Tottenham Hotspur will welcome Liverpool to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, on Wednesday, 8th January, for the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final clash.Â
This will be their second meeting this season, having previously played out a nine-goal thriller in the Premier League on 22nd December. The Reds came out on top in that tussle, clinching a 6-3 victory.
Tottenham and Liverpool have delivered many classics over the years, with a handful of players getting the privilege of experiencing life in both camps. As we await another highly anticipated clash between two giants of English football, let us take a quick look at the top 10 players who have donned both the Tottenham and Liverpool jerseys in the Premier League era.
#10 Brad Friedel
Turning down offers from Scottish sides Celtic and Rangers, Brad Friedel joined Liverpool from Major League Soccer (MLS) side Columbus Crew in December 1997. Friedel was Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper in the 1998-99 season, but eventually lost his place to rising star David James. Disappointed with his game time, the USMNT international joined Blackburn Rovers in November 2000.
After stints at Blackburn and Aston Villa, Friedel joined Tottenham Hotspur on a free in July 2011. He spent four years at the club before hanging up his gloves.
Stats
Liverpool: Conceded 40 goals and kept eight clean sheets in 31 games.
Tottenham: Conceded 79 goals and kept 19 clean sheets in 67 matches.
#9 Ronny Rosenthal
Renowned left-winger Ronny Rosenthal joined Liverpool on a short loan under legendary manager Kenny Dalglish in March 1990. He scored seven goals during his loan spell, helping the Reds clinch the English top-flight title. Rosenthal, who scored a perfect hat-trick on his full debut, had become a fan favourite, but he was not satisfied with the opportunities he was getting.
So, in January 1994, he joined Tottenham, hoping to get regular game time. He did his best during his time in North London but could not help the Lilywhites win any major trophy. His best game for Spurs came in the FA Cup 5th round clash with Southampton, as he scored a superb hat-trick in a 6-2 win. After three and a half years at Tottenham, he joined Watford as a free agent.
Stats
Liverpool: Scored 22 goals in 97 games across competitions. Won league title, FA Cup, and FA Community Shield.
Tottenham: Scored nine goals in 97 games in all tournaments.
#8 Christian Ziege
AC Milan legend Christian Ziege joined Liverpool in July 2000, just a year after he left the fashion capital for Middlesbrough. The left-back helped the Reds win the Cup Treble — FA Cup, EFL Cup, UEFA Europa League — in his only season at Anfield Stadium before jetting off to Tottenham Hotspur.
The former Germany international spent three seasons in North London but he is most fondly remembered for the first one, where he scored five goals and provided eight assists in 27 Premier League appearances.
Stats
Liverpool: Scored two goals and claimed six assists in 32 games across competitions. Won FA Cup, EFL Cup, and UEFA Europa League.
Tottenham: Scored 10 goals and provided 14 assists in 55 games in all tournaments.
#7 Dominic Solanke
Chelsea academy star Dominic Solanke joined Liverpool as a free agent in July 2017. With Roberto Firmino at the top of his game, Solanke did not get many opportunities to shine at Liverpool, with then-coach Jurgen Klopp primarily using him as a substitute. Unhappy with his game time, Solanke put in a transfer request, and the Reds obliged, selling him to Bournemouth for £17.6 million in January 2019.
After impressing over his five-and-a-half-year spell at Bournemouth, Solanke joined Tottenham Hotspur for a £65 million fee, with Spurs agreeing to pay £55 million upfront and up to £10 million in add-ons. He has been in decent form for the North Londoners, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in 17 Premier League outings.
Stats
Liverpool: Scored one goal and provided an assist in 27 matches across competitions.
Tottenham: Has scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 26 games in all tournaments.
#6 John Scales
In September 1994, then-Liverpool boss Roy Evans brought John Scales to the club from Wimbledon. The talented centre-back quickly became one of the first names on the team sheet and helped the Merseysiders to the League Cup in 1995.
Scales moved to Spurs in December 1996 and stayed put until July 2000. Over three and a half years, he only scored once for the Lilywhites, with it coming in a League Cup Round of 16 win over Liverpool (3-1).
Stats
Liverpool: Scored four goals in 94 games. Won the League Cup in 1995.
Tottenham: Scored once in 37 outings. Won the League Cup in 1999.
#5 Nick Barmby
Coming through the academy, Nick Barmby secured his promotion to Tottenham Hotspur’s senior team in the summer of 1991. After spending four years at his boyhood club, the talented left-midfielder switched to Middlesbrough. Barmby, however, could not quite settle down at Middlesbrough and moved to Everton in October 1996.
Then in July 2000, he became the first player since Dave Hickson (1959) to switch directly from Everton to local rivals Liverpool. Barmby could not live up to expectations at Anfield Stadium but was an important part of the Cup Treble-winning side of 2001.
Stats
Tottenham: Scored 27 goals and provided 19 assists in 108 games.
Liverpool: Scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 58 matches. Won UEFA Europa League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, and FA Community Shield.
#4 Neil Ruddock
Fearless centre-back Neil Ruddock had two spells at Tottenham Hotspur. He initially joined Spurs from Millwall in 1986 and spent two years at the club. In 1988, he returned to Millwall, spending half a season there before joining Southampton. After three and a half years at Southampton, he joined Spurs only to leave for Liverpool just a year later. With his switch to Anfield in 1993, Ruddock became the first player to represent Spurs and the Reds in the Premier League era.
Ruddock, who famously went toe-to-toe with Eric Cantona and scored a header in a 3-3 draw with Manchester United in 1994, spent four and a half years at Merseyside before joining Queens Park Rangers.
Stats
Tottenham: Scored three goals in 57 games.
Liverpool: Scored 12 goals in 152 matches. Won EFL Cup.
#3 Jamie Redknapp
Just 17 years of age, gifted midfielder Jamie Redknapp joined Liverpool from Bournemouth in January 1991. He made his debut in the 1991-92 season and went on to captain the Reds over the next decade. Had it not been for injuries, Redknapp would have been one of the most-capped players for the Merseysiders.
Redknapp joined Tottenham Hotspur on a free in July 2002. He wore the armband at White Hart Lane as well, leading the team to some memorable victories before joining Southampton in January 2005.
Stats
Liverpool: Scored 42 goals in 308 games. Won the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and FA Community Shield.
Tottenham: Scored four goals in 49 outings.
#2 Danny Murphy
Danny Murphy initially joined Liverpool from Crewe Alexandra in July 1997. After one and a half seasons, he returned to Crewe Alexandra on loan. He returned to the club in May 1999 and went on to serve as a regular until his departure to Charlton Athletic in 2004. The former central midfielder played a crucial role as Liverpool won the Cup Treble in 2001.
In January 2006, Murphy joined Tottenham Hotspur from Charlton. He put in some memorable performances over the following one and half seasons, but Spurs could not win any major honours.
Stats
Liverpool: Scored 44 goals in 249 games. Won the FA Cup, two League Cups, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, and FA Community Shield.
Tottenham: Scored four goals in 49 outings.
#1 Peter Crouch
One of the most popular strikers in Premier League history, Peter Crouch, joined Liverpool from Southampton in 2005. The 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) striker took a while to start firing, but once he did, there was no stopping him. His finest performance for the Reds came in the blockbuster Premier League clash with Arsenal in 2007. He notched a perfect hat-trick — goals with both feet and a header — as Liverpool inflicted a 4-1 defeat upon the North Londoners. Crouch also scored a magnificent overhead kick against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League in the 2006-07 season.
In 2009 — a year after he joined Portsmouth from Liverpool — Crouch moved to Tottenham Hotspur. He scored some fine goals during his two-year stay with the Lilywhites, including the winner in Spurs’ Round-of-16 tie with AC Milan in 2011.
Stats
Liverpool: Scored 42 goals in 135 games. Won the FA Cup and FA Community Shield.
Tottenham: Scored 24 goals in 93 outings.
