THIS match pitted the wits of two great Spanish managers against each other for the first time in the Premier League but it was one of their compatriots on the pitch who stole the show.

Like Rafael Benitez in 2005, Juande Ramos has marked his debut season in England with a trophy.

It might ‘just’ be the Carling Cup as opposed to the Champions League but at White Hart Lane, a first piece of silverware this century is something not to be sniffed at.

But the former Seville coach still has a long way to go until he can be considered Spain’s most spectacular football export to these shores and that is due to the way in which Fernando Torres ‘El Nino’ has blown away defences in his rookie campaign.

Still only 24, Liverpool’s number nine marked the final game of his opening year in the Premier League with a 24th goal.

The strike eclipsed the previous best by a foreign striker coming into the league, bettering the total of a certain Ruud van Nisterlooy.

Given that his vanquished rival in the scoring stakes achieved his total with Manchester United and he now earns a living for Real Madrid, former Atletico man Torres is likely to be doubly pleased.

Carrying a record £18m price tag, Torres was always going to be expected to produce great things at Liverpool but despite an early goal against Chelsea and an explosive Carling Cup hat-trick at Reading, staggeringly there were still some observers doubting his overall pedigree midway through the campaign.

Any such doubts have surely evaporated now with Torres showing he has the firepower to match the likes of Academy graduates Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen while also possessing the all-round class of a top drawer Mediterranean marksman.

Whether Torres can be become part of a 21st century title-winning dynasty at Anfield remains to be seen.

With his goals, Liverpool should be as close as they’ve ever been to breaking their long-awaited duck in the Premier League but although they’ve closed the gap on champions Manchester United this season they yet again failed to produce anything even remotely resembling a challenge for top spot beyond the first few weeks of the season and spent long periods of the campaign looking over their shoulders at neighbours Everton.

There were vociferous cheers from the away section at White Hart Lane when it was suggested – ultimately incorrectly – that United just might be throwing away their title hopes at Wigan but their great North West rivals held on to win.

This may well be the last year that Liverpool fans can claim superiority over United in the title stakes with their advantage now down to one following the Red Devils’ 17th success.

In using the European Cup as a yardstick of excellence, Liverpool’s total of five remains out of reach for now but if United triumph in Moscow against Chelsea later this month in the first all-English final that Liverpool so wanted to be part of then they will have also outscored them 2-1 in that competition during the Premier League era.

With an uncertain future for almost everyone at Anfield due to the off-the-pitch rumblings, the surest way for Rafael Benitez to cement his place would be to show that he can conquer the Premier League and not just Europe and in doing so, prevent United from finally catching up Liverpool.

Benitez will be aware that subtle change rather than wholesale rebuilding is what is needed but quality reinforcements will still have to be made in key areas over the summer if his side are to make that final but ultimately biggest step.

On one of the Premier League’s more dramatic final weekends, this was a game with seemingly nothing riding on it.

Significant gaps separated fourth-placed Liverpool from Arsenal in third and Everton in fifth while Tottenham, whose own campaign had fizzled out after their Carling Cup triumph over Chelsea back in February, were just playing for the outside chance of leapfrogging London neighbours West Ham United into the top half of the table.

The temperatures on a balmy afternoon in the capital were typical of the season’s final day with even Jamie Carragher sporting a short-sleeve jersey and the party atmosphere was such that a huge inflatable football was tossed through the stands by the home supporters only for it to land on the touchline on several occasions, narrowly missing the linesman and prompting referee Uriah Rennie to give the outsize ball its marching orders, allowing Jonathan Woodgate to boot it back among the supporters with great relish.

Liverpool shaded what was a tame opening period with their best opportunity coming after Steven Gerrard robbed Tottenham youngster Jamie O’Hara of possession and Radek Cerny was forced to parry a snap shot by Ryan Babel.

At the other end, the hosts went closest when Robbie Keane was almost played in at the back post by Dimitar Berbatov but while the Bulgarian’s backheel was spectacular, it would probably have been more effective to play a more orthodox pass.

An uncharacteristic lapse in concentration by Gerrard early in the second half nearly presented Tottenham with a golden opportunity but when the Liverpool captain gifted the ball to Steed Malbranque, Keane shot across the face of goal.

Shortly afterwards, Benitez introduced Yossi Benayoun for Ryan Babel on the left wing and the Israeli’s creativity proved the key to unlocking the Spurs defence.

The move for Liverpool’s opener began with a measured pass from the right-hand touchline by Martin Skrtel who picked out Torres.

The Spaniard nodded down into the path of strike partner Andriy Voronin and the Ukrainian controlled well before despatching a smart close range effort past Cerny on 68 minutes.

Five minutes later, Liverpool sealed the points as Benayoun skipped through Tottenham’s rearguard before finding Torres who slipped past Michael Dawson – who was immediately substituted – before beating Cerny with a slick finish towards the centre of the home side’s goal.

From then on it was a case of how many Liverpool were going to win by and Alan Hutton almost added an embarrassing third with what would have been a spectacular own goal when his powerful header was well-saved by Cerny while Torres rattled the crossbar with a cheeky chip from the edge of the penalty area and Benayoun stung Cerny’s fingers with a well-struck effort.

The win over his fellow Spaniard gave Benitez the honours against the Premier League’s newest coaching arrival to English football but it will be overhauling the top flight’s longest-serving manager much closer to home which will prove the ultimate test for the Reds boss over the coming year.