Liverpool 0 - 2 Tottenham

Tottenham beat Liverpool to leapfrog their rivals into fifth place and move a point ahead of the Merseysiders in the race for a Europa League place.
Rafael van der Vaart chested down the ball and sent a dipping 20-yard strike into the Reds net to put Spurs ahead.
Andy Carroll headed a gilt-edged chance high and was punished when Luka Modric scored a penalty for the visitors after John Flanagan's foul on Steven Pienaar.
It was a controversial decision but Spurs were good value for their win.
In the first game for Liverpool since manager Kenny Dalglish had his temporary deal turned into a three-year contract, the Reds struggled and stuttered to a first home league defeat under the Scot.
Tottenham, by contrast, put in a controlled and composed performance, which they completed with the type of end product that has been missing in recent months and has cost them repeating their top four finish of last season.
And, if Spurs manager Harry Redknapp had stated his reluctance to play in next season's Europa League because of the impact it has on a top-flight campaign, it was not matched by his players at Anfield.
Instead, it was the lacklustre home players who seemed more determined to avoid Europe's less prestigious competition.
The two teams had gone into the game travelling in opposite directions in their rollercoaster seasons, with Liverpool on an upward curve of 10 wins from 14 games and Spurs plummeting with one win from 13 outings.
But it was the visitors who quickly got into their stride and made a mockery of the statistics as they seized control of the game before they took the lead after nine minutes.
A Modric corner was only headed out to Van der Vaart and, after controlling the clearance with his chest just outside the area, the Dutchman sweetly struck the ball before it could bounce as he sent a dipping shot into the far corner.
It was a goal reminiscent of Van der Vaart's form in the first half of the season before, like Spurs, his form dipped.
In their run of one win in the last 13, playmaker Van der Vaart and strikers Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko have scored only 11 goals between them and Spurs 14 in all.
But Van der Vaart's goal at Anfield was reward for his side's fluency and fortitude, while the Reds struggled to impose themselves.
The frustration of the home side was emphasised when striker Luis Suarez flicked a kick at Spurs defender Michael Dawson and escaped with a yellow card from referee Howard Webb.
The Merseysiders belatedly and briefly raised themselves late on in the opening half when Carroll was presented with the type of chance you would expect him to put away.
Martin Skrtel clipped a cross to the far post for the powerhouse Reds forward, who mistimed his close range header horribly high.
Van der Vaart was forced off injured early in the second half before Spurs added to their lead shortly afterwards when Webb awarded a questionable penalty to the visitors for right-back Flanagan's foul on Pienaar.
Liverpool will argue whether it was a foul as well as whether it was in the area but Modric stepped up to send keeper Pepe Reina the wrong way from the spot as he confidently extended Tottenham's lead.
A laboured Liverpool rarely looked like adding to their 13 goals in their previous three games as Spurs eased to their first league win at Anfield since August 1993.

