Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool (2011): Redknapp’s Statement Rout
Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool was the final score at White Hart Lane on Sunday 18 September 2011, a Premier League rout that announced Harry Redknapp’s side after a wretched start to the season. Luka Modric curled in the opener on 7 minutes, Jermain Defoe made it two on 66, and Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice, on 68 and in stoppage time, against a Liverpool reduced to nine men. It is one of the statement afternoons we revisit in our On This Day series.
What follows is how a team that had shipped eight goals in its opening two league games took Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool apart, and why two red cards turned a good win into a humbling.
Key Facts
- Played on Sunday 18 September 2011 at White Hart Lane in front of 36,129, referee Mike Jones, in the Premier League 2011-12 season.
- Tottenham won 4-0. Luka Modric scored on 7 minutes, Jermain Defoe on 66, and Emmanuel Adebayor on 68 and in second-half stoppage time (90+3).
- Liverpool finished with nine men. Charlie Adam was sent off on 28 minutes and Martin Skrtel on 63, both for a second bookable offence.
- Adebayor scored both goals on his home debut for Spurs, having joined on loan from Manchester City the previous month.
- According to the BBC, no team had beaten Liverpool by a wider Premier League margin in eight and a half years.
- It was Tottenham’s second successive league win, after opening the campaign with a 3-0 loss at Manchester United and a 1-5 home defeat to Manchester City.
- Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool arrived on the back of a defeat at Stoke and left with back-to-back league losses.
Watch More Football History
The Football Documentary Channel
The Afternoon Redknapp’s Spurs Turned Their Season Around
Eight Goals Conceded, Then a Reset
Tottenham arrived at this fixture carrying the look of a side in trouble. Their opening game of 2011-12, at home to Everton, had been postponed after the August riots that began in Tottenham, so the season proper started with a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United and a 1-5 home loss to Manchester City. Eight goals conceded in two matches, and the noise around Redknapp had turned sour before September was out. A 2-0 win at Wolves the previous weekend steadied things. Liverpool, the visitors, offered the chance to prove it was real.
Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool had their own worries. They came to north London a week after losing at Stoke, and a poor afternoon at White Hart Lane would hand Dalglish’s side back-to-back league defeats. Both benches needed a result. Only one got the performance to match.
Modric Sets the Tone
The tone was set inside seven minutes, and it was set by the player Chelsea had spent the summer trying to sign. Luka Modric, who had pushed hard for a summer move to Chelsea and stayed, collected the ball on the edge of the box and curled it home from 25 yards, as the BBC’s match report described it. It was the finish of a footballer entirely at ease, and it gave Spurs a lead they never looked like surrendering. For the next hour White Hart Lane watched Modric run the game in front of a Liverpool midfield that could not get near him.
| Minute | Scorer | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Luka Modric | Tottenham | 1-0 |
| 66 | Jermain Defoe | Tottenham | 2-0 |
| 68 | Emmanuel Adebayor | Tottenham | 3-0 |
| 90+3 | Emmanuel Adebayor | Tottenham | 4-0 |
Nine Men and a Collapse
Liverpool’s afternoon unravelled through their own discipline. Charlie Adam, the summer signing from Blackpool, was sent off on 28 minutes for a second bookable offence, and Martin Skrtel followed on 63 for the same reason, as Sky Sports reported. Down to nine men and a goal behind, Liverpool had no way back, and Spurs took full advantage after the hour. Defoe was released into space to drill in the second on 66 minutes, and two minutes later a mistake from goalkeeper Jose Reina let Adebayor poke home the third, again per Sky Sports. Adebayor, on his home debut after his loan move from Manchester City, then added a fourth with the final kick of the match.
How the afternoon unfolded:
- 7′ Modric curls in from 25 yards, Tottenham 1-0.
- 28′ Charlie Adam is sent off for a second booking, Liverpool down to ten.
- 63′ Martin Skrtel is sent off, Liverpool down to nine.
- 66′ Defoe drills in the second, Tottenham 2-0.
- 68′ Reina errs and Adebayor pokes home, Tottenham 3-0.
- 90+3′ Adebayor strikes the last kick for his second, Tottenham 4-0.
How Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool Reshaped Two Seasons
The scoreline carried weight beyond the ninety minutes. The BBC recorded it as Liverpool’s biggest Premier League losing margin in eight and a half years, an unwanted marker for a Dalglish side that had spent heavily over the summer and now sat with two straight league losses. For Tottenham, it was the point the season turned from crisis talk to momentum: Redknapp’s side climbed into the top four over the autumn, and Modric stayed to run the Tottenham midfield through a campaign that ended with a fourth-place finish. The bravest thing Spurs did that summer was refuse to sell him. This was the afternoon that decision started to look right.
READ MORE: More Premier League routs and turning points in our On This Day series →
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool (2011)
What was the score in Tottenham v Liverpool on 18 September 2011?
Tottenham beat Liverpool 4-0 at White Hart Lane on Sunday 18 September 2011. Luka Modric scored on 7 minutes, Jermain Defoe on 66, and Emmanuel Adebayor on 68 and in stoppage time. It was a Premier League fixture in the 2011-12 season, played in front of 36,129.
Who scored in Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool on 18 September 2011?
In Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool on 18 September 2011, Luka Modric opened the scoring on 7 minutes with a curling strike from distance. Jermain Defoe made it 2-0 on 66 minutes, and Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice, on 68 minutes and in second-half stoppage time (90+3), to complete the rout.
Did Charlie Adam score an own goal in Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool (2011)?
No, Charlie Adam did not score an own goal in Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool on 18 September 2011. Adam was sent off for Liverpool on 28 minutes for a second bookable offence. All four goals were scored by Tottenham players: Modric, Defoe and Adebayor twice.
Why did Liverpool finish with nine men against Tottenham in 2011?
Liverpool finished with nine men because two players were sent off at White Hart Lane. Charlie Adam was dismissed on 28 minutes and Martin Skrtel on 63, each for a second bookable offence, as Sky Sports reported. Both red cards came before Tottenham scored their second, third and fourth goals.
How many goals did Emmanuel Adebayor score in Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool?
Emmanuel Adebayor scored two goals in Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool on 18 September 2011. He struck on 68 minutes after a Jose Reina error and added a fourth with the final kick of the match. Both goals came on his home debut for Spurs, following his loan move from Manchester City.
Where was Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool played, and who refereed it?
Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool on 18 September 2011 was played at White Hart Lane in front of 36,129 supporters. The referee was Mike Jones. It was a Premier League match in the 2011-12 season, kicking off at 1:30pm on a Sunday.
Who managed Tottenham and Liverpool in the 2011 4-0 game?
Harry Redknapp managed Tottenham and Kenny Dalglish managed Liverpool in the 4-0 game on 18 September 2011. It was Redknapp’s side who dominated, taking a second successive league win. Dalglish, in his first full season back at Liverpool, saw his team suffer back-to-back defeats.
Was Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool a record defeat for Liverpool?
According to the BBC, this was the heaviest beating Liverpool had suffered in the Premier League in eight and a half years. It ranks below their worst ever top-flight results, but it was the biggest margin they had conceded in the competition since early 2003.
How had Tottenham started the 2011-12 season before beating Liverpool?
Before beating Liverpool 4-0, Tottenham had made a poor start to 2011-12. Their opener against Everton was postponed after the Tottenham riots, then they were beaten 3-0 by Manchester United and hammered 1-5 by Manchester City at home. A 2-0 win at Wolves and this Liverpool result made it two wins in a row.
Why did Luka Modric stay at Tottenham in 2011?
Luka Modric stayed at Tottenham in 2011 after the club rejected Chelsea’s summer bids and refused to sell, despite the midfielder having pushed for a move. He responded with performances like this one, scoring the opening goal in Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool. His form that season helped earn his move to Real Madrid the following summer.
What did the win mean for Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham?
The win over Liverpool turned Tottenham’s season around after an alarming start. Having conceded eight goals in their opening two league games, Redknapp’s side backed up a 2-0 win at Wolves with this 4-0 rout, and climbed into the top four through the autumn. It moved the mood from crisis to genuine belief.
Why does Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool on 18 September 2011 still matter?
Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool on 18 September 2011 still matters because it was the day a struggling Spurs side became one of the best teams in the country. Modric ran the game, Adebayor announced himself at home, and Redknapp answered the doubters. It also marked one of the low points of Kenny Dalglish’s return to Liverpool.
Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool (2011)
Eight goals conceded, a manager under fire and a star who wanted out: Tottenham answered all of it in ninety minutes, and Modric, Defoe and Adebayor made Liverpool pay for two red cards and a keeper’s error. For more afternoons that flipped a season, from opening-day shocks to Premier League routs, keep exploring our On This Day series.
Watch More Football History
The Football Documentary Channel