Spurs Sink Liverpool 4-0: Can the Reds Recover After Humiliation by Tottenham?

For Liverpool fans hoping to end their long title drought, this has been a heady year.  The arrival of new owners, £100M of new players and the return of Kenny Dalglish have all contributed to a pervasive sense of optimism in the red half of Merseyside, and the belief that their team can once again be regarded as challengers.

However, that belief must surely be shaken today as humiliation at the hands of Tottenham provided a stunning and sobering riposte to their title aspirations. 

In truth, the early season form of the Manchester clubs—United in particular—had already suggested that a Champion's League spot might be Liverpool's most realistic goal this year, but the nature of their loss at White Hart Lane will raise questions as to whether even that aim is achievable.

On the back foot from the outset, Liverpool struggled in the opening minutes to come to grips with Spurs' pace and movement and though the manner of Luka Modric's spectacular curling opener may have been a surprise, it was no less than his team deserved. 

Liverpool continued to flounder, looking disorganized in defense and sending passes astray, with Charlie Adam continuing the wasteful form which saw him misplace over 20 passes at the Britannia.  The Scot's day only got worse when he lunged wildly at Scott Parker on 28 minutes and was rightly dismissed for a second bookable offense. 

Liverpool rode out the half unconvincingly at only a goal down, but Adam was joined in his early bath when, in the 63 minute, Martin Skrtel clipped the heels of Gareth Bale for his second yellow card.

With ample time and space in which to work, Tottenham immediately made their two man advantage count. 

Jermaine Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor each finished neatly within five minutes of Skrtel's sending-off to put the game to rest, and Adebayor's tidy volley deep into stoppage added a bit of gloss to a scoreline which could have been much worse for Liverpool.

Questions will now come easier than answers for the Merseysiders, whose only wins on the season have come against floundering Bolton and Arsenal sides. 

Only a month ago they were facing accusations of overstocking in the midfield, but they now look disconcertingly lightweight in that department and the deadline day sale of Raul Meireles looks more galling in light of Charlie Adam's inconsistency. 

The club may be counting on Steven Gerrard's return from injury, but given that he played only 21 league games last season and is now 31 years old, over-reliance on their talisman is a gamble.

Problems abound in other areas of the pitch as well. 

For all of his industry and invention, Luis Suarez has so far proven a profligate finisher and to say that today was one of Andy Carroll's better performances in a Liverpool shirt is to damn with faint praise. 

At the back, Jamie Carragher is beginning to show his age and a constant stream of injuries to Daniel Agger, Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly since the new year have conspired against defensive stability.

Last season, Liverpool lost twice to Tottenham and dropped 16 out of 30 possible points against the top five teams.  Worse still, they dropped 26 points against teams in the bottom half of the table, more than both Manchester clubs and Chelsea combined. 

That is a stat which must be rectified if they are to improve on last season.  A home victory next weekend against Mick McCarthy's always determined Wolves would be a step in the right direction, especially with the Merseyside Derby and a visit from the champions looming.

These are still early days and there is plenty of time to right the ship.  However, with so much invested in improvement this summer, Liverpool and their fans must rightly have expected smoother sailing this season.  Right now, they are barely staying afloat.