Liverpool demolition exposes major Tottenham issues as faint hope of glory papers over cracks

This was a game that laid bare the gulf between the two teams on the pitch at Anfield.

are a team in a seemingly constant state of rebuild while Liverpool are a team built to win trophies. One spent a summer transfer window collecting youngsters from around the continent, the other had already assembled a team capable of winning the title this season and so they did.

team selection showed that he expectedly and understandably has one eye on Thursday night's Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt. He named two teenagers in the midfield in Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray alongside James Maddison.

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It . The foundations of the team in Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur along with the near ever-present Pedro Porro were all removed and Spurs always looked fearful whenever Liverpool ran at them.

Even header from James Maddison's corner early in the game felt more like postponing the inevitable rather than really threatening to spoil the party.

were only allowed four minutes to enjoy their lead before Luiz Diaz restored parity from close range following an offside check.

Liverpool forged ahead through Alexis Mac Allister's powerful strike, before Cody Gakpo added a clinical finish. Mohamed Salah low effort and a own goal completed the bulldozing in the second half.

"I had made a lot of changes but I just felt it was necessary. A lot of our players have missed a lot of this season with injuries and it wasn't just about bringing them back but managing their minutes because obviously we want them ready," .

"Guys like Micky and Romero today could have played but they've missed so much of the season that we've just got to be really careful about when we use them. Guys like Pedro and Bentancur have played a lot this year. It has been a juggling act for sure and that hasn't helped the team, hasn't helped the players and when you're facing the best you pay that price.

Liverpool had torn Spurs apart in two of their three encounters this season and they made it a hat-trick with a 5-1 scoreline that could have been higher but still means they have scored 15 against Postecoglou's side this season.

Only Liverpool, Fulham and recently Wolves have beaten Spurs by more than a single goal this season, but the manner of the Reds' demolition jobs across this campaign have brought a stark reminder of the chasm between the two sides.

It was hardly the pick-me-up Tottenham needed before their European semi-final. Only the north London side could have a dreadful season that looks set to end with a bottom five or six finish and the worst amount of defeats in the club's Premier League era, yet the campaign still retains the possibility to deliver something special - a first European trophy in 41 years.

Even that long-awaited piece of silverware - if it comes - will not paper over the cracks at a club that is always selling the supporters the hope that something impressive and sustained is on the horizon, but it never seems to arrive

A Europa League triumph would bring silverware and Champions League football and there are some genuinely thrilling young players in the squad for the years ahead, but do the supporters genuinely believe that their club will do anything with that?

Postecoglou said in midweek that he hated that Tottenham were portrayed as a club constantly in a spiral, but the truth is that it's more like an endless loop.

Liverpool celebrated their title win wildly inside Anfield as the visiting players could only look on. They will be hoping they can enjoy something similar this season, but if it does happen then it needs to be more than a temporary departure from the wheel of Tottenham Hotspur.