Ballo the hero - That's why me! Liverpool 3 Tottenham 2

By dedlfc

We started the game desperate for the win after the disappointment of the Merseyside derby draw which meant we lost further ground in the race for 4th place.

In the absence of Sterling and Lucas Leiva both missing out with injuries sustained against Everton there was a chance for others to step up with Liverpool having more depth to now deal with the situation, although the influential Brazilian will be missed out for at least the four weeks.

Spurs arrived on the back of a victory in the North London derby at White Hart Lane with Harry Kane in inspired form.   A win for Spurs would see them extend their four-point lead over us to seven points in the race for Champions League qualification.

Steven Gerrard started alongside Jordan Henderson in midfield to cover Lucas' absence, which was always going to be a dangerous tactic against the energetic Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb.  Lazar Marković returned given more licence in attacking midfield role and Daniel Sturridge started his first game since late August in place of the "injured" Raheem Sterling.

Mario Balotelli returned to the match day squad while Jordon Ibe retained his place in the side.

Spurs were unchanged from the win against Arsenal.

The game started with an impressive tempo with Daniel Sturridge played through on goal with a chance to score on 8 minutes.  Displaying excellent movement, the exceleration is not yet there.

We really started to put pressure on the away side, although Spurs had their moments with Christian Eriksen played in Harry Kane, but the in-form English striker's shot was blocked by Sakho.

Lazar Marković then put Liverpool ahead scoring an opportunist goal which Hugo Lloris will feel he should have saved.  He picked up possession 40 yards from goal after Sturridge brought the ball down, he drifted left with a positive run before sending a tame shot bobbling over the outstretched hands of Lloris to finally open up his goal account at Anfield.


Markovic gets the opener in a thrilling game

Tottenham took control of the game after the goal, but we used a tactic which ensured that we directly bypass midfield pressure to create a number of chances to double our lead. Daniel Sturridge, however, was not as sharp as usual on his first start in many months.

Harry Kane equalised on 26 minutes after excellent work from Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen with Tottenham good value for the goal.  The rest of the half was frenetic, with the enthusiastic young Jordon Ibe cutting into from the right to produce a swerving shot which Lloris parried away.

As the half closed out Sturridge hit the post with an instinctive back heel flick which was pure class.  The return of the Liverpool frontman has given the midfield a player head of them who intelligently runs the lines and the ability to hold the ball in tight areas.

 

Audacious back flick nearly comes off for Sturridge

Half-time review
 

Clearly the midfield was struggling and Steven Gerrard wasn't the sole reason for the lack of control. Bentaleb and Mason were also going to be dangerous midfield opponents with their youth, energy and diligence and with Moussa Dembélé did excellent support work in which he exhibited power it helped those behind him from his advanced midfield position.  Jordan Henderson wasn't at his best and Coutinho didn't do much defensively either.

Liverpool should have been at least two goals ahead as their direct approach was utilised and forced the Spurs defence to make decisions as well as create chances for Sturridge in particular.  Jordon Ibe was proving to be a reliable and dangerous outlet on the right.

The early exchanges of the second half involved Spurs having most of the possession until we finally decide to get I together and win a vital penalty after Danny Rose clumsily brought down Sturridge.

Captain Steven Gerrard hammered the ball past Lloris' left hand corner to give us a 2-1 lead against the run of play.  It was Gerrard's tenth goal of the season, 5th penalty and now equals Robbie Fowler's record of 183 goals for the club.  Our captain looked absolutely delighted with his goal.

 

How hard Gerrard - gets another penalty for his beloved Reds

Tottenham nearly equalised straight after going behind but a superb save from Simon Mignolet denied a long-range rising shot from Lamela. Liverpool continued to play on the counter, but Tottenham looked dangerous after going behind once again.

A free-kick from Eriksen was saved by Mignolet, but Harry Kane picked up the rebound and crossed it for Dembélé to chest in for the away side's second equaliser.  Mignolet showed his disgust giving the assistant referee verbal volley at the decision to give the goal after Kane was clearly off-side when Eriksen took the free-kick.

Phil Dowd was perhaps far too liberal with dispensing yellow cards but was consistent in his unwillingness to let any sort of contact go unpunished.

Brendan Rodgers took off Steven Gerrard, brought on Dejan Lovren pushing Emre Can into midfield.  Ryan Mason was disappointing and Mauricio Pochettino responded by drafting in Paulinho.  Both sides made changes in midfield just before the 70 minute mark.  Liverpool then took off the tiring Sturridge for Ballotelli who had been brought in from the cold after being left out of the recent match day squads with Markovic making way for the returning Lallana.

Mario Balotelli and Adam Lallana was a final throw of the dice by Rodgers from the bench as Liverpool needed to find a winner with a draw not really an option.

Lovely combination play from Ibe and Lallana set the former Southampton captain free down the right to fire a delicious centre from inside the area for Mario Balotelli to tap in from close range his first Premier League goal for us to give us the victory in a truly crucial match.



Ballo gets the vital winning goal - through a tap-in

 

The atmosphere in the Ruse, Borough totally erupted with delight for the team and Ballotelli as soon as the winning goal went in - with the whole place buzzing with the knowledge of the importance of the goal.

We really needed to win and did just that in an exciting game that was a mixture of good, bad, and average.

We are still very much in the mix for the top four, but will need to continue winning games to remain in the race. Following up on the draw away to Everton with victory over a top four rival is exactly the way to start our pursuit of a top four place.

Positives

We showed the determination despite being clawed back twice to win such a vital match.

Mignolet was an asset to the team throughout apart from his kicking.

Jordon Ibe again showed what an amazing talent he is, he is blessed with amazing skill and pace and is not afraid to take on players but also has a calm, smart poise in pressure situations.

Ballotelli finally gets his first league goal and it was an all-important winner!

Negatives

Space not being closed in midfield shows how badly already we are missing Lucas and we are going to continue to struggle without our midfielders being more alert and working harder to protect our defence.

Man of the Match: Emre Can - He has been one of the most influential players in the turnaround in form and again played the dual role of right sided central defender and central midfielder to perfection! Now a really important player for us!

Liverpool (3-4-2-1): Mignolet; Can, Skrtel, Sakho; Ibe, Henderson, Gerrard (Lovren, 68), Moreno; Markovic (Lallana, 79), Coutinho; Sturridge (Balotelli, 74).

Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Mason (Paulinho, 69); Lamela, Dembele (Soldado, 85), Eriksen (Chadli, 80); Kane.

Referee: P Dowd

Attendance: 44,577 

Liverpool assistant manager comments in Rodgers absence:



Pascoe comments after game in Rodgers absence

"We knew it would be a tough game but we got the three points to keep closing the gap.

"Mario always works hard in training. Recently he has been ill and also had a knock on his foot and couldn't get his boot on but he kept going and deserved his goal.

"He got the winner so I'm sure he's happy. He knew he might have to play a part and he did.

"It must have been a great game to watch but we knew were always going to create chances and with Daniel Sturridge back we knew we were always going to have a threat in behind.

"Steven Gerrard just felt his hamstring. He looked over and said he was feeling it so he was just taken off as a precaution.

"We talked about needing to win to get the gap closer and get closer to the top four. We will be looking to do the same when we play at Southampton in our next game - win again and keep closing the gap."

After the game Ballotelli posted the following on his Instagram account:-

Thanking those that have supported him during his barren spell:

"Great game guys!!! This smile is ONLY for those that always Believe and support me. Thank you . ❤ and Forza Liverpool. But now head down and keep working hard. Tonight is past."



Ballo - happy at last !!!