Liverpool and Tottenham will face each other for the 52nd time in the Premier League this weekend and there is once again much on the line as both clubs know Sunday’s result could have a decisive impact on the complexion of the top four when we reach the end of the season.
But can history tell us who will triumph and who will toil in the 4.30pm kickoff at Anfield? Here’s the complete Premier League history of Liverpool vs Tottenham…
Head-to-Head
Tottenham may have beaten Liverpool last time out at Wembley, but that victory was very much the exception to the rule. Indeed, Spurs have won just 14 of their 52 encounters with Liverpool, the same number of games they’ve drawn, and the victory in this season’s reverse fixture was their first over the Reds since November 2012. And it only gets worse for the Lilywhites at Anfield, where they’ve taken all three points just twice throughout the entire Premier League era and averaged less than one goal per game.
Tottenham, however, will take comfort from the fact they’ve still managed to keep eleven clean sheets against Liverpool and with Harry Kane chasing down his 100th Premier League goal, another this weekend has a strong chance of resulting in a huge Spurs win. Liverpool, however have averaged 1.7 goals per game against Spurs in the Premier League and the overall gap between the two sides is 28 goals.
The Top Scorer
This fixture’s top scorer chart is unsurprisingly dominated by Liverpool legends, not least including Robbie Fowler, who scored all six of his Premier League goals against Tottenham while playing for Liverpool in the space of eleven games. Robbie Keane, meanwhile, has featured in this fixture for both clubs, but scored all of his goals for Spurs – only managing an assist during his single outing in a Liverpool jersey.
But the big boost for Tottenham is that they boast the only member of the top five who will be involved in Sunday’s game; Kane’s six top flight outings against the Reds have produced four goals and two assists – including a brace and a setup last time out in October. And should Kane bag a hat-trick this weekend, which certainly isn’t out of the question, he’ll overtake Fowler as this fixture’s top scorer.
The shared (cult) hero – Peter Crouch
Some more illustrious names fall into the category of playing for both clubs in the Premier League; Jamie Redknapp, Robbie Keane, Danny Murphy, Nicky Barmby and Brad Friedel to mention a few. But few players struck such a perfect equilibrium of appearances for both teams and few went on to earn cult hero status in quite the same way as Peter Crouch.
While neither group of fans completely warmed to the towering striker, who was often seen as a rather unfashionable front-man, his strike-rate for the Reds wasn’t half bad – 42 goals in 132 appearances across all competitions, despite often featuring as a substitute – although three seasons at White Hart Lane produced just 24 goals. Perhaps most tellingly of why he was never the beacon of popularity, however, his two tenures produced just one trophy – an FA Cup in 2006.
The Classic Contest – Tottenham 3-3 Liverpool
With the end of the season on the horizon, Tottenham and Liverpool both entered this March fixture at White Hart Lane desperate for a win – the 16th-placed former looking to push themselves clear of the relegation zone and the latter needing all three points to have any hope of closing the gap on Manchester United in the title race. Inevitably then, both teams drew. But the fans were left more than satisfied as the players put on a six-goal thriller in which Tottenham took the lead three times and the Reds equalised three times, no leveller coming less than 15 minutes after the prior goal.
Jurgen Klinsmann, during his much-fabled loan spell back in north London after leaving in 1995, opened the scoring after just 13 minutes with a trademark header, but the Reds hit back shortly after as Michael Owen jinked down the left flank before squaring the ball to Steve McManaman for a relatively routine finish.
The iconic David Ginola then put Tottenham ahead once again with a delicate curler that sneaked into the bottom corner under a flailing Brad Friedel, only for Paul Ince to acrobatically net a bicycle kick to make it 2-2.
That lead to a thrilling final ten minutes in which Ramon Vega rose highest at a corner to put the Lilywhites in front. However, McManaman soon capitalised on the Swiss defender’s rather shambolic efforts at the other end to poke home a rebound off the post and ensure the spoils were shared.
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