They look at home here now, make no mistake of that. This was another step forward for Tottenham, in a season increasingly full of them. The win over Borussia Dortmund, the point in the Bernabeu and now this – their most commanding Wembley performance in the Premier League, in front of a record crowd for the competition.
Tottenham obliterated Liverpool and their pretence to be among the competition’s elite. Not with this defence they are not. Tottenham were good, but they wouldn’t have had to be and would probably still have won such was the dismal nature of Liverpool’s defending.
Dejan Lovren was hooked after 31 minutes, but Tottenham added two more after that – and if the snap went out of their game it was only because, 4-1 up with less than an hour gone, great exertion was no longer needed.
Harry Kane celebrates his second and Tottenham’s fourth as Mauricio Pochettino’s side marched into a 4-1 lead at Wembley
Son Heung-min is congratulated by fellow scorer Kane as Tottenham bagged their second inside the opening 12 minutes
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson fumes at Joel Matip (right) as Dejan Lovren watches on after another defensive mistake
The fourth – Harry Kane’s second of the match – was typical of Liverpool’s disarray. Kieran Tripper swung in a free-kick which Simon Mignolet came for but didn’t get, succeeding only in patting the ball down.
Jan Vertonghen reacted swiftest but his shot was blocked on the line by Roberto Firmino – ironic that the best defending should come from the striker – rebounding to Kane. Again, no Liverpool player was fast enough closing down, his shot fizzing into the goal, the result now beyond doubt.
If there was a worry, it was the sight of Kane holding the top of his left leg when he came off in the 88th minute, the usual indicator of a hamstring problem. He spoke to Mauricio Pochettino before going down the tunnel but it may be precautionary. He should be rested for the Carabao Cup in midweek, which offers respite for the beleaguered Slaven Bilic and West Ham at least, but was too late to save Liverpool.
Tottenham now travel to Manchester United, whose goalless draw against this Liverpool defence is looking less and less like the great point some claimed. Liverpool have now conceded nine goals against Manchester City and Tottenham combined. They are there to be beaten by any team with ambition to win the league.
Diego Maradona made an appearance at Wembley and waved to the crowd as he made his way to his seat before kick-off
Kane watches on as his shot flies home in between Liverpool centre backs Lovren and Matip for the opening goal of the game
Kane celebrates with Serge Aurier after showing great composure to fire the home side in front in just the fourth minute
Simon Mignolet is helpless as Son rolls home Tottenham’s second of the match which came after a mistake from Lovren
There were 31 minutes gone when Jurgen Klopp decided he had seen enough of the comedy stylings of Lovren. It wasn’t particularly that he couldn’t handle Kane, or the intricacies of Tottenham’s forward play. He couldn’t handle the basics of defending. Heading, positioning, composure.
At that time there was only a goal between the teams, but that was more to do with some defensive flaws of Tottenham’s own. Lovren’s errors, aided by those of his team-mates, had seen Tottenham race to a two-goal lead after 12 minutes. Had a Hueng-Min Son shot not his the bar, the game could already have been over,
There were four minutes gone when a little chip from Kieran Trippier – imaginative but relatively harmless – caused pandemonium in Liverpool’s defensive ranks. It was utterly misjudged by Lovren and fell between a trio of players, including goalkeeper Simon Mignolet who became alert to the danger too late. He obviously thought his defence had it covered – a fateful assumption where Liverpool are concerned.
Son was unfortunate not to score his second three minutes later as he saw a powerful effort smash back off the crossbar
Liverpool goalscorer Mohamed Salah is upended by the touchline during an action-packed first half of football from Wembley
Klopp fumes on the sideline after watching his side concede twice inside the opening 12 minutes at Wembley on Sunday
Salah took advantage of Hugo Lloris’ uncertainty to drag Liverpool back into the match with his 24th-minute finish
Kane was on to it, as he would be, being the most in-form striker in the country right now, and he rounded Mignolet who in desperation came close to bringing him down. Kane, nimbleness personified when he’s at his fighting weight, stayed upright and struck the ball into an unguarded net.
If Liverpool were coming into this game full of beans having set the record for the biggest win by an English side in the Champions League, here was the perfect confidence-pricker.
Worse followed. After 12 minutes, Hugo Lloris – man of the match at Real Madrid in midweek – plucked a ball out of the air and attempted to throw it long to Kane. Lovren came charging in, leapt and missed the ball completely. Her overshot his target and was forced into a screeching U-turn, like one of the stooges in a Hollywood car chase.
Now Kane was away down the right, with better options inside – Son outstripping his pursuer James Milner, who cross had been snaffled by Lloris in the first place. Kane’s cross was perfect for him and Son made the finish look simple. Defend like this, and there will be more of them against Liverpool as the season unfolds.
Jurgen Klopp sent on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain just past the half hour mark to replace Lovren who suffered a back injury
Alli reacted first to smash home Matip’s poor headed clearance past the outstretched Liverpool goalkeeper Mignolet
Alli laps up the crowd’s adulation after firing home Tottenham’s third in stoppage time at the end of the first half on Sunday
Still, the chances kept coming. In the 16th minute, Trippier found Son – again on the right – and his shot smashed against the crossbar and down to safety. After 29 minutes, Dele Alli slipped it through to Son, who was thwarted by Mignolet, the last line of defence.
By now Klopp’s patience was exhausted. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had been warming up for quite some time and two minutes later he was on. He moved into midfield, Emre Can went to right-back and Joe Gomez to centre-half. Lovren did not betray anger, or any negative emotion, at this humiliation. He sat obediently on the bench. He knew it had been bad.
That Tottenham were only a goal up at the time was down to a mistake in their own back line, giving Liverpool a brief sniff of a revival. It came in the 24th minute when, after a long run with few passing options, Kane was finally dispossessed by a posse of red shirts.
Christian Eriksen heads the ball ahead of Jordan Henderson and Lovren as Liverpool struggled during the opening period
Kane smashes home Tottenham’s fourth after Mignolet flapped at a cross and Liverpool’s defenders failed to clear their lines
The ball went loose to Jordan Henderson who played a lovely crossfield pass into the path of Mohamed Salah. Jan Vertonghen and Serge Aurier appeared to underestimate his pace, Lloris recognised it and was therefore too fearful of losing the 50-50. The result was all three did too little and Salah emerged between them all to win the ball. He miskicked but got the luck, and it bobbled across goal and in at the far post.
Salah’s pace is certainly dangerous and in the 32nd minute he skinned Auerier – no slouch himself – again and his low cross which Lloris did brilliantly to take low first time. Yet Tottenham were always the bigger threat, Liverpool always vulnerable at the back – Lovren’s central replacement Gomez also missed a header and nearly let Kane in – and just before half-time the home team restored their two goal advantage.
Emre Can fouled Alli and was booked, and from the resulting free-kick from Christian Eriksen, Joel Matip made a weak defensive header. Indeed, he could not have knocked it down for Alli more sweetly had he been in a white shirt, and the midfielder responded with a low shot that made the outcome as good as inevitable.
Tottenham go to Old Trafford on Saturday level on points with Manchester United and with all the momentum. Increasingly, they, not United look to be the main challengers to Manchester City
Emre Can and Alli compete for possession as Liverpool were overrun by the attacking threat from Pochettino’s side
Philippe Coutinho curled a brilliant effort towards goal but was denied by a stunning stop from Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris
Kane came off a minute from time with what appeared to be a hamstring problem and was replaced by Fernando Llorente