Spurs draw.

Spurs gained another point and another clean sheet against an improving Liverpool side and it probably was the right result. We shaded the first half and Liverpool the second.

Our three new signings made their debut meaning Andy Reid sat out on the bench alongside Irish international Robbie Keane. Paul Robinson lined up in goal once again with Gardner and King paired together for the first time this season. Stalteri had another good performance on the right while Lee made his debut on the left. He looks like a very good buy on first impressions.

In the middle of the park was Carrick, as always, alongside new boy Jermaine Jenas. Aaron Lennon made his full debut on the right with Davids on the left. This left us quite narrow and was a strange one as Jol has been talking for a long while about having two wide men to stretch teams and then he goes for a narrow system. Of course Andy Reid may have been tired or with a slight injury and could be the reason for this. Jenas looked good, especially with his strong runs into the box. A couple of times he nicked the ball off Defoe but the understanding will improve over time. What was a little disappointing was Jenas’s first touch. Davids looked ok on the left and combined well with Lee. If this midfield four is to be a permanent fixture then we will have to see Lee get forward a lot and Davids to tuck in and cover when he does.

Rasiak started alongside Defoe, a slightly surprising decision as he had just played for Poland but he did ok. As Jol said, he is an “honest” player. Make of that statement what you will. He is no Freddie Kanoute talent wise, but he will work hard for the team I suspect. He looked a little off the pace yesterday and does need to become more involved in the future. Nevertheless he “scored” with a fantastic header and is there for the crosses and knockdowns and has the ability to do that well. The jury is still out overall and I will give him a little longer before passing final judgement.

The match was an exciting one. Spurs shaded the first half with Defoe, King, Jenas and Davids all going close. Rasiak hit the bar with a looping header as well. Liverpool then improved after the break and hit the bar with a fantastic effort. Peter Crouch also had a goal disallowed for the same reason as Rasiak but even if the ball had stayed in Crouch, the tallest man in the world, decided he needed to clamber all over Gardner and foul him anyway.

So a good point gained overall but the real test comes next week at Villa. Our away form fell to pieces last season and if we do want a top six finish we need to beat crap like them on the road.

COYS!