Tottenham 2 - 1 Liverpool

Instant hero: Tottenham debutant Sebastien Bassong scored the winner against Liverpool after Steven Gerrard had equalised from the penalty spot

Eyes blazing, arms outstretched, Rafael Benitez appealed to the referee for a penalty in the dying moments of the game yesterday with the kind of fervour that put him in contravention of any number of Football Association and Premier League respect campaigns. One game gone and Liverpool are feeling the heat.

Benitez's assistant manager, Sammy Lee, was sent off by the referee Phil Dowd a minute later on the advice of fourth official Stuart Attwell. Fernando Torres kicked out at Tom Huddlestone and Lucas Leiva weighed in with a shove to the Tottenham midfielder's chest. But when the whistle went for full-time the rest of the Premier League's big four had left Liverpool in the blocks.
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Benitez had calmed down by the time he reached his post-match press conference but his feelings had not changed on Dowd or Attwell. The first, he indicated, needed to check his eyesight for the penalty he failed to give against Benoît Assou-Ekotto; the latter, he said, was just too young to be officiating in the Premier League. The FA's Respect campaign has already got its work cut out with Benitez.

To his credit, Benitez did not try to pretend that Liverpool deserved to win just three months after they dispatched Spurs 3-1 at Anfield on the last day of the league season. Something was just not right in the heart of the team, they were outfought by Harry Redknapp's players and the malaise manifested in silly mistakes, like the clash of heads between Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel in the first half that left both of them off the pace.

Certainly, neither of Liverpool's centre-backs got anywhere near Sébastien Bassong, who scored the first goal of his career on his Spurs league debut with a beautifully poised header on 56 minutes. Benitez would surely have replaced Skrtel earlier if he had a better alternative on the bench than the untried 18-year-old Daniel Sanchez Ayala, who was eventually sent on when the disoriented Skrtel could play no more.

It is early days yet for Liverpool bu,t with the exception of the excellent Glen Johnson at right-back, there was little about them that could be argued was an improvement on last season. When Benitez was chasing the game with another attacking player he had no option but to bring on Andrei Voronin, who is no more effective than when he was sent on loan a year ago.

It would be inaccurate to put a defeat like this down to the absence of Xabi Alonso alone but his departure has undoubtedly made Liverpool weaker. There were other elements too: Steven Gerrard, fit again having missed England's game on Wednesday, was strangely quiet apart from his penalty equaliser; Torres hardly had a chance and Ryan Babel failed to seize his opportunity.

Only Pepe Reina could be said to have played anywhere near his best, saving brilliantly from Robbie Keane twice in the first half as his team-mates failed to take charge. In the course of a Premier League season, August form can be misleading but the early signs for another run at their first title in 20 years say that Liverpool have work to do.

They came up against a Tottenham team who, despite their new players, looked unusually well-drilled for a club that has endured some uniquely chaotic starts to the season. Ledley King was the pick of the home team, a magnificent presence in the centre of defence who offered a masterclass in how to keep Torres quiet, alongside a very composed Bassong.

Having watched his team "absolutely slaughtered" by Liverpool at White Hart Lane last season Spurs still won the game Redknapp said that this time they had encountered a very different Benitez side. They had set out to press and unsettle them and without Alonso and, as Redknapp said, his "ability to pass the ball round corners", Liverpool found themselves suffocated in midfield

Redknapp made the decision to start without his new £9m signing Peter Crouch and in his absence Keane missed three chances in the first half that he might usually have been expected to score. Nevertheless, Keane was part of a monumental effort from his side to close his former club down all over the pitch. When Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko came on as late substitutes, Spurs showed that their attacking strength runs a lot deeper than Liverpool's.

Spurs' first goal was not only the first for Assou-Ekotto in three years at the club, it was also the first in a career of more than 110 senior games and this one was worth waiting for. Huddlestone's free-kick cannoned into the wall and from there Assou-Ekotto took one touch to control it before dispatching it with his left foot into the top right-hand corner of Reina's goal.

Spurs were in control of the game at half-time and it needed a moment of individual excellence to drag Liverpool back into it. As the League's best paid full-back, Johnson has some pressure on him but he delivered in the 54th minute, surging past Huddlestone and Assou-Ekotto before going past Heurelho Gomes, who brought him down. Gerrard, taunted by the Spurs fans over his court case last month, thundered home the penalty.

That might have been the cue for Liverpool to go on and win it but it was Spurs who regained the lead just before the hour. Luka Modric's free-kick came from the right and Bassong got above Johnson and Carragher to head the ball past Reina.

Of the two penalty appeals for Liverpool the first looked borderline. Assou-Ekotto eased Voronin off the ball as the striker ran in on goal; then minutes later the same Spurs full-back appeared to handle the ball.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Gomes; Corluka, King, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Huddlestone, Palacios, Modric (O'Hara, 84); Defoe (Pavlyuchenko, 90), Keane (Crouch, 68). Substitutes not used: Hutton, Bentley, Naughton, Cudicini (gk). Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina; Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel (Ayala, 75), Insua; Mascherano, Lucas; Kuyt (Voronin, 79), Gerrard, Babel (Benayoun, 68); Torres. Substitutes not used: Cavalieri (gk), Spearing, Kelly, Dossena. Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire). Booked: Tottenham Lennon, Assou-Ekotto; Liverpool Mascherano, Carragher. Man of the match: King. Attendance: 35,935.

Torres is key to everything for Liverpool

As financial troubles bite even harder at Liverpool than most places, keeping Fernando Torres on the pitch more often is key.

Boss Rafael Benitez believes that if Torres and Steven Gerrard both have injury-free seasons, then anything is possible, even if he has not been able to compete at the very highest level for the biggest stars.

Manchester United, with £80million for the Cristiano Ronaldo sale, plus Manchester City and Chelsea can invariably blow Liverpool out of the water with their spending power.

Which means that a confident, fit and firing Torres is key to everything Liverpool aim for next term.

Benitez believes that Torres' frequent absence through a persistent hamstring injury last season cost Liverpool the Premier League title - a trophy they missed by just four points.

And the Spain striker, reckoned by many to be the best striker in the world right now, is nothing if not confident.

Torres said: "I do not say it lightly, but we must think we can be as good or even better than Barcelona.

"It is the belief of everybody at this club that we can become the best and we have really moved forward in the last two seasons.

"There is nowhere else in Europe I want to be. I believe we are on the verge of something special here and I am delighted to commit my future to this club.

"We came very close last season. And next season, with the experience we now have, we know we can go one better. Manchester United are still very strong but we will improve and will have more about us next term.

"Last season we were unlucky with injuries. I am not making excuses but things could have been different. The manager is building and I expect many trophies for Liverpool in the years to come.

"Winning Euro 2008 with Spain was amazing and it made me understand how good the feeling of winning is. It has made me even more hungry for FA Cups, Premier League titles, European Cups - I want them all. And I want to win them all with Liverpool."

And Torres believes that Liverpool can recreate the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s under Benitez.

The 25-year-old agreed a new contract last term to potentially keep him at Anfield until 2014, all because he feels the club is on the verge of "something special".

Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Daniel Agger also signed new deals.

And Torres added: "You would not get top players signing new contracts if they did not think there were good times ahead. I expect many trophies for Liverpool in the years to come.

"The manager will know what he wants and what areas he wants to improve next season, and whatever he decides we know it will be the right choice because all the players and staff here have total trust in him.

"Our aim has to be the best. If we have no desire to be the best in England and in Europe then there is no point even turning up for work.

"Liverpool are just as famous as Barcelona as a football club and even more famous trophy-wise. But we want to make Liverpool as successful in this era as they were in the '70s and '80s."

One more day for Gerrard

Clash of the titans: Steven Gerrard (left) shields the ball from Michael Ballack during Chelsea's 3-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg victory at Anfield

Anfield boss Benitez gives Gerrard one more day to prove fitness before making biggest decision of his Liverpool career

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has given Steven Gerrard one more day to prove his fitness ahead of their crucial Champions League clash with Chelsea.

The Anfield boss admitted Gerrard's availability could be the key to his side somehow turning around a 3-1 deficit from the first leg at Anfield and claiming the unlikeliest of semi-final places.

After leaving Gerrard on the bench for the duration of Saturday's 4-0 thrashing of Blackburn, Benitez will asses his skipper's recovery from a groin strain before making one of the most critical decisions of his five-year Anfield reign.

'Stevie has been working with the physio, and he will train later today,' said Benitez. 'We will decide after that, but it is good that he is feeling better.

'Clearly, we need him, because he is a key player for us. Everything can change when he is out there and playing well.

'We will talk to the doctor and with Stevie, but I don't think it would be a massive risk. It would be if there was a danger of losing him for 10-15 days, but he has played with these problems before and been OK. I would call it more of a calculated risk.

'It would be good to show the same spirit as in Istanbul four years ago, when we came back from 3-0 down at half-time in the final against AC Milan to win on penalties. The fans will be behind us, as ever, and if we can give them something to cheer early on, it could make a difference.
Liverpool boss Benitez barks out instructions during Saturday's clash with Blackburn

'But it is going to be a very difficult task, but don't forget Bolton showed on Saturday what can be done by scoring three late goals at Chelsea.

'We will be aiming for an early one ideally, so we can put them under pressure.'

Benitez also defended his controversial zonal marking system, which some blamed for his side conceding two Branislav Ivanovic goals from set pieces in the first leg.

He added: ‘Chelsea have six or seven players that are really good in air, and that was clear the other day.

‘We talked about zonal marking but we scored against Blackburn who use man-to-man marking and yesterday you could see goals conceded between Aston Villa and Everton using man-to-man.

Sitting it out: Steven Gerrard (centre) warms the bench during Liverpool's rout of Blackburn

‘So in the end it depends on the quality of the players in the air. [Zonal marking] has been good for us in the past so hopefully it will be good in the future.’

Asked if the Reds could take heart from Bolton's late three-goal show against the Blues on Saturday, Benitez added: ‘Yes. If you play well and have a bit of luck, you can score a goal, so we will see. It will be good for the club if we can win, so we will try to win.’

Benitez issues a quick guide on....

Manchester Utd 1 Liverpool 4:
Benitez issues a quick guide on the way to defeat United

After watching his fast Spanish striker expose the weaknesses he had identified in Manchester United's defence, the 'fat Spanish waiter' was understandably satisfied.

It was Rafa Benitez, after all, who dismissed Arsene Wenger's declaration that United had become 'untouchable'. Benitez who insisted four weeks ago that the champions of England, Europe and the world were not the invincibles Arsenal's manager would have us think.

Kop that: Rafa Benitez masterminds a stunning victory over Manchester United.

United's heaviest defeat at Old Trafford in 17 years was quite a way for Benitez to prove his point and now he only hopes that others, Wenger included, will copy the blueprint of his tactical masterplan.

If Liverpool are to have any hope of catching United, they need the teams still due at Old Trafford to follow the example of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard and use a deadly combination of pace, power and skill to unlock Sir Alex Ferguson's record-breaking back line. As well, that is, as unsettle United's midfield with someone as destructive as Javier Mascherano.

Until Saturday, United were unbeaten at home in the Barclays Premier League this season, having conceded just five goals. Teams were turning up convinced they had no hope of securing even a point. But United are not impenetrable, no team is, and Benitez is now urging others to take note.

In Liverpool's favour is the fact that there is pace in abundance in the teams that United still have to host between now and the end of the season. Aston Villa are at their best when they get the ball out to their wingers and so are Tottenham, while Manchester City and Arsenal also have quick players capable of terrorising Nemanja Vidic and Co.

Man of The Match: Fernando Torres celebrates after hitting the first of Liverpool's four goals.

'I think United have weaknesses,' said Benitez. 'They have quality, a lot of quality in attack, that is the main thing that they have. They are strong in defence because they have plenty of possession. But when they don't have the ball and you move the ball quickly and play behind the defenders, you know you can beat them. We knew that they are really good at playing between the lines with penetrating passes.

'So we needed to stop these passes and put the midfielders under pressure every time they were going to receive the ball; and after that try to play simple and go forward quickly, because it's an offensive team and they are always high.'

Before this encounter, Vidic was a contender for Footballer of the Year. But the manner in which he was terrorised by Torres before receiving a straight red card for his professional foul on Gerrard has probably ruined any chance of that.

Benitez saw something in Vidic that he knew Torres could exploit. 'That was one of the ideas,' he said. 'We knew that maybe with Fernando's movement we could create problems for the defenders.'

Holding court in an Old Trafford press auditorium Ferguson has long refused to appear in after Premier League matches, Benitez was in his element. He had endured the Spanish waiter taunts from United fans and soaked up insults from Ferguson. 'Disturbed' and 'ridiculous' was how Ferguson described him after that outburst in January, adding last Friday that he will need to read 'Freud' to understand his rival.

Smacker: Steven Gerrard¿s TV kiss after his strike from the penalty spot.

Reminded of all that, and the idea he was 'cracking up' in January, Benitez did something on Saturday he so rarely does. He smiled. 'I can guarantee you that I was calm and I am calm,' he said. 'But I had to defend my club and that is what I did.

Seeing red: Nemanja Vidic is given his marching orders.

'I read Freud in school and university but now I try to improve my English. Maybe he will understand me if I say something again but I have a lot of respect for him. We shook hands after the game because he was not talking bad blood. He is a fantastic manager at a big, big club. But I was not worried about myself. I was thinking only about my club. I think Liverpool has been the best team in Europe in the last five years. It is a fact.'

The fact is, though, Liverpool have lacked the consistency of United in the title race. Against their main rivals they have been terrific. Home and away wins against United and Chelsea as well as a draw at Arsenal. The kind of form that usually secures the championship. But precious points have too often been dropped at Anfield.

'It's football and it's difficult to explain why we have dropped points when we have,' said Benitez. 'Still we need to be more consistent against the other teams.'

This performance will give them the confidence to achieve that consistency. Not least the fashion in which they fought back after Pepe Reina's reckless foul on Ji-sung Park invited Cristiano Ronaldo to score from the penalty spot.

Four-midable: Andrea Dossena (left) is congratulated by his team-mates after rounding off Liverpool's magnificent victory.

First came that wonderful equaliser from Torres, then Gerrard's penalty for Patrice Evra's foul on the Liverpool captain, before Fabio Aurelio punished Vidic for his red-card challenge with a fine free-kick and Andrea Dossena outsprinted John O'Shea in pursuit of a Reina kick and sent an audacious lob over Edwin van der Sar.

Contrary to Rio Ferdinand's opinion, the red card was not 'debatable' and contrary to a view expressed by Ferguson, United were not the better team. Not on Saturday anyway.