Fulham 2 - 5 Liverpool

Maxi Rodriguez scored his second hat-trick in three games as a rampant Liverpool crushed Fulham to boost their hopes of reaching the Europa League.
Rodriguez put Liverpool ahead after 32 seconds, and volleyed a second before Dirk Kuyt made it 3-0 on 16 minutes.
Moussa Dembele gave Fulham hope with a crisp finish from Bobby Zamora's pass.
Rodriguez smashed a spectacular third from 25 yards and Luis Suarez rounded Mark Schwarzer to make it 5-1 before Steve Sidwell fired a late consolation.
It was a sensational display from Liverpool, who have now scored 13 goals in their last three games and have climbed from 12th to fifth in the table since Kenny Dalglish took over from Roy Hodgson in January.
The Reds are two points clear of Tottenham, who play Manchester City on Tuesday and travel to Anfield on Sunday for a game that is effectively a play-off for the Europa League spot.
Whether participating in that competition would be a blessing or a curse for either club is a moot point but the Reds certainly set off like a team determined to secure another season of European football.
Suarez broke clear down the left and advanced into the penalty box before trying to pick out Kuyt.
The low cross was deflected towards goal by Carlos Salcido and although Schwarzer stopped it creeping in at the far post, Rodriguez was on hand to lash into the opposite corner.
Six minutes later, Glen Johnson found space behind Salcido and crossed to the far post, where Rodriguez volleyed low past Schwarzer.
There was a moment of controversy on 14 minutes when a long ball found Suarez bearing down on goal. The irrepressible Uruguayan took a tumble after an apparent push from Brede Hangeland but the officials rejected the visitors' penalty appeals.
Any sense of grievance on Liverpool's part was short-lived as Kuyt received the ball in space on the right and drilled a speculative effort towards the near post, which Schwarzer inexplicably allowed to slip through his fingers to gift the Dutchman a ninth goal in his last eight league games. Suarez and Rodriguez both missed presentable chances before Clint Dempsey had Fulham's first opportunity of the game just after the half-hour mark - but his low volley from a corner was cleared off the line by Johnson.
Fulham boss Mark Hughes brought on Zamora for Simon Davies at half-time and the change paid dividends as the home side began the second period in the ascendancy.
First Zamora had a goal-bound header blocked and then Dempsey fired narrowly over the bar from the edge of the area.
The goal, after 57 minutes, was nothing less than Fulham deserved as Zamora's lay-off teed up Dembele for a powerful side-footed finish into the bottom corner.
Fulham briefly threatened a comeback but Rodriguez's superb drive from outside the area guaranteed Liverpool the points and allowed the Argentine to depart to a standing ovation.
Five minutes later, substitute Jonjo Shelvey threaded a pinpoint pass through to Suarez, who coolly took the ball around the goalkeeper and tapped in.
Despite being on the receiving end of a fearful hammering, Fulham refused to throw in the towel and Sidwell's superb chest down and half-volley from the edge of the box would have graced any fixture.
As it was, the goal merely reduced the deficit to three and there was still time for Suarez, Shelvey and Kuyt to go close to adding a sixth.
That would simply have added further gloss to a superb display in a game in which captain Jamie Carragher made his 666th appearance to go second behind Ian Callaghan (857) in the Reds' all-time list.

Liverpool 3 - 0 Newcastle

Liverpool are up to fifth in the Premier League table after recording a comfortable victory over Newcastle.
The Reds dominated the early exchanges and took a 10th-minute lead through Maxi Rodriguez's deflected volley.
United competed until the 59th minute when Mike Williamson fouled Luis Suarez for a penalty that Dirk Kuyt converted.
Suarez's neat close-range finish sealed the win for the hosts, for whom former Newcastle striker Andy Carroll came off the bench for the final 20 minutes.
Inevitably, the build-up to the game was dominated by talk of Carroll, who the Reds recycled £35m of the £50m fee they received from Chelsea for Fernando Torres on, when they purchased him from Newcastle late in the January transfer window.
Having spent the last few weeks sidelined with a knee injury, the big number nine was an ominous presence for his former side on the Liverpool bench and sparked an entertaining vocal war of attrition between opposing fans every time he appeared on the touchline for a warm-up and during his late cameo.
Newcastle, though, had enough to worry about prior to that, having to cope with a Liverpool attack that has given the Reds a very realistic chance of qualification for the Europa League following a run that has seen them take 30 points from their last 14 games.
Suarez again demonstrated the predatory instincts and creativity that persuaded the Reds to part with £22.7m to sign him from Ajax in January, while Dirk Kuyt extended the richest goalscoring form of his Liverpool career by scoring in his fourth successive game.
In Liverpool's previous game, eight days ago, winger Rodriguez scored three of his side's five goals in a hammering of struggling Birmingham and it was the Argentine winger who again gave his side the lead on Sunday.
The home side had already threatened through Raul Meireles's miscued sixth-minute shot before going ahead in the 10th.
Teenage full-back John Flanagan provided a testing cross from the right which Mike Williamson only partially headed clear, allowing Rodriguez to volley a shot from 12 yards that took a crucial deflection off Danny Simpson past keeper Tim Krul.
It was the high-point of a 25-minute opening period in which Liverpool dominated possession but created few real goalscoring chances.
Impressive teenage midfielder Jay Spearing was involved in their two other best attacking moves of the half, firstly forcing keeper Krul into a low save with a 25-yard shot and then later provided a superb pin-point cross from the right which Lucas headed straight at the United keeper from 10 yards out.
As the half wore on the visitors grew as a presence, but barring some well-delivered Joey Barton free-kicks, they only had Kevin Nolan's miscued effort from a corner to show for their efforts.
However, they did fashion the first opportunity of the second half when Nolan crossed for Barton, but his shot flew past the post and with it went their best chance of forging a first away win since February.
Instead, Liverpool reasserted their authority and extended their lead just before the hour.
Williamson misjudged an attempt to shepherd the ball out at the byline, allowing Suarez to nip and knock it past him. Realising the threat the Uruguayan now posed, the defender dragged him down for a penalty that Kuyt stroked home for his eighth goal in seven games.
The Dutchman should have added another minutes later when Meireles's cross found him unmarked six yards out, but he failed to connect properly with his header and put it wide.
However, he did play a pivotal role in his side's third goal, flicking a superb short pass through a crowd of defenders to find Suarez, who neatly finished from eight yards out.
To rub salt into Newcastle wounds, Liverpool used the final 20 minutes to parade Carroll.
The 11 goals he scored for his former side earlier in the season have played a major part in securing them a second successive season in the Premier League and he may well yet play a significant role in helping his new side into Europe next campaign.

