Liverpool earned a hard-fought three points at Anfield this afternoon, coming out on top against a determined Spurs side thanks to a 25-yard special from Jari Litmanen. However, their win was marred by an injury to in-form striker Michael Owen, who came on as a substitute late in the second half but limped off with just six minutes remaining. It was later confirmed Owen had pulled his hamstring and will be out of the game for some time.
Owen, who collapsed in agony in the Spurs penalty area after shooting just wide, believed he was finally over the hamstring problems that affected his career a couple of seasons ago but he will now definitely miss England's crunch World Cup decider with Greece next month. "It's the hamstring in his left leg, and he will be out for a number of weeks," confirmed Houllier after the game.
"I feared the worst when he didn't get up after missing that chance. To be fair, he's had trouble with both hamstrings in the past but not now for some time. It is a sad footnote to our victory. He said he felt something go as he went to shoot. We will not know for sure the extent of the injury until after he's had a scan on Sunday. But I feel it is just a pull rather that a more serious tear. There's a chance he could be back for our league game with Leeds on October 13 but he will certainly be out for a minimum of three weeks," added the Frenchman.
Houllier made four changes from the side that drew in Dortmund on Wednesday in the Champions League for this clash with Spurs. In came Litmanen, Robbie Fowler, Igor Biscan and Nick Barmby, while Michael Owen, Emile Heskey and Danny Murphy were rested with Steven Gerrard banned. It proved a useful change, as Litmanen was the hero of the day, producing some beautiful skills and a stunning goal to end Spurs' hopes of winning a top division match at Anfield for the first time in eight years.
However, Spurs battled hard and made Liverpool fight every inch of the way for their win although in the end, they probably deserved all three points. Both sets of centre-backs - Sami Hyypia and Stephane Henchoz for Liverpool and Spurs duo Chris Perry and Ledley King - all produced impressive displays for their respective teams, which is why it took a piece of magic from Litmanen to decide the outcome of this encounter.
Spurs enjoyed the better start to the game, with a powerful Les Ferdinand header blocked on the line by Pool's Nicky Barmby after just two minutes. It took a while for Liverpool to settle but soon they were creating chances of their own, with teenager Gregory Vignal firing a 25-yard cracker against the crossbar. As the game went on, the home side began to take control with Litmanen in particular impressing up front for the hosts. If Neil Sullivan had not been in such top form in the Spurs goal, the Finn would surely have added to his tally.
In the second half, both sides continued to carve out chances but excellent defensive work from Hyypia and King in particular kept the match scoreless. However, in the 56th minute, the deadlock was finally broken and deservedly so by Litmanen. The striker received the ball from Riise about 30 yards out before moving forward a yard and then unleashing a blistering shot that hit the inside of the far post before crossing the line.
Just a minute later, Litmanen's involvement came to a sudden halt as he was replaced by Owen. The in-form England striker was involved immediately producing a great cross but striking partner Heskey could not convert. Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle also decided it was time for a change, bringing on Ukrainian Sergei Rebrov for Simon Davies in the 73rd minute. However, he made little impact on the game and although Spurs pressed forward as the minutes ticked by and threatened Liverpool's goalmouth on several occasions, the home side held on for all three points - but only just.
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Filed by Amanda Fennelly
