Thrilling game at Anfield today as third-placed Tottenham Hotspur had their 12-game undefeated streak ended by a 3-2 defeat by Liverpool.
The match was billed as a contest between player of the year contenders Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale, and both played significant roles in the game.
Spurs centre back Jan Vertonghen twice scored by Bale crosses while Suarez scored and earned the match-winning penalty to keep Liverpool’s European hopes alive.
It was Suarez who drew first blood in game, finishing off a delightful move that involved Enrique and Coutinho to score his 29th goal of the season, and 22nd in the league.
Then with half-time approaching Bale helped tie the score when he curled a left-footed cross over the head of Jamie Carragher, on his 500th league appearance, for Vertonghen to get in front of Glen Johnson and head inside far post.
Then minutes into the second half the same pair combined to make it 2-1 when bale’s free-kick was weakly headed down by Carragher to Vertonghen who fired home.
Liverpool were shaken by the goals and it was hard to see how they would get back into the game. Then calamity struck. Kyle Walker’s attempted back pass from the right touchline succeeded only in drawing Lloris out of his goal to clear. When he failed Downing nipped in to drill a shot through the legs of Vertonghen on the line to tie the game.
The pace of the game went up a notch and Sturridge headed into the side-netting and Bale nodded wide before another poor backpass, this time by Jermain Defoe, forced Benoit Assou-Ekotto to barge into Suarez. Gerrard, so often Liverpool’s big man for the big occasion, stepped up to slot home his ninth of the season.
In today’s other Premier League match, Senegal striker Papiss Cisse scored an extra time winner as Newcastle United boosted their survival hopes with a 2-1 victory over Stoke City at St James’ Park.
Alan Pardew’s team moved nine points clear of the Premier League relegation zone thanks to Cisse, who struck two minutes into additional time to complete a fine fightback from the Magpies. Jonathan Walters put Stoke ahead from the penalty spot with 67 minutes gone, but Yohan Cabaye’s superb free-kick soon after gave Newcastle renewed hope.
Newcastle pushed hard for a winner after that and they finally shattered Stoke’s resistence when substitute Sylvain Marveaux picked out Cisse in front of goal and he controlled before firing past Begovic.