Liverpool 5-0 Birmingham

Maxi Rodriguez scored a hat-trick as Liverpool kept up their pursuit of a Europa League place by hammering Birmingham at Anfield.
The home side took control with two first-half goals, both neat close-range finishes from Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt.
The Argentine winger volleyed in his second goal from a few yards out to kill the game just after the hour.
He then sealed his hat-trick with a low drive and substitute Joe Cole added the flourish with a shot that snuck in.
The result is a testimony to the optimism around Anfield these days, in stark contrast to the on and off-field gloom that characterised the respective reigns of former manager Roy Hodgson and ex-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
There is a vibrancy about Liverpool's play under Kenny Dalglish - which was evident from the kick-off here through crisp passing and purposeful movement - and real intent in the boardroom, if reports of a £25m kit deal with American sportswear company Warrior prove accurate.
Qualification for the Europa League remains a possibility, with the club now trailing fifth-placed Tottenham by three points, having played a game more.
Dalglish has willingly thrust a number of promising youth-side players into the first team of late.
In the continued absence of talismanic midfielder Steven Gerrard, Jay Spearing again started here, while Jack Robinson stepped in for the injured Fabio Aurelio as part of a teenage full-back pairing with John Flanagan.
All three provided performances that belied their relative inexperience, with Spearing in particular an authoritative presence in the middle of the park.
He played a vital role in the first goal, a seventh-minute body blow to Birmingham, who afterwards never looked likely to achieving the win manager Alex McLeish feels they need to secure somewhere their Premier League safety.
Spearing unleashed a venomous shot from 25 yards which goalkeeper Ben Foster allowed to slip from his grasp to the onrushing Rodriguez, who made no mistake with a close-range side-foot finish.
It would have been interesting to see how Liverpool might have responded had the sliding Cameron Jerome converted Stephen Carr's near-post cross to bring Birmingham level, but the striker failed to connect and the home side doubled their lead not long after.
Kuyt began and finished the move at the third time of asking, firstly flicking on to Suarez and finally slotting home after Foster had saved from Suarez and also the Dutchman's first effort.
During his valiant attempts to prevent Kuyt's goal - the Dutchman's seventh in his last six league matches - the impressive Foster injured himself and after briefly soldiering on had to be replaced with substitute keeper Colin Doyle, making his first league appearance of the season.
The Irishman performed his first task well, saving a Suarez shot low down after the Uruguayan had ignored a well-placed Kuyt to shoot from 15 yards just before half time.
However, he was powerless to do anything about Liverpool's third which, despite their leisurely approach to the second half, always seemed more likely than a Birmingham goal.
Last defender Carr's attempts to play Suarez offside from Martin Skrtel's long ball forward failed and, after advancing down the right, the Uruguayan had time to pick out Maxi at the far post for a straight-forward volleyed finish.
Maxi completed his treble with a low drive that rifled in at Doyle's near post after his initial shot had been saved and Birmingham had failed to clear.
With five minutes remaining, Cole replaced Raul Meireles and, with his first contribution, cut in from the right and fired a low shot on goal that crept past the flailing Doyle at the near post to add an emphatic slant to Liverpool's first league win over Birmingham since May 2004.

Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool

Arsenal's title hopes were left hanging by a thread after they conceded a late penalty in an extraordinary finish against Liverpool at the Emirates. The Gunners thought they had earned a vital win when Robin van Persie slotted in a 98th minute penalty after Jay Spearing brought down Cesc Fabregas. But four minutes later Emmanuel Eboue fouled Lucas Leiva to allow Dirk Kuyt to grab a Reds equaliser from the spot. The Gunners are now six points behind Manchester United with six games left. Kuyt converted his penalty in the 102nd minute, with the extended amount of added time being down to an injury to Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher during the second half. And the dramatic equaliser from the Reds is a bodyblow to an Arsenal side who briefly thought they had revived their chances of catching Premier League leaders Manchester United. The latest setback for the Gunners is likely to be too much for them to recover from, and it adds to the recent agonies of being beaten in the Carling Cup final and suffering a Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona. The prospect of the Gunners ending a sixth season without any silverware is looming large, with Wenger's strategy of relying on talent groomed through the club rather than bringing in expensive reinforcements from the transfer market set to be called into question once again. Up until Van Persie's penalty, it was also a game in which the home side had only provided more weight to criticism that they are pretty without being penetrative, as they had been repelled by an under-strength but resilient Liverpool outfit. There had been a period of silence ahead of the kick-off as the two clubs paid their respects to Arsenal director Danny Fiszman after his death earlier in the week, as well marking the 15 April anniversary of the death of 96 Liverpool fans in the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989. When play did get under way, Arsenal's need for a win to maintain their title challenge put the emphasis on them to attack, while Liverpool tried to soak up the pressure and catch their rivals on the counter-attack. Liverpool's tactics were almost ruined as early as the fourth minute when Abou Diaby beat Reds striker Andy Carroll to a Samir Nasri free-kick but glanced his header narrowly wide. Carroll's impact was not going to be in defence though, as he had the task of testing how the Gunners back-line would deal with the kind of physical threat the home side have previously struggled against. And, after Arsenal centre-back Johan Djourou escaped giving away a penalty for a foul on Spearing, Carroll got his head to a number of balls, only to fail to test Gunners keeper Wojciech Szczesny. His aerial prowess did serve as a warning for the home side, especially considering the England international had already scored at the Emirates this season with a header from a diagonal free-kick when his former club Newcastle won 1-0. To Arsenal's credit they managed to limit his threat but, despite dominating possession, they failed to find a way through a Liverpool rearguard which had seen 17-year-old Jack Robinson replace the injured Fabio Aurelio after 21 minutes. Robinson became Liverpool's youngest ever player when he came on against Hull City in the final game of 2009-10 season aged 16 years and 250 days and he joined 18-year-old John Flanagan in the Reds defence. For all of Arsenal's passing and probing they almost went ahead from set piece, when a Van Persie corner was headed against the crossbar by Laurent Koscielny. Wenger's side had a shout for a penalty when Theo Walcott was quickest to the loose ball and claimed his follow-up shot struck the arm of Kuyt, although referee Andre Marriner disagreed. Arsenal's intricacy was being repelled by Liverpool's resilience, with Martin Skrtel having to block an angled shot by overlapping Gunners right-back Eboue on the stroke of half-time. Carragher's head injury after a clash with team-mate Flanagan brought a halt to proceedings before Luis Suarez nearly punished the home side for their lack of cutting edge. The Uruguayan has earned plenty of plaudits since his arrival in January and, even though he had endured a frustrating time, he sent a strike just wide after the Gunners defence backed off. Arsenal responded with Van Persie chipping a shot over the on-rushing Reina but too high, then heading wide at the near post and finally having a shot saved when one-on-one with the Reds keeper. The Dutch forward thought he had atoned for his misses when he confidently slotted in, only for Eboue's mistake at the other end to prove costly. Eboue clattered into the back of Leiva as both players attempted to retrieve the loose ball after a Suarez free-kick hit the wall. Kuyt kept his cool in a cauldron of noise to slot in the equaliser with the last kick of the match as the Reds, who have 18 top-flight titles along with Manchester United, ironically helped their rivals to move ahead of them.

Sunderland 0 - 2 Liverpool

A controversial penalty and a touch of brilliance from Luis Suarez handed Liverpool victory over Sunderland.
The Black Cats fell behind to a Dirk Kuyt first-half penalty after John Mensah had fouled Jay Spearing.
Referee Kevin Friend had awarded a free-kick before pointing to the spot after noting the linesman's decision.
Suarez doubled the lead after the break when he powered in from a tight angle before Sunderland's Mensah was shown red for pulling back Suarez.
That was the bitter icing of a tasteless cake for Sunderland, who also lost three players during the match because of injuries.
The Black Cats will not want to look at the table either. Having now lost five of their last six, Steve Bruce's men may now start looking over their shoulder rather than ahead.
Meanwhile, Liverpool will still be hoping to steal the fifth European spot - although they will not be wholly pleased with their performance.
Sunderland were the livelier of the teams in the opening 20 minutes and first to the second ball against a side who still seemed to be suffering from the exertions and the disappointment of their midweek Europa League exit.
Despite their inability to conjure a threat in open play, Kenny Dalglish's side looked dangerous on set-pieces, especially with £35m giant striker Andy Carroll present up front.
Before the penalty, Liverpool had the best chances to take the lead - with the former Newcastle man involved in the first instance.
Raul Meireles pinged a corner to the back post which the tall forward nodded back into the six-yard area for Dirk Kuyt.
The Dutchman's swept shot goalwards was brilliantly saved point-blank by Simon Mignolet. From the following corner, Kuyt headed over the bar from 12 yards.
The Black Cats found space on the wings and managed to despatch the ball into the Liverpool area but more often than not the visiting defence coped easily with what was thrown at them.
The one moment they relied on a bit of luck was when Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck combined beautifully down the left before Welbeck swung in a delicious ball across the area, which Kieran Richardson only just failed to get a toe to.
It was Richardson's last action of significance, as he came off the pitch to be replaced by Steed Malbranque. The home side had already made one enforced change when they replaced the injured Sulley Muntari with Lee Cattermole.
If Sunderland thought their run of bad luck was over, they were made to think again when Liverpool were awarded a penalty.
Mensah's poor chest control allowed Spearing to steal before he was brought down by the Sunderland player.
Referee Friend pointed to a free-kick before changing his mind, much to the fury of Sunderland boss Bruce on the touchline. But the decision had been made and Kuyt duly placed the ball to the left of Mignolet.
The Reds, buoyed by scoring, came close to adding another when Luis Suarez's low half volley had to be palmed away by the Sunderland keeper.
The Uruguayan had better luck after the break, although his strike owed more to audacity than fortune.
The midfielder was picked out by Kuyt's throw-in on the right and drove down the byline before cheekily thrashing the ball over the head of a crouching Mignolet from the tightest of angles.
Up to that point, Sunderland had only managed a couple of curling efforts from Malbranque and Jordan Henderson that failed to trouble keeper Pepe Reina.
They had also lost forward Welbeck because of another injury during the second period.
And with the eight minutes of the match remaining, Sunderland's miserable day was compounded with the sending off of Mensah for pulling back Suarez, who was through on goal.

Liverpool 3 - 1 Man Utd

Dirk Kuyt's hat-trick ensured the Premier League title race remains wide open as Liverpool swept Manchester United aside at Anfield.
Sir Alex Ferguson may have been encouraged by Arsenal's failure to beat Sunderland on Saturday and the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the table - but this ended as a day of abject misery for United as they slumped to their second successive defeat.
United's twin setbacks, with this loss following hard on the heels of defeat at Chelsea, mean they remain only three points ahead of Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger's side having played a game less. Kuyt was the hero as he struck the first treble by a Liverpool player against United since Peter Beardsley in 1990 and he found a willing and outstanding accomplice in £23m Uruguayan Luis Suarez.
Suarez's stunning sleight of foot took out three United defenders and set up a simple opener for Kuyt after 34 minutes and it was also Suarez's cross that Nani inexplicably headed into the Dutch striker's path for the second goal just before the interval.
Nani was a central figure in shameful scenes right on half-time. He was felled by a crude challenge by Jamie Carragher that eventually required the Portuguese winger to be stretchered off, with Liverpool and United players confronting each other in the angry aftermath of the incident.
This was followed by Rafael's reckless tackle on Lucas and more confrontation - a passage of play that saw referee Phil Dowd exercise extreme leniency in not sending off both Carragher and United's Brazilian defender.
Kuyt got his and Liverpool's third after 65 minutes when Edwin Van der Sar failed to hold the dangerous Suarez's free-kick.
The three-goal cushion allowed Dalglish to give striker Andy Carroll a late run-out for his debut following his £35m move from Newcastle United.
Javier Hernandez pulled a goal back for United in injury time but this will have been of no consolation to Ferguson after 90 minutes in which the Premier League pace-setters - admittedly robbed of the towering defensive figures of injured Rio Ferdinand and suspended Nemanja Vidic - looked vulnerable and overpowered in all areas.
For Liverpool boss Dalglish, this was the perfect belated present after he celebrated his 60th birthday on Friday and only increased the strength of his claims to land the manager's job on a permanent basis, with that eventual appointment surely nothing more than a formality.
Liverpool were able to put Carroll on the bench for the first time since his move from Newcastle, a decision perhaps encouraged by the absence of Ferdinand and Vidic from United's defence.
But it was Suarez who was a constant source of threat to United, almost pouncing in the second minute when he arrived unmarked on the end of Kuyt's cross but he was unable to control his finish and United escaped.
Liverpool's brisk start prompted United into a response and keeper Pepe Reina was grateful to see Dimitar Berbatov's dipping long-range drive glance off the outside of the post as he scrambled across his goal.
Dalglish had to reshape his defence after 25 minutes when the injury-prone Fabio Aurelio went down clutching his hamstring and was replaced by Sotirios Kyrgiakos. The Greek moved to partner Martin Skrtel in central defence, with Carragher moving to right-back and Glen Johnson to the opposite flank.
And as Liverpool reorganised they were almost punished but Raul Meireles was able to smuggle Wes Brown's header off the line following a corner.
Suarez's quick feet inside the area always threatened to cause havoc and so it proved as Liverpool took the lead after 34 minutes. United's defenders, in the shape of Rafael, Michael Carrick and Brown, collapsed like a house of cards as the Uruguayan weaved his way towards goal.
He prodded the ball past Van der Sar towards goal and Kuyt ran in to make sure from a matter of inches as United appealed in vain for offside.
A calamitous piece of defending from Nani gift-wrapped Kuyt his and Liverpool's second five minutes later. Nani rose to meet Suarez's cross in the area, only to succeed in directing it perfectly into the path of Kuyt in the six-yard area for a simple headed finish.
There was an ugly end to the half when both Carragher and Rafael were fortunate to escape with only yellow cards for awful challenges. Carragher's cynical touchline lunge on Nani prompted a flare-up between players from both sides before the winger was stretchered off.
And as tempers continued to boil Maxi Rodriguez made a thigh-high, studs-up lunge on Rafael, who immediately took out his frustrations on Lucas with a wild tackle. Once again it prompted unseemly exchanges before referee Dowd attempted to restore some sort of order by booking the United defender, while Rodriguez went unpunished.
Hernandez replaced the stricken Nani and United almost worked their way back into contention only for Meireles to clear Berbatov's header off the line early in the second half.
Meireles then showed his attacking qualities with a perfectly timed run on to Kuyt's pass only to be denied by Van der Sar.
But the United keeper was at fault as Liverpool extended their lead and Kuyt completed his hat-trick after 65 minutes. Suarez's free-kick was low and awkward but Van der Sar should have held on - and once he fumbled - Kuyt completed the formalities with a poacher's finish.
As The Kop revelled in Liverpool's victory and United's discomfort, Dalglish felt able to introduce Carroll for his debut and the striker received a rapturous reception around Anfield.
Liverpool cruised home and even the sight of Hernandez scoring deep into stoppage time could not stop wild celebrations sweeping around Anfield at the final whistle.