After some early promise to open the match, Liverpool had seemed to settle-in at White Hart Lane and started to take up the underdog’s role. A desperation save from Jamie Carragher and a last-ditch take-down of Luka Modric (by the same man) had kept Liverpool even in the last minutes of the half, signals that Spurs were ascending.
Tottenham Hotspur Vs. Liverpool: Martin Skrtel Puts Reds Up Minutes Before Half
But this game of soccer loves to remind us it’s capable of turning a match at any moment, and in the 42nd minute, the favorites became the chasers. That’s when Liverpool pushed home the game’s first goal, calling on an unexpected source to do so. Defender Martin Skrtel, after winning the header on a Raul Meireles set-piece, cleaned-up the ensuing chaos, scoring from near the spot, giving Liverpool a 1-0 lead.
Spurs had given a foul eight yards inside their half. Meireles floated a ball to the middle of the box, allowing Skrtel to come in from the left of goal and get a head on Meireles’s service. The ball went straight down, and as two Reds and three Spurs fought for control, Skrtel recovered and lurked just above the maelstrom. When the ball found its way out to him, Skrtel hit his shot through the crowd and past Heurelho Gomes, giving Liverpool the lead.
The goal wasn’t exactly against the run of play, but Spurs were having their turn controlling the match. Liverpool looked the more ambitious side in the match’s first 10 minutes, but in since, Spurs had looked their part. That part: Favorites, title contenders - the better team. Now that part changes from favorite to pursuer, Liverpool carrying a 1-0 lead into half.
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