Tottenham Hotspur 4 Liverpool 0: Spurs purr against nine man visitors

 

Of course, that name is Ledley King: and while today's headline writers were looking at the home debut of Emmanuel Adebayor for copy, there is simply no hiding from the fact that when King is on the team, Spurs look genuinely a match for anyone.

  

King managed just nine appearences in all competitions last year, and a paltry 21 the year before. He has set himself a target of 20 this term - apparently the number he needs to reach to earn himself a new contract, as his current deal ticks down. So seeing the skipper make his second league appearence on the bounce - the first time his knees have allowed him to do such a thing for over 18 months - brings confidence to both his teammates and hope for the fans. As his name was read out, he got the biggest cheer: those who watch Spurs regularly know that his calmness radiates through the team, bringing whom ever he is partnered with up a notch. We've seen it affect Bassong, Dawson and Kaboul: all grow in statue when paired with the talisman.

 

But it was another hero, one whose stock has dropped from impossibly high last term to horribly low this season, who set the Lane alight early in the first half. Spurs had had all the play and possession in the opening exchanges, with Adebayor played in on two minutes by Kranjcar, just to screw his shot wide, and Bale enjoying his battle against Martin Skrtel on the left. A goal felt likely, and it came in a spectacular fashion. On six, Jermain Defore mis-controlled a ball on the edge of the box and it fell nicely for little Luka Modric. The midfielder, so far a peripheral figure this term after a summer of speculation, unleashed an effort that smacked of pure instinct. His well struck curler couldn't have nestled more firmly into the top corner if it had been guided by a laser. The delirium that greeted this effort shows how desperately the faithful want to kiss and make up with the diminutive Croatian.

 

Spurs burst out of the traps but Dalglish's charges have enjoyed a good few months. Yet Ledley's non-plussed attitude to the £55m worth of talent in the shape of Suarez and Carroll bearing down on him soon spread to those under his care: young Kyle Walker, in at right back, audaciously scooped a diving back header to the safety of Brad Friedel on 18, when under pressure from the Scouse strikers. His confidence likely to be a direct response to the defensive rock sitting next to him. King also allowed Scott Parker, nominally a defensive shield, to make the odd foray into the final third, content in the knowledge that Led was behind him and would say 'that's enough, Scotty' in terms of forward movement.

 

Things got a little worst for Liverpool when Daniel Agger was withdrawn, injured, on 20, and then Charlie Adam was given his marching orders on 28 for two yellows. His first, an early hack at Modric, was perhaps unlucky, but the second, a high and scything challenge on Scott Parker, could have been a straight red alone.

 

It was a further blow for the visitors, who had not yet really got going. Soon after Spurs took the lead, they could have had another: Kaboul's towering header in a defensive position sent Adebayor free, and it was only a bad foul by sub Sebastian Coates that stopped him getting into a goal scoring position. It was typical of Liverpool's loss of discipline: in total, they had one sending off and three yellows in the first half. It was in stark contrast to Ledley's Spurs.

 

On 31, King smuggled the ball away from danger while Liverpool's forwards lurked, and then on 42 he played Saurez like a matador to snuff out another attempt by the visitors to test Friedel in the Spurs goal. Ledley's shuffling, my-knees-a-bit-poorly gait, disguises the classic turn of speed he possesses in his head.  Time and again opponents think ooh I can have that, just to have their hopes dashed when Ledley appears miraculously in a dash of Lilywhite.

 

The second period started out as the last had finished: Defoe had a good chance, Adebayor then played in Bale, and Tottenham kept knocking on the door without being clinical enough to get a vital second, while Liverpool's discipline again looked questionable after Skrtel got his marching orders for a bad challenge on Bale after an hour had passed.

 

It was Ledley who started the move for the second: on 65, after breaking up a Liverpool attack, he controlled the ball on his knee and tee'd van der Vaart up on the left. The Dutchman's inch perfect ball to Defoe meant the striker simply had to take it forward and finish. The game became a rout on 67 when Adebayor made it three from close range after Reina couldn't hold a Defoe effort, and he added a fourth at the end when he brought down an Assou-Ekotto cross and thumped it triumphantly home. It made him a contender for man of the match - except for the return of the King.

 

Seeing Ledley waving his arms about, pointing here and there, clenching his fists and urging his men to play up, play up, and play the game is a masterclass in being a skipper. He makes everything look so simple, so easy. He is a human sponge, soaking up danger, and as the fans sing, oh, Ledley, Ledley, you've only got one knee...it's all done without being able to train with his team mates. The standing ovation he got as he toddled off on 83 to be replaced by Sebastian Bassong was thoroughly deserved. Now he has got 18 more games to get under his belt to reach his personal target. That's 54 possible points, and you wouldn't bet against too many of them being dropped if the King is out there, marshalling his troops.