16th March 2003
TOTTENHAM (0) 2 (Tarrico 49, Sheringham 87)
LIVERPOOL (0) 3 (Owen 51, Heskey 72, Gerrard 82)
TOTTENHAM: Keller; Carr, Perry, Thatcher, Tarrico (Freund); Davies, Poyet, Doherty (Slabber), Etherington, Bunjevcevic; Sheringham
LIVERPOOL: Dudek; Traore, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise; Gerrard, Hamann (Diao), Murphy; Diouf, Owen, Heskey
With just 9 games to go in the 2002-03 season, Liverpool were 6th in the table looking to move above Chelsea if they could win at White Hart Lane. Tottenham were down in 10th, although could move to within a point of their opponents if they could prevail.
This was the season when Liverpool, managed by Gerard Houllier, suffered one of the worst runs in living memory when they went 11 games without a win. Up to this match they had lost once in their last 7 and were still pushing for a Champions League place. Tottenham had won just once in their previous 5 as they were beginning to drop away from the Europe places.
The game was all about two players. Jerzy Dudek and El-Hadji Diouf. Diouf had just come from his disgusting spitting incident at Celtic in the UEFA Cup in the week. Predictably, he was booed from the start and it seemed that Spurs defender, Mauricio Taricco, was intent in winding him up to get another reaction from the African. It was Taricco who put the home side in front early in the second half when his shot from 25 yards squirmed under Dudek’s body and rolled over the line. Dudek later claimed to be ‘surprised by the trajectory’ but this mistake was becoming an all-too familiar occurrence for the visiting fans.
Liverpool responded almost immediately as Steven Gerrard was heavily involved in setting up Michael Owen to score from close range. Dudek was seen to punch the air in celebration and was no doubt a very relieved man. In the 72nd minute it was the Spurs keeper’s turn to make a mistake. Kasey Keller’s clearance was intended for Matthew Etherington but it went to Jamie Carragher who then slipped it to Gerrard. Gerrard’s cross from the right was headed it by Heskey at the far post and Liverpool had come from behind to lead. Inside the final 10 minutes and Liverpool extended their lead when the visitors broke quickly from a Tottenham corner and Danny Murphy’s great pass to Gerrard allowed him to beat Ben Thatcher for pace and score with a low drive.
Spurs pulled a goal back when Teddy Sheringham hit a low shot past Dudek, but the home side were well beaten. In the end, Liverpool finished in 5th, 3pts behind Chelsea but they had the Worthington Cup to celebrate when they beat Manchester United in the Final in Cardiff. Tottenham finished down in 10th.