Tottenham were scarred by Liverpool rout, admits Tim Sherwood

Tim Sherwood has admitted that Tottenham Hotspur were left “scarred” by their 5-0 loss to Liverpool at White Hart Lane in December.

The Reds were emphatic winners in Andre Villas-Boas’s final game as Luis Suarez scored a brace in one of the most devastating away performances in the Premier League this season.

We want to try and put that in the past. That is gone now and we need to move on

Tim Sherwood

Tottenham travel to Anfield on Sunday seeking to avenge that defeat and derail Liverpool’s Premier League title bid, and Sherwood, who replaced Villas-Boas, acknowledged Spurs owe their supporters a performance.

“We’ve always got a responsibility towards the fans. I’ve played for a few clubs and I feel that Tottenham have the best travelling support out there,” Sherwood told his pre-match media conference.

“They always come in their numbers, always stick behind the side. But what they demand is 100 per cent effort and work-rate, and if they get that and they get a little bit of guile on top of it – which we should do ourselves justice.

“We’re very positive going into it. It’s a long time since that game and it’s one of the games that has scarred us, but we have to put it in the past now and move on.

“We’ve got seven games now to pick up as many points as we possibly can. It would be a huge lift to us if we go to a team who are challenging for the title and get maximum points.”

He added: “We want to try and put that in the past. That is gone now and we need to move on.

“They’ve always got a point to prove because they play for Tottenham and you can’t have a rest day.”

Suarez and Sturridge makes an awful lot of difference

Tim Sherwood

Worryingly for Spurs fans, Sherwood admitted that he hasn’t been paying close attention to Liverpool’s progress ahead of Sunday’s clash.

However, the 45-year-old earmarked Reds duo Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez as one of the main reasons behind the club’s transformation.

“To be honest, I’ve not watched them that closely. I mean, I’ve been looking at their results and where they are in the division.

“Obviously Suarez and Sturridge makes an awful lot of difference. They have scored 47 goals or whatever together, which is a huge return for a strike partnership.

“They’ve outscored everyone in the division, even Man City, and it is hard to believe that is possible with the strike options that Man City have.

“They have played 11 or maybe 12 less games than Tottenham have this season, so they are relatively fresh.

“I think they’ve been very fortunate with injuries over the period, so apart from having good players and a good system to play to, they’ve done very, very well.”