Tottenham Hotspur: 5 Great Liverpool Wins from the Premier League Era

The Premier League era hasn't provided the consistency of success for Liverpool that most would have envisioned back in 1992. Back then, only two years on from their last championship, you would have probably been laughed at if you predicted they still wouldn't have won another title by 2012.

But in the face of Sir Alex Ferguson's all-conquering Manchester United empire, the innovative Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and the money of Chelsea (and for a short time Blackburn Rovers), Liverpool's constant presence in the top six of English football is not to be sniffed at.

Tottenham Hotspur are a club who for a long time could only look on enviously at such an achievement. It has only been in the past seven years that they've once more found themselves competing at the top of the table, and just maintaining that level has been difficult, yet alone pushing for the title itself.

Whether Spurs have been slumming it in mid-table or reaching for the glories of the top four as is the case now, a win over Liverpool has been something to cherish.

Even if the latter's modern sides have not matched the brilliance of their 1970s and '80s counterparts, they have still boasted some of the Premier League's most exciting and talented players, ensuring that a victory over the Reds is still a much-sought after scalp.

With the two clubs meeting Monday night (the 6th), here, from the Premier League era, are five of Tottenham Hotspur's best wins over Liverpool. If there is a victory you believe has been overlooked, then feel free to share your memories of those games and why they rank up there with Spurs' best displays against the Merseyside giants.

5. 17th January 2004: Spurs 2, Liverpool 1

Helder Postiga's solitary season with Tottenham Hotspur in 2003-04 was not the most fruitful, scoring only twice in a season in which luck seemed to have deserted the Portuguese striker most of the year.

Glenn Hoddle (the manager who signed him in summer '03) was sacked after only five games and thereafter he was unable to convince caretaker boss David Pleat that he was worthy of a regular starting spot.

It wasn't for lack of trying, though. Postiga's work-rate endeared him to the Tottenham supporters. He was a lively presence in and around the penalty area who never seemed to get the rub of the green his efforts deserved. And Postiga had some quality, no mistake about it.

Such was demonstrated in what would turn out to be his solitary Premier League goal (the other coming in the League Cup against Manchester City) in this 2-1 win over Liverpool in a generally enjoyable January for Spurs. It was the type of victory (and month) that was needed in an otherwise frustrating year at White Hart Lane.

Substitute Johnnie Jackson picked the ball up just inside his own half before sending a superb pass into the path of Postiga. Sandwiched between Sami Hyypia and Igor Biscan, Postiga held off their challenges before guiding the ball beyond Paul Jones and into the net.

This put Spurs 2-0 up, Robbie Keane having scored a penalty in the first half. Harry Kewell pulled one back later in the second half, but Spurs were good for that 2-0 victory that day. Darren Anderton and recent signing Michael Brown were excellent in midfield together, a rare glimpse of a partnership that would been an interesting one to see develop had Anderton been kept on beyond that season.

A less successful combination would be that of central defenders Gary Doherty and Anthony Gardner, with the two enduring a nightmare of a game against Leicester just over a month later. Against the Reds, though, they were near impeccable, stifling the then-England front pair of Michael Owen and Emile Heskey.

4. 15th May 2011: Liverpool 0, Spurs 2

It was typical of Tottenham Hotspur to turn it on just after their season had all but ended.

In truth, this 2-0 win over Liverpool moved Spurs above them into fifth place and gave them the ultimately successful advantage to seal European football for the next season. But having lost days earlier to Manchester City in a game that ended their already stuttering hope of Champions League competition for a second consecutive year, it did feel like a case of too little too late.

Still, a win at Anfield is such a rarity and is something to be proud of whenever it may come. This was Spurs' first league win since 1993, and here in 2011 Spurs were certainly the better team on this occasion.

This in itself was a little unexpected, as Liverpool had been in good form since the return of Kenny Dalglish. But this game, the first after his permanent (re)appointment, saw Liverpool remarkably flat with Spurs in control throughout.

The City defeat seemed to have woken Spurs up. Keen not to see their once extremely promising campaign finish on a downer, they started as they meant to go on. After only nine minutes they took the lead.

Luka Modric's corner was header clear only as far as Rafael van der Vaart. The Dutchman calmly controlled it with his chest and, before the ball could hit the ground, hit a volley that dipped beautifully into the far corner.

Modric sealed the win with a slightly contentious penalty after Steven Pienaar had been brought down by Jon Flanagan. Despite a few bright moments from the Liverpool attack, they rarely looked like scoring, with Michael Dawson and the returning Ledley King rekindling their defensive partnership to great effect and Carlo Cudicini deputising strongly in goal

3. 1st November 2008: Spurs 2, Liverpool 1

Such is the frequency with which Harry Redknapp (or anyone talking about his time at Tottenham) likes to recall how he steered Spurs away from trouble after his appointment, it has almost become one of those tales where you roll your eyes and wait for their next story about that five foot fish they caught once.

The complicated and detailed story of how Tottenham got to the point of being at the bottom of the Premier League table with just two points in late October 2008 is often overlooked. But really with the trouble Spurs were in, the effect Redknapp's arrival had on a demoralised squad cannot be overstated.

After a 2-0 win in his first game versus Bolton, Spurs then drew 4-4 with Arsenal by way of an injury-time equaliser. The drama of Redknapp's first seven days in charge was not yet complete, as his side came back from a goal down to win 2-1 with Roman Pavlyuchenko scoring the stoppage time winner.

What made the win all the more impressive was that Liverpool at this point were ten games unbeaten, and would go on to lose only once more (at Middlesbrough) as they missed out on the title to Manchester United by just four points.

This game loss would prove to be crucial for the Reds, a defeat all the more frustrating considering they dominated for large periods with Spurs goal enjoying a charmed existence for the most part that day.

Liverpool had took the lead after former-and-soon-to-be-back-again Spur Robbie Keane set up Dirk Kuyt to smash in the opener. But then in the second half, Jamie Carragher's cruel luck in this fixture continued as he scored an own-goal to level the proceedings at 1-1.

At halftime Redknapp had brought on Pavlyuchenko for Jamie O'Hara, and afterwards he would memorably describe his instructions to the Russian's interpreter. "Roman's got an interpreter, I just said to him, 'Tell him to just f***ing run about,'" said Redknapp.

Pavlyuchenko proceeded to do just that, and if it wasn't to be his best performance in a Spurs shirt, he was there in the right place at the right time to tap in Darren Bent's pass and seal a fortunate and important three points.

2. 11th March 1995: Liverpool 1, Spurs 2

Tottenham's 1994-95 season felt for a long time like one of those wonderful summers you hope never finish, but inevitably they would end and people would go back to their real lives with only memories left.

But when memories are as fantastic as the day Spurs beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, well, that's not a bad thing.

That season saw Teddy Sheringham and Jurgen Klinsmann form the greatest partnership of their lives (sorry, wives and girlfriends, it's true) as they combined in consistently memorable fashion for Spurs. If it weren't for the scintillating, Premier League-winning SAS duo of Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton at Blackburn, they may have had the season's goalscoring headlines all for themselves.

It is tempting to wonder how successful Spurs might have been had Klinsmann remained beyond the summer of '95. In addition to the arrival of Chris Armstrong that summer, Tottenham would have had a goalscoring trio the envy of any team in the country.

As it was, the Klinsmann/Sheringham union would enjoy its finest day that spring afternoon in March as they kept Tottenham's (ultimately doomed) FA Cup dream alive.

Liverpool's own star forward Robbie Fowler had put them in front, but not long before halftime Klinsmann teed up Sheringham to score a superb curling effort, one of his best in a Spurs shirt.

With under two minutes left in the contest, Sheringham returned the favour. His back to goal, out of the corner of his eye Sheringham saw Klinsmann darting into the penalty area. As the ball came towards him he deftly back-heeled it into the German's path. What followed was inevitable as Klinsmann controlled and guided it past the onrushing David James.

1. 18th September 2011: Spurs 4, Liverpool 0

The value of this specific victory may rise or fall depending on the outcome of Tottenham's season, and indeed that of the two clubs meeting at Anfield (later today, at the time of writing).

But unless Spurs' season collapses horrifically, it is hard to see a 4-0 dismantling of Liverpool being remembered as anything other than one of the great recent performances at White Hart Lane (and there have been some good ones).

With it being so recent, Tottenham fans will not need much reminding of the quality of the team's performance that day. Even before Charlie Adam's sending off, Spurs were in control and had took the lead through Luka Modric's perfectly placed curling effort. It was the first sign of the Croatian's commendable professionalism in putting behind the summer's speculation well and truly behind him.

If Liverpool were still in at 1-0, Martin Skrtel's sending off all but put them out of the game, and Spurs capitalised on their numerical advantage.

Jermain Defoe added a second with a typically comprehensively struck goal, before Emmanuel Adebayor's brace capped off a happy home debut for the recent arrival and sealed Tottenham's victory in style.

After Spurs' slow start to the season, this was a victory that helped get the campaign on track, and in some style. Harry Redknapp will be well aware that such performances will need to be forthcoming from his players if Tottenham Hotspur are to battle through and fulfill the promise of this victory.