Silver Linings: Jake Livermore Was Brilliant Against Manchester United

Tottenham Hotspur, as a whole, were not good against Manchester United on Sunday. Their loss was their second straight, and the gap between Spurs and Arsenal is now just four points. The forwards and back line of Spurs were poor, but there was a bit of a silver lining in the game: Jake Livermore was absolutely spectacular.

The suspension of Scott Parker for this game was supposed to be a disaster, but Livermore stepped into his shoes and filled them perfectly. Redeeming himself from a disastrous performance against United at Old Trafford early in the season, Livermore was arguably Spurs' best player.

Livermore's 88 percent passing accuracy was best on the team, and his 73 total completed passes were second best. His 12 total completed long balls was five more than Benoit Assou-Ekotto tallied and seven more than Luka Modric hit. He made a team best six interceptions in the game, and he managed to commit zero fouls in the process. His deflected shot on target that forced a save from David De Gea was one of Tottenham's best chances of the match.

While everyone was sweating the absence of Parker while simultaneously touting Sandro as a star of the future, Livermore stepped up and put in a nearly flawless performance against Manchester United while the players in front of him and behind him performed poorly.

This was not a performance against low-level opposition, or against a team that played poorly. This was a performance against an in-form Manchester United team that defeated Tottenham. It was a good enough performance against good enough opposition that Harry Redknapp should start seriously thinking about whether or not Livermore deserves more playing time, and how he would fit into the team.