Tottenham Hotspur 0-3 Liverpool: Five Talking Points
For the second consecutive season, Liverpool have inflicted Pain at the Lane. Following last season’s facile 5-0 win, which was inspired by Luis Suarez, Liverpool kick-started their 2014-15 campaign - after a blip in the form of a 3-1 reverse at champions Manchester City.Raheem Sterling, Steven Gerrard and Alberto Moreno were on the score sheet as Liverpool disposed off a rather insipid Tottenham. For Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, this win would have brought an added satisfaction, as it was his 100th game in charge of the Reds – a period in which the Merseysiders have won 56 games.
#1 Mario Balotelli returns to the Premier League
The bad boy is back. Super Mario, as he was known by the CIty faithful then, is now back in Liverpool red. And on his return to the Premier League after 20 months, he looked sharp and ready.
While Brendan Rodgers did say that Balotelli was not 100% fit just yet, it must have been reassuring for the Liverpool gaffer to see Balotelli getting into the right positions. His finishing though, left a lot to be desired, as he missed at least three gilt-edged opportunities within the first 35 minutes.
Most surprising was Balotelli’s desire to win the ball back, as he kept hounding the Tottenham players. This augurs well for Brendan Rodgers’s plans.
“He was excellent,” Rodgers said.
“I thought the two boys up front and Raheem in behind were a constant threat.
“He's (Balotelli) a good guy, he's worked well this week and I think everyone could see the team effort as he was pressing as much as he could. He was very good.”