Tottenham 0 Liverpool 5: ‘Complete’ display thrills Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers hailed a “complete” performance after Liverpool thrashed 10-man Tottenham to move up to second in the Premier League.

The in-form Luis Suárez handed the Reds the lead in the 18th minute, before Jordan Henderson volleyed home to make it 2-0 before half-time at White Hart Lane.

Paulinho was shown a straight red card for a high boot on Suárez midway through the second half, before Jon Flanagan’s cool finish made it 3-0 in the 75th minute.

We got five goals and we could easily have had seven or eight

Brendan Rodgers

Suárez then netted his 17th league goal of the season with a deft lob, before Raheem Sterling completed the rout late on.

And Rodgers could not hide his delight at the impressive manner of his side’s display after watching them move just two points behind leaders Arsenal.

“It was fantastic, it was everything we wanted out of the game,” said Rodgers. “How we pressed the ball was outstanding and that earned us the right to play.

“It was a brilliant all-round performance. The players worked tirelessly and the level of football was superb.

“We got five goals and we could easily have had seven or eight. It was probably the most complete performance since I’ve been here and it continues the evolution of what we’re trying to do.

“To come to White Hart Lane and win 5-0 and play like we did was exceptional.

“We spoke before game that were missing outstanding players in Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge but I said winning teams support each other. We’ve shown it’s the team that is most important for us.”

Asked if the result changes Liverpool’s ambitions for the season, Rodgers added: “No, not really.

“We just wanted to continue improving and continue to work on how we play and I think today was great from that perspective. I really enjoyed watching my team today.”