STEVEN GERRARD'S late penalty gave Liverpool a vital 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur after an entertaining contest at Anfield.

Gerrard kept his cool to slot home eight minutes from time, to complete a victory that seemed unlikely at times during the second half.

Luis Suarez has given Brendan Rodgers' men a first-half lead, but Spurs hit back twice through Jan Vertonghen either side of half time.

But the visitors gifted Stewart Downing an equaliser, before referee Michael Oliver adjudged that Benoit Assou-Ekotto had brought down Suarez in the box.

The win lifts the Reds above West Brom and Everton into sixth in the Premier League table.

Rodgers made two changes from the side which had strolled to victory at Wigan Athletic last weekend. Pepe Reina sustained a calf injury in training on Friday, so Brad Jones began in goal, while Daniel Sturridge, who had missed the trip to the DW Stadium with a thigh problem, returned here in place of Joe Allen.

It was Sturridge who had the game's first effort on goal, five minutes in, the England striker lashing wide after Stewart Downing had won the ball from Assou-Ekotto. The former Chelsea man then forced a save from Hugo Lloris in the Spurs goal after being released by Philippe Coutinho's cute pass.

Jones, making his first appearance since the FA Cup humiliation at Oldham Athletic in January, made an awkward-looking save to keep out a Gareth Bale free kick on 12 minutes, whilst Coutinho sent an ambitious effort off target.

Liverpool were getting plenty of joy when moving the ball at pace down their left hand side, and it was from that avenue that the opening goal arrived on 21 minutes.

Coutinho retrieved Glen Johnson's diagonal pass and, after deceiving Kyle Walker to play a one-two with Jose Enrique, he found the Spaniard on the edge of the box; Enrique slipped a neat pass in behind for Suarez, who finished impudently with the outside of his foot inside Lloris' near post for his 29th goal of the season.

Tails up, Liverpool threatened to add to their advantage soon after, with Lloris pushing away Suarez's cross shot, as Coutinho appealed for a penalty in the middle.

Spurs, and Bale in particular, battled hard to find a way into the match. The Welshman sent a speculative effort into the Kop from 25 yards, then sliced wide after a driving run from deep.

His flick on 37 minutes then created a shooting chance for Gylfi Sigurdsson, but the Icelander sent his effort just wide of Jones' right-hand post. Jones was then called upon to field Assou-Ekotto's shot a s the visitors threatened further.

They were rewarded on the stroke of half time as Bale, who moments earlier had been flattened by Gerrard, was given time to whip a vicious ball in from the right, and Jan Vertonghen climbed above Johnson to plant a downward header into the bottom right-hand corner of Jones' net.

It was the visitors who began the second period in the ascendency, with Jones getting his body behind Jermain Defoe's angled drive.

But Spurs got their noses ahead on 53 minutes as neither Jamie Carragher nor Daniel Agger could clear a deep Bale free kick from the right, and Vertonghen adjusted his body well to volley the loose ball past Jones from 12 yards.

It could have been worse three minutes later, as Bale's pace took him away from Enrique and Carragher down the right, and when his cross found Sigurdsson at the far post, his effort was deflected against the post by Johnson.

Rodgers sent on Joe Allen for the marginalised Coutinho soon after, but it was Spurs who continued to threaten, with the excellent Mousa Dembele forcing a save from Jones with a 25-yard strike.

Liverpool by contrast had offered precious little, but they were handed a way back into the game on 66 minutes by some awful Spurs defending.

Walker made a hash of a straightforward pass, and when Lloris raced from his goal to retrieve the situation, he lost out to Downing, who kept his head to drill through Vertonghen's legs on the line for his second goal in as many games.

Downing was enjoying another productive afternoon, and set up a chance for Sturridge which was headed wide at the far post. Bale then flashed a header wide at the other end.

Liverpool deserve credit for the manner in which they pulled themselves back into the game, and with eight minutes left they were ahead.

Suarez seized upon a loose touch from Defoe and was bundled over by Assou-Ekotto in the box, and Gerrard stayed calm to slot the penalty home low to Lloris's left, as the Frenchman dived the wrong way.

LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Jones, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Jose Enrique, Lucas, Gerrard, Downing, Suarez, Coutinho (Allen 59), Sturridge (Henderson 88)

Substitutes: Gulacsi, Wisdom, Skrtel, Shelvey, Sterling

Cards: Carragher

Goals: Suarez (21), Downing (66), Gerrard (82 pen)

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (4-3-3): Lloris, Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen, Assou-Ekotto (Carroll 90), Livermore (Holtby 84), Dembele, Parker, Sigurdsson, Defoe, Bale

Substitutes: Friedel, Gallas, Caulker, Naughton, Huddlestone

Cards: Vertonghen

Goals: Vertonghen (45, 53)

Referee: Michael Oliver