Match Analysis: Tottenham Hotspur 0-5 Liverpool

Liverpool moved up to second place in the Premier League table on Sunday with an emphatic 5-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Stand-in captain Luis Suarez opened the scoring on 17 minutes before Jordan Henderson made it 2-0 by half time.

Jon Flanagan added a third with 15 minutes left on the clock, while Suarez and Raheem Sterling both found the net in the final stages on a memorable day for the Merseysiders.

Here Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action between the two teams in North London.

Match statistics:

Spurs: Shots 9 On target 0 Possession 43% Corners 2 Fouls 17

Liverpool: Shots 20 On target 10 Possession 57% Corners 9 Fouls 15

Was the result fair?

Unquestionably. While Spurs were bad, Liverpool put in one of the displays of the season thanks to a mix of brutal attacking play and solid defensive work. The result never looked in doubt once the visitors got into their stride.

Spurs' performance

Andre Villas-Boas's side were woeful throughout as they struggled to live with their opponents in all areas of the pitch. Yet again they looked like a shambles in defence, while there was hardly any communication or understanding in their sloppy midfield. Roberto Soldado was given no service in attack, but he too is not without criticism after wasting a couple of decent chances in the final third. One has to wonder how much longer Spurs can under-perform before Villas-Boas finds his head on the chopping block.

Liverpool's performance

Where Spurs were awful, Liverpool were brilliant. They remained solid at the back, while their midfield quintet worked harmoniously in the absence of captain Steven Gerrard. Their quick passing and liquid movement tore the hosts to shreds all afternoon and, in truth, they could have had added a few more goals to their tally. Combine all of this with the magic of Luis Suarez and you could well be looking at title contenders.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Philippe Coutinho: The Brazilian midfielder was at the heart of everything positive about Liverpool as he cut Spurs open with some devastating running and passing.

Biggest gaffe

Mamadou Sakho should have made it 3-0 to Liverpool at the start of the second half, but the defender somehow headed against the post from close range when it looked easier to score.

Referee performance

Jon Moss infuriated the Spurs fans with a handful of petty calls against the home side during an inconsistent afternoon, but his big moment came in the second half when he showed Paulinho a straight red card for a high boot on Suarez. There looked to be little malice on the part of the midfielder, although the dismissal can be justified due to the dangerous nature of the action.

What next?

Spurs: Spurs welcome West Ham United to White Hart Lane on Wednesday in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

Liverpool: The Reds return to Premier League action on Saturday when they host Cardiff City at Anfield.