Borini makes bow in Spurs draw

The new signing from Roma and the captain both played half an hour against Spurs as Brendan Rodgers introduced several players who had been handed extended leave following Euro 2012.

Spurs winger Gareth Bale had an instant chance to break the deadlock, running clear on goal straight from kick-off but his effort at Brad Jones was deflected out for a corner, which the Reds subsequently cleared.

Also making his first appearance in pre-season, Stewart Downing had the first sight of goal for the Reds, sending a cross-shot into the box from the right hand side which curled dangerously but not enough to trouble former Liverpool goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

Jonjo Shelvey, who impressed from midfield during the 2-1 defeat by Roma on Wednesday, showed positivity again from the centre, driving forward and planting a shot from distance into Friedel's hands on 13 minutes.

Tottenham tried to respond three minutes later, when young striker Harry Kane received a through ball inside the Reds' penalty area and guided a shot around Martin Skrtel which rolled narrowly wide.

Downing drifted in from his position on the right again in the 23^rd minute and when his shot was blocked, the ball arrived at Adam Morgan, via Joe Cole, in a promising position but the striker dragged his attempt off target.

Five minutes later, Morgan had another opportunity, even better than his first, to grab his second goal of the Reds' tour, following his equaliser against Toronto in a 1-1 draw a week ago.

Jay Spearing's lofted ball found the 18-year-old completely free behind the Spurs defence but, after eventually coming under some pressure, Morgan's drive towards the near post was dealt with by Friedel at the expