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Liverpool missed out on the chance to move up to sixth in the Premier League table after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

Not even the return of Luis Suarez was enough to stop the Reds sharing the points on their own turf for an eighth time in 12 league games this season.

The stalemate means that Liverpool remain in seventh place, where they are now one point behind Arsenal. Tottenham remain in third following their first goalless draw of the season, five points behind Manchester United and seven short of leaders Manchester City.

This match had been circled in the calendar for many weeks by Liverpool fans because it marked the return from suspension of Suarez. The Uruguay forward was eligible to play for the Reds for the first time since Boxing Day after he completed his eight-match suspension.

However, it looked for a time as though he would again be denied the right to play as a thick fog settled over Anfield which threatened to see the match postponed. Referee Michael Oliver ruled the game could go ahead, but the conditions on a wintry evening in England were enough to make Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp miss the game as his flight from London was cancelled.

Mercifully the fog lifted as kick-off approached, giving all of Anfield a better chance to catch a glimpse of Suarez on the bench and for a phalanx of photographers to snap England manager Fabio Capello in the stand.

Spurs came into this fixture with a host of key players missing, although they were least affected by their absentees at the back as Michael Dawson and Ledley King started together for the first time this season.

Dawson had the Anfield crowd on their feet in the opening five minutes when he felled Andy Carroll with a sliding tackle inside the box after a weighted pass from Steven Gerrard, but Oliver correctly saw that it was a fine challenge from the Spurs defender.

Last Tuesday saw Everton's match with Manchester City at Goodison Park stopped due to a man handcuffing himself to a goalpost, and less than a week later another match on Merseyside was halted by a pitch invader when a cat ran on to the field. The ash grey feline scampered across the turf and past a bemused Brad Friedel before a steward calmly gathered it up.

That intrusion proved to be the main talking point of a first half in which both sides passed the ball around well in midfield but were largely unable to trouble the opposition keeper.

Jay Spearing had one fearsome strike from range but the ball swerved wide and struck the stanchion behind the net. The Liverpool midfielder still awaits his first goal for the club.

Glen Johnson forced a save from Friedel's legs just before half-time, but there was little to separate the two teams at the break.

The home crowd were made to wait for Suarez to be introduced as neither side made a change at the break.

Martin Kelly stung the palms of Friedel from range near the hour mark, but the game was given a big lift when Suarez did eventually make his entrance on 66 minutes.

He appeared to have lost none of his livewire movement or cunning guile during his absence as he was immediately involved, though the more infamous side of his game also emerged soon enough as he earned a booking for a boot to the midriff of Scott Parker less than five minutes after coming on.

Another Liverpool booking soon afterwards went to Martin Skrtel when the Slovakian defender lunged in with a challenge that caught Gareth Bale on the shin. Other officials may have seen that incident differently.

Carroll fired over the bar when he should have at least tested Friedel before Suarez was the most striking example of a Liverpool player who failed to meet a good delivery with a dangerous header.

Bale - who had earlier earned a booking for an act of simulation - could have won the game for Spurs when he beat the offside trap with five minutes remaining. The Welshman was one-on-one with Pepe Reina but the decision to finish through the Spaniard's legs was the wrong call.

With Suarez back among their ranks Liverpool can have fresh cause for optimism, but the fact they had 15 shots against Spurs and were once again unable to find a winner will be of great cause for concern.

Tottenham Hotspur suffered their first defeat in 12 Premier League games when they were beaten 2-1 by Stoke City in a thrilling and controversial match at the Britannia Stadium.

Former Spurs player Matthew Etherington scored twice in the first half with two goals that came as a result of the Potters' trademark long throws. The club's main exponent of those set plays, Rory Delap, was not playing, but in his stead Ryan Shotton provided the airborne assault that led to Tony Pulis getting the better of his former manager Harry Redknapp.

Emmanuel Adebayor pulled a goal back for Spurs after half-time from the penalty spot, but their hopes of claiming a result were hit when Younes Kaboul was sent off with eight minutes remaining for a second bookable offence.

The visitors had several appeals for handball in the box turned down, but referee Chris Foy declined to give Spurs a second spot-kick.

Stoke's third win in a row sees them move up to eighth in the table, while Tottenham remain five points behind second-placed Manchester United after a run of six consecutive wins was brought to an end.

Stoke showed signs of what was to come as early as the first minute when the first of Shotton's long throws was headed away by Benoit Assou-Ekotto but only as far as Etherington, whose volley was scrambled away by goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

The visitors were tested again on 13 minutes, and this time Etherington got his first goal since Stoke's 5-0 thrashing of Bolton in last season's FA Cup semi-final. Spurs dealt with the initial throw but it was enough to see them unable to regain their shape before Shotton sent in the second ball. Peter Crouch - one of four ex-Spurs players in the Stoke squad - shielded the ball near the byline before sneaking it through Friedel's legs allowing Etherington to finish from close range.

Tottenham began to play their way into the match but were for the most part unable to break through Stoke's resolute back line. Any aerial deliveries were swatted away with ease thanks to the Potters' significant height advantage, while the supply line to lone striker Adebayor was largely cut off.

The Londoners' best chance came from distance when Luka Modric had a drilled effort from 25 yards tipped around the foot of the post by Thomas Sorensen.

Etherington then doubled his team's lead just before half-time, and this time the long throw was even more influential. Jonathan Walters flicked Shotton's delivery on and Etherington miscued his first-time shot, but it was still enough to loop over the helpless Friedel.

Redknapp responded by making two changes at the break - bringing on Jermain Defoe and Sebastien Bassong for Aaron Lennon and Assou-Ekotto. Bassong sent a header over the bar from a corner before Crouch did the same from a Shotton throw.

Spurs were given a lifeline just post the hour mark when Modric invited a challenge from Glenn Whelan in the Stoke box and the Ireland midfielder took the bait. Adebayor scored coolly from the spot to register his fifth goal in his last four games.

Scott Parker forced a decent save from Sorensen and Adebayor curled an effort just wide as Tottenham began to find openings.

With 15 minutes left if what was building to a thrilling climax, referee Foy suddenly became the focus of attention. The official did not see Kaboul's shot clearly rebound off Shawcross's arm on the line, and in the very next phase of play Adebayor had the ball in the net only to be incorrectly ruled offside.

Then, in the final 10 minutes, Kaboul chased desperately after Walters down the left flank and sent him tumbling. Foy had already booked Kaboul for his justified protestations after Shawcross had hauled him over inside the box, and showed the France defender a second yellow for the challenge on Walters.

With Spurs down to 10 men Stoke were able to close out the victory thanks in no small part to the excellent hold-up play of Crouch, who celebrated a second victory at the Britannia over a former club having beaten Liverpool 1-0 back in September.

Tottenham assumed second place in the Premier League table after a convincing 3-0 win over 10-man Bolton at White Hart Lane.

It took Gareth Bale just seven minutes to put the hosts in front, exploiting sloppy marking with a cool finish, before Gary Cahill was harshly shown a straight red card for a challenge on Scott Parker.

A barrage of pressure and chances ensued from the rampant home side scored through Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe in a second half blitz to secure the three points which lift Harry Redknapp's side above Manchester United into second place.

An injury to Ledley King meant William Gallas was handed his first Premier League start of the season and Defoe was again preferred to Rafael van der Vaart as Tottenham looked to stretch their unbeaten run to 11 matches, while Bolton made one change to the team that lost 2-0 to Everton, with Dedryck Boyata coming in for the suspended David Wheater in defence.

Gary Speed had a three-and-a-half year spell at Bolton, and a minute's applause preceded kick-off in tribute to the Welshman, and within seven minutes Bale made a tribute to his former Wales boss after opening the scoring.

Bale stole in at the near post to stab home from Luca Modric's corner in clinical fashion after slack marking from Bolton enabled him to net his sixth goal of the season and fifth in four league games, before whipping off a red boot and holding it aloft.

Spurs continued to control the possession, but it was Stuart Attwell's decision to send off Cahill in the 18th minute which effectively invited the rout. Zat Knight put his defensive partner under undue pressure with a poor pass before the Tottenham target carved down Parker just inside the Bolton half and was dismissed on the dubious grounds of being the last man.

What followed was a near relentless stream of Spurs pressure as Jussi Jaaskelainen was forced to make a string of stunning saves. One such stop saw the inspired Finn deny Defoe with his legs in the 24th minute as the forward raced into the box and latched on to Aaron Lennon's pinpoint cross.

Seconds later at the other end, Brad Friedel had to effectively wake himself up to backtrack hastily and tip Chris Eagles's shot over the bar after the ball took a vicious deflection off Younes Kaboul.

Owen Coyle was forced to introduced Gretar Steinsson on the half hour mark at the expense of Fabrice Muamba in a tactical reshuffle, with Bolton's defensive ranks in desperate need of bolstering.

A flurry of clear-cut chances followed, with Bale driving a wild shot over the bar from close range, and Jaaskelainen making a superb double save to deny the Welshman and Defoe seconds later as the hosts continued to press forward incessantly.

Finally, the second goal arrived just five minutes after the restart as Kyle Walker, Emmanuel Adebayor and Defoe all combined to good effect before Lennon shuffled inside from the right with exquisite footwork before crashing an emphatic finish beyond Jaaskelainen into the far corner of the net.

It was Tottenham's turn to feel aggrieved in the 56th minute as Benoit Assou-Ekotto zipped down the left, cut inside and was clumsily tripped inside the Bolton box by Kevin Davies, but referee Attwell again defied expected decision and awarded a corner to the disbelief of the home fans.

But the feeling of discontent did not last for long as Defoe marked the hour with a cool finish after more diabolical marking from a set piece cost Bolton dearly as the forward was afforded a simple goal from a corner.

Jaaskelainen further distinguished himself late on with fine saves from Bale and Parker as the Bolton goalkeeper spared his side the ignominy of a real thrashing, while the woodwork came to the visitors rescue when the Finn was eventually beaten Defoe as drove a low shot against the near post.

Spurs have now won six consecutive Premier League games for the first time in the club's history while leapfrogging United into second place in the table, albeit with the champions facing Aston Villa in the late kick-off, while Coyle was left to bemoan a poor refereeing decision and his side's frailties at the back after another chastening defeat.

Blackpool put some much-needed space between them and the Premier League relegation zone with a 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Bloomfield Road.

Charlie Adam maintained his 100 per cent record from the penalty spot to give Blackpool the lead before top scorer DJ Campbell added another just before half-time.

After Tottenham laid siege to their hosts' goal - they ended up registering 25 shots, 10 of which were on target - Blackpool substitute Brett Ormerod added a third 10 minutes from time to seal the Tangerines' first win over Spurs since 1966.

Roman Pavlyuchenko scored a late consolation for Spurs, but by then most of the travelling fans were already headed back to London. However, the Russian's injury-time strike means that Bloomfield Road has still not seen a clean sheet from any team all season.

The win was only Blackpool's second in their last 10 league games, but it was enough to lift them from 16th to 12th in the table, below Blackburn Rovers on goal difference. Tottenham's first defeat in six league games denied them the chance to go third and they remain in fourth, two points behind Manchester City.

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway was typically bold in his team selection, handing striker Sergei Kornilenko his debut in a three-man attack alongside Campbell and James Beattie, while Spurs boss Harry Redknapp fielded Jermain Defoe and Pavlyuchenko up front.

This rearranged meeting between two of the Premier League's most attacking sides promised plenty of goalmouth action, but the opening stages failed to produce, with Steven Pienaar's sliced shot from range the only effort of note.

That all changed on 18 minutes when Campbell drew a foul from Sebastien Bassong inside the Spurs area, and Blackpool skipper Adam stepped up to convert his fifth spot-kick of the season.

Spurs were sparked into action, with Steven Pienaar having several efforts blocked before Defoe lifted the ball over goalkeeper Richard Kingson only for Craig Cathcart to head the ball off the line.

Defoe, still searching for his first league goal of the season, was again denied at the last when Kingson palmed Aaron Lennon's cross into the path of the England striker, but once more Cathcart was well placed to block the effort.

That denial of an equaliser for Spurs was compounded by a sucker punch as Blackpool doubled their lead on the break. Campbell surged forward through the centre before passing to Kornilenko, who moved the ball out wide to Beattie. The striker, on loan from Rangers, bent in an inviting cross which Campbell headed in at the far post for his ninth league goal of the season.

Tottenham have recouped more points from losing positions this season than any other side, and the manner in which they emerged after break certainly illustrated that.

Right from the restart Neal Eardley made a vital sliding block on Pienaar's effort inside the area, and soon afterwards Pavlyuchenko had a header saved by Kingson and Luka Modric flashed a strike just over the bar.

Adam's surge into the Spurs box and low strike across goal showed Blackpool still carried a real threat, but Spurs continued to hammer their hosts and it only looked a matter of time before they broke through.

Half-time substitute Jermaine Jenas and Pavlyuchenko both narrowly missed low balls across the six-yard box before Kingson blocked another Pavlyuchenko header.

Niko Kranjcar and Peter Crouch were introduced to try and force the issue, but when Modric was denied a penalty by referee Chris Foy after Kingson sent him flying, it looked as though Tottenham's luck had run out.

And so it proved when two Blackpool substitutes combined to put the game beyond the visitors on 80 minutes. Benoit Assou-Ekotto shielded the ball from the persistent Matt Phillips inside the Tottenham box, but in doing so showed it to Ormerod, who tucked a finish underneath Heurelho Gomes for his first Premier League goal in over seven years.

By the time Pavlyuchenko's speculative effort clipped off Cathcart and over Kingson's head in the third minute of injury time, the result was no longer in doubt, and even the late denial of an extra step up the table could not dampen Blackpool's joy at hearing the final whistle.