FULL-TIME: Spurs 0 Liverpool 2

4:55pm Sunday 11th May 2008

It was perhaps not surprising a disappointing Premier League campaign should also end in defeat for Spurs.

After a dull first half, Liverpool turned on the style after the interval and ran out deserved winners.

It meant the Lilywhites also failed in their bid to end in the top half of the table.

Spurs, playing in their new 2008/9 home kit, fielded a strong side, with boss Juande Ramos resisting the temptation to blood a few youngsters.

Liverpool started the brighter and a Steven Gerrard free-kick was met on the volley by Andriy Voronin after ten minutes, but keeper Radek Cerny dived to his left to catch the ball.

Gerrard then set up Ryan Babel, but his curling effort was too close to Cerny and the Tottenham number one gathered at the second attempt.

At the other end, Robbie Keane just failed to get to a clever Dimitar Berbatov flick, keeper Pepe Reina smothering the ball as the striker closed in.

Midway through the half, Berbatov met a Jamie O'Hara corner with his head, Reina tipping the ball round the post.

Both sides were playing some nice football, though there was not too much action in either goalmouth.

Some sloppy passing and the sapping heat did not help matters, the game crying out for something out of the ordinary to spark it into life.

A disappointing first half ended with Babel dragging a shot well wide in stoppage time.

Liverpool almost struck at the start of the second period. Fernando Torres played a one-two with Gerrard, but Cerny made a five save with his leg to deny the Spaniard.

Voronin then shot straight at Cerny when the ball broke kindly for him on the edge of the area.

Tottenham's first opening of the second half came on the hour. Gerrard gave the ball away to Steed Malbranque who freed Keane down the left, but his cross-cum-shot on the turn rolled across the face of the goal and wide.

It was at last starting to liven up a bit, and Gerrard tested Cerny with a low drive at the other end. The England international then saw a first-time shot from the edge of the area just clear the bar.

Malbranque popped up at the far post for Spurs, only to see his shot deflect wide off Alvaro Arbeloa.

The goal finally came on 68 minutes, Voronin latching on to a Torres flick to control and steer the ball past Cerny from eight yards.

Spurs almost responded when Berbatov hit a cracking 20-yard volley that Reina spectacularly turned over.

But it was two just a few minutes later, Torres skipping past his marker and slipping the ball past the advancing Cerny from a tight angle.

The Reds were now in full control and looking for a third. Alan Hutton was lucky not to put the ball through his own net on 76 minutes, Cerny pushing out his wayward headed clearance.

Torres then clipped the bar with a superb chip that had Cerny well beaten, while sub Yossi Benayoun saw the keeper brilliantly push out his 86th-minute drive.

Benayoun came close again with a clever back-heel, the ball running just wide, as Liverpool coasted to victory.

SPURS (4-4-2): Cerny; Hutton, Dawson (Bent 80), Woodgate, Gilberto; Zokora, Malbranque, Jenas (Huddlestone 45), O'Hara (Tainio); Keane, Berbatov. Subs not used: Robinson, Chimbonda.

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