Liverpool 2 Tottenham H 0:GEORGE GILLETT may have a strange take on the definition of a blip, his considered analysis of a moribund season for Liverpool, but at least there is some respite for Rafael Benitez. His team could not afford to fail against Tottenham Hotspur if a top-four finish were to retain more life than their Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup campaigns and a resolute display kept Harry Redknapp's team in sight in that contest last night.

For all the rancour and recrimination, Liverpool are now just a point behind Spurs after Dirk Kuyt’s early goal lifted the tension around Anfield and his late penalty after Sebastien Bassong had brought down David Ngog heralded a determined response from Benitez’s men.

It is now Redknapp with cause for alarm in the race for Champions League qualification.

The Liverpool manager rarely strays into emotive, soundbite territory in press conferences, so his admission that Tottenham represented “make or break” for the season demonstrated the seriousness of his side’s plight.

Every player on display, whether accustomed to the pressure like Jamie Carragher, or desperate to fill the injury void and answer their many detractors, such as Philipp Degen and Sotirios Kyrgiakos, answered the call.

Carragher called the Liverpool team into a huddle before kick-off and led by zealous example throughout, manically so at times.

Liverpool pressed from the off with Carragher, captain in the absence of Gerrard, flying into both Wilson Palacios and Niko Kranjcar to concede a blatant free-kick. His next challenge was also illegal, although the visitors could not benefit as it was inflicted on Javier Mascherano, while a rampaging pursuit of a lost cause brought Anfield to its feet at the end of the first period when it resulted in a Liverpool corner.

From Albert Riera’s delivery, Kuyt had a goal-bound header hacked clear by Gareth Bale and Martin Skrtel sent the subsequent rebound wastefully high over Heurelho Gomes’ crossbar.

A goal at that point would have given Liverpool the rare luxury of a comfortable two-goal lead, after Kuyt had taken only six minutes to atone for the miss that cost his side a precious victory at Stoke City on Saturday.

The breakthrough came via route one with a polished touch. Jose Reina saved a low cross from Bale at the third attempt with Kranjcar closing in and, from his launched clearance, Kuyt chested the ball expertly into the path of Alberto Aquilani, who rolled possession back to the Dutchman. Kuyt seized his rare opportunity to lead the Liverpool line with a measured finish from 18 yards into Gomes’ right-hand corner.

A central defence of Kyrgiakos and Martin Skrtel offered an open invitation to the pace and movement of a Jermain Defoe or Luka Modric but, as they showed at the Britannia Stadium, that pairing was more than comfortable with an aerial assault. For the majority of the first half Redknapp’s team barely troubled the Liverpool defence, with hopeful long punts presenting Peter Crouch with a forlorn task against his former club.

It was the 45th minute before Spurs displayed the invention required to unsettle Liverpool, Jermaine Jenas and Wilson Palacios combining to release Modric who was unable to beat Reina with a low shot to the goalkeeper’s left.

That opening shaped the visitors’ tactics after the interval and the improvement was marked, with Jenas testing Reina from 20 yards, although Liverpool engineered the better chances.

Riera, making his first start since the goalless draw at Blackburn on December 5th, headed against Gomes’ bar from a Carragher cross and Degen should have doubled the advantage only to lose his nerve completely with just the Brazilian to beat.

Kuyt was again at the heart of the Liverpool threat, seizing on a defensive error to burst clear and release Degen into acres of space on the right. As soon as Anfield realised it was the Swiss full back with the game at his mercy the noise dropped. They knew what was to come, as Degen declined to shoot and sought out a return to Kuyt instead, only to play the ball behind his aghast team-mate.

LIVERPOOL: Reina, Carragher, Skrtel, Kyrgiakos, Insua, Degen (Darby 90), Mascherano, Lucas, Riera (Maxi 81), Aquilani (Ngog 79), Kuyt. Subs not used: Cavalieri, Babel, Spearing, Pacheco. Booked: Mascherano, Lucas.

TOTTENHAM: Gomes, Corluka (Hutton 61), Dawson, King (Bassong 81), Bale, Modric, Jenas, Palacios, Kranjcar (Keane 65), Crouch, Defoe. Subs not used: Alnwick, Pavlyuchenko, Giovani, Rose. Booked: Jenas, Bale, Palacios.

Referee: Howard Webb (England).