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| Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 2 Liverpool | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TORRES
BREAKS RECORD IN FINAL DAY WIN Liverpool have signed off with three points after second-half goals from Andriy Voronin and Fernando Torres secured a 2-0 victory at White Hart Lane. The Reds opened the scoring through their ponytailed striker after an hour of dour end-of-season football. From there the game burst into life, with Torres netting his 24th league goal of the campaign to see him overtake Ruud van Nistelrooy and become the most prolific foreigner ever in a debut season. Liverpool could have had a hatful from there, not that it really mattered in what was a dead rubber of a game. If the opening exchanges were a little flat, a giant inflatable ball which made its way on to the pitch certainly wasn't. It was allowed to roll around for several minutes until Didier Zokora delighted the home fans by booting it back. It was 10 minutes before either team provided similar entertainment, Liverpool working it well down the right before Voronin's volley forced Radek Cerny into an acrobatic save. The visitors were soon threatening again when Steven Gerrard pinged a lovely ball down the left for the onrushing Ryan Babel. Torres, the cause of fervent bouncing in the away end throughout, busted a gut to get into the box but a combination of poor control and good defending from Jonathan Woodgate meant he needn't have bothered. Minutes later Babel did manage to produce an end product only to be denied by a diving Cerny. It felt like chucking out time at the inn, both sides being ordered to finish their dregs before stumbling off for a kip ahead of a new, er, season. Not that either manager was showing signs of end-of-term fatigue. Both Benitez and countryman Juande Ramos stood animated through much of the first half, perhaps keen to earn bragging rights among the Spanish branch of the League Managers' Association. The latter was almost celebrating after 25 minutes when Dimitar Berbatov headed towards the bottom right-hand corner of Pepe Reina's net. The Golden Glove winner had to be at his clean-sheet keeping best to push the ball out for a corner. The result might have been academic here, but elsewhere in the Premier League fingernails were at a premium as teams diced with destiny at both ends of the table. News of a Man Utd opener promoted surreal celebrations around nine tenths of the Lane, one of the few stadiums in England where United are the lesser of two evils. Back on the grass, the second-half began where the first left off, though a neat piece of combination play between Gerrard and Torres soon presented the Spain international with a fine chance to make it 33 in total this season. So often this year Premier League goalkeepers have lost the battle of nerves when face-to-face with El Nino but not this time, Cerny using his legs to pull off an unlikely save. He was also on hand to thwart Andriy Voronin's low drive minutes later. Spurs then opened up the Liverpool defence with some intricate passing which left Robbie Keane with a decent chance to open the scores. The Republic of Ireland man dragged his shot wide when he should have done better. Finally the game was opening up. Next Gerrard burst forward before unleashing a curler just over the bar, while down at the other end Reina had to be smart to stop a volley from the otherwise anonymous Steed Malbranque. Then, on 68 minutes, the breakthrough, Torres the architect in laying a superb throughball before Ukraine international dispatched with ease to take his personal tally for the season to six. Spurs almost made an immediate reply when Berbatov sent a classy volley towards the Liverpool goal. Unfortunately for him, Reina was equal to it with a world-class stop. Instead it was the visitors who struck again with a trademark goal from, who else, Torres. The 24-year-old turned Alan Hutton on a sixpence before rolling what seemed like his 100th goal into an opposition net. It was turning into a classic. Well, maybe. Hutton almost made it three when he headed towards his own goal from close range. Liverpool then hit the bar through Torres after great work from substitute Yossi Benayoun. The Israeli could have bagged a couple himself later on but 2-0 it was to remain. Elsewhere, United won the title after beating Wigan, while Derby, Birmingham and Reading have all been relegated. Stay logged on to Liverpoolfc.tv for highlights from midnight. Teams Tottenham Hotspur: Cerny, , Dawson, Woodgate, Hutton, O'Hara, Jenas, Zokora, Malbranque, Berbatov, Keane (captain). Subs - Robinson, Bent, Chimbonda, Tainio, Huddlestone. Liverpool: Reina, Insua, Carragher, Skrtel, Arbeloa, Babel, Gerrard (captain), Mascherano, Kuyt, Voronin, Torres. Subs - Hyypia, Leiva, Finnan, Itandje, Benayoun. Referee: Uriah Rennie Conditions: Hot Attendance: Unknown Liverpoolfc.tv Man-of-the-Match: Fernando Torres Breakdown 14:04 GMT : Match Starts 1 min : Tottenham get the final game of the season underway 2 mins : It's a sun-baked day in north London - hence the slow start to the match 3 mins : Good challenge by Dawson as Torres threatens a first run towards the Spurs goal 8 mins : Malbranque gets away from Insua but his cross is poor 10 mins : First chance of the game falls to Voronin who forces Cerny into a save with a volley directed towards the corner 13 mins : Liverpool win the game's first corner which Gerrard takes but Spurs clear at the near post 14 mins : Good play from Gerrard to set up a chance for Babel but Cerny makes the save 16 mins : Gerrard bends in a free kick which is overhit and cleared at the far post. We're playing the better football now 21 mins : Voronin gives possession away on the edge of the box allowing Spurs to break 25 mins : Keane runs the ball off Arbeloa to win the home side their first corner of the match 26 mins : Berbatov almost opens the scoring with a downward header which Reina saves well 29 mins : Mascherano fortunate to escape a yellow card after a late challenge 31 mins : Torres feels he should have a free kick after a foul by Woodgate - nothing given 39 mins : Not much happening at the moment, we're having most of the ball but chances are few and far between 43 mins : Carragher belts the ball clear after Woodgate tries to get to the ball inside the area from a corner 45 mins : Babel goes for goal from distance but Cerny is comfortable as the ball drifts well wide 14:50 GMT : Half Time Reached 15:07 GMT : Second Half Begins 46 mins : Liverpool get us underway in the second period 46 mins : Substitution: Teemu Tainio for Jamie O'Hara: 46 mins : Substitution: Tom Huddlestone for Jermaine Jenas: 49 mins : Insua blasts the ball behind for a corner kick to Spurs 50 mins : Torres and Gerrard combine brilliantly but Cerny makes a fine stop 51 mins : Tainio goes down in the box but the ref waves away the half-hearted penalty claims 56 mins : Hutton finds space down the right but his cross is far too strong for Berbatov 58 mins : Voronin has a sight of goal but can only drive a low shot straight at Cerny 59 mins : First Booking: Emiliano Insua: 60 mins : Substitution: Yossi Benayoun for Ryan Babel: 60 mins : Gerrard gives the ball away on the edge of the area and Malbranque fires just wide 63 mins : The game has really come to life now as Gerrard cuts in from the right and drives a shot goalwards which is stopped 63 mins : First Booking: Alan Hutton: 66 mins : Malbranque brings a save from Reina but the resulting corner comes to nothing 68 mins : GOAL! Andriy Voronin: Voronin latches onto Torres' assist to open the scoring with his sixth of the season 71 mins : Great save from Reina to deny Berbatov who was arrowing a shot to the far corner 73 mins : GOAL! Fernando Torres: Goal 33 from El Nino has he drifts past Dawson and finishes with ease. Great goal 80 mins : Almost another for Torres with a chipped effort which hits the top of the bar on the way over 81 mins : Substitution: Lucas Leiva for Dirk Kuyt: 85 mins : Benayoun is the latest Liverpool player to force a save from Cerny 15:55 GMT : Match Over Copyright of Official Site Liverpool FC |
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