Liverpool ended Tottenham’s 12-match unbeaten Premier League run when a late Steven Gerrard penalty sealed a 3-2 win at Anfield yesterday after the visitors led 2-1 with little more than 20 minutes to play.
The result gave Liverpool their third successive league win and lifted them up to sixth, strengthening their chances of a Europa League place next season and also keeping alive their slimmer hopes of a top-four finish which would earn them a Champions League spot.
It also dented third-placed Spurs’ hopes of closing in on Manchester City in second place and meant they failed to increase their lead over Chelsea and Arsenal in the race for a Champions League place.
It was their first league defeat since they lost 2-1, also on Merseyside, to late Everton goals three months ago.
Luis Suarez opened the scoring with his 50th goal for Liverpool after 21 minutes with a superb strike inside goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’s near post following crisp work in the build-up from Philippe Coutinho and Jose Enrique.
But Spurs equalised just before half-time when Belgian centre-back Jan Vertonghen headed in a cross from Gareth Bale.
Gareth Bale’s run of scoring in his last five league games ended, but Vertonghen found the target again when he fired Spurs ahead after 53 minutes after the Liverpool defence failed to clear.
But Spurs contributed to their own downfall with bad mistakes from Kyle Walker, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and Jermain Defoe leading to Liverpool’s second and third goals.
Walker’s bad back pass to Lloris, who failed to clear the ball, allowed Stewart Downing to equalise after 66 minutes.
Then another error from striker Jermain Defoe, back in defence, put Benoit Assou-Ekotto under pressure and he fouled Suarez for the 82nd-minute penalty from which Gerrard sent Lloris the wrong way.
Jamie Carragher, who is retiring at the end of the season, said he was delighted to mark his 500th league appearance for Liverpool with what could prove to be a very important victory.
“We have not come from behind to win much this season so it is a massive result for us,” said the former England defender.
In the day’s other match, Newcastle came from behind to beat Stoke City 2-1 at St James’ Park where Papiss Cisse scored the winner in the last minute of stoppage time.
Stoke went ahead when Jon Walters scored from the spot after 67 minutes, but Newcastle won with a goal direct from a free-kick by Yohan Cabaye after 72 minutes and Cisse’s late tap-in.
It was the third time in successive league games Newcastle had come from behind to win and lifted them on to 33 points, nine points clear of the relegation zone.
Premier League
Liverpool 3
Suarez 21; Downing 66; Gerrard 82 pen;
Tottenham 2
Vertonghen 45, 53;
HT: 1-1. Att: 44,752.
Newcastle 2
Cabaye 72; Cisse 90;
Stoke City 1
Walters 67 pen;
HT: 0-0. Att: 50,703.
Standings
P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
Man. Utd | 28 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 68 | 31 | 71 |
Man. City | 28 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 51 | 24 | 59 |
Tottenham | 29 | 16 | 6 | 7 | 51 | 36 | 54 |
Chelsea | 28 | 1 5 | 7 | 6 | 56 | 30 | 52 |
Arsenal | 28 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 53 | 32 | 47 |
Liverpool | 29 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 56 | 36 | 45 |
Everton | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 44 | 35 | 45 |
West Brom | 29 | 13 | 4 | 12 | 40 | 38 | 43 |
Swansea | 29 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 40 | 36 | 40 |
Fulham | 28 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 39 | 44 | 33 |
Stoke | 29 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 27 | 35 | 33 |
West Ham | 28 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 32 | 41 | 33 |
Newcastle | 29 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 40 | 50 | 33 |
Norwich | 29 | 7 | 12 | 10 | 27 | 45 | 33 |
Sunderland | 29 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 32 | 41 | 30 |
Southampton | 29 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 39 | 51 | 28 |
Aston Villa | 29 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 28 | 54 | 27 |
Wigan | 28 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 33 | 55 | 24 |
Reading | 29 | 5 | 8 | 16 | 35 | 56 | 23 |
QPR | 29 | 4 | 11 | 14 | 24 | 45 | 23 |