and while Rodgers’ team were fortunate to be awarded a 47th minute penalty, converted by Steven Gerrard for the second, Alberto Moreno’s thrilling run and finish for the 60th-minute third summed up the difference between the two sides.

It was the ideal response to last Monday’s 3-1 defeat at Manchester City and Rodgers, who was taking charge of his 100th Liverpool game, believes his side are now back to the levels of last season.

“We have risen to every challenge since we’ve been here,” said the manager. “It was the same last year: will we score enough goals? But this group is really hungry.

“We lost the game on Monday, and it petered away from us in the last 15 minutes, and then come to a team that’s started well, but we showed today we are a very good side.

“We played very well and clicked back into where we were last season. That’s great to see, and hopefully people enjoyed watching us.”

Balotelli’s performance added to the manager’s belief that his side can progress, despite losing Suarez. The Italy forward missed three good first-half chances but his all-round effort was notable, particularly as that side of his game has been absent all too often from his displays.

“Mario’s a good guy, a good man,” said the manager. “If you take away the circus that surrounds him, and the circus he probably invites himself sometimes, and control the background noise, and get him focussed on his football... he’s a good fella. He is now at an age where he has got to show maturity. I am giving him responsibility. For the first time in his life, he marked at a corner. Serious!

“This is an international player who has won three titles in Italy, cups, the Champions League.

“We are doing corners and I said to him ‘I’m putting you on (a man) at (defensive) corners.’ He said: ‘I don’t mark at corners.’ Ah, you do now! He went in and he had a great header today from a corner.”

For Mauricio Pochettino, there were few positives, although the Tottenham manager was convinced the decision to award a penalty for Eric Dier’s light tug on Joe Allen’s shirt was decisive.

“We had key moments in the game,” said Pochettino.” In the beginning we conceded the first goal, but we competed well in that first half. Then a very soft penalty, at a key moment in the game.

“From the dugout it’s difficult to see, but it’s true I want to see this tonight. From my point of view, it was pretty soft.”

Liverpool were in control from the moment Daniel Sturridge combined with Jordan Henderson down the right-hand flank and the England midfielder delivered a low cross that was turned in by Sterling.

Spurs should have levelled immediately when Emmanuel Adebayor’s attempted lob landed on the roof of the net but Liverpool were dominant and should have put the game beyond reach long before Gerrard’s penalty.

Moreno’s run from inside his own half after dispossessing Andros Townsend, followed by a powerful finish, summed up the difference between the teams and an excellent display should have been capped by Sterling, who shot tamely at Hugo Lloris after beating three Spurs defenders inside the penalty area.

“Raheem was exceptional today,” said Rodgers. “But I had to laugh when he almost scored the fourth. He dribbled through the Spurs defence like Ricky Villa, but his finish was more like Ricky Gervais.”

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-2-3-1): Lloris 7; Dier 7, Kaboul 5, Vertonghen 6, Rose 6 (Davies 71,6); Capoue 6, Bentaleb 6 (Dembele 58, 7); Lamela 7, Chadli 5, Eriksen 6 (Townsend 58, 4); Adebayor 6.

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet 7; Manquillo 6, Lovren 7, Sakho 7, Moreno 8; Henderson 8, Gerrard 6, Allen 6 (Markovic 61,6); Sterling 9 (Enrique 85,6), Balotelli 7 (Can 61,6), Sturridge 7.

Referee: Phil Dowd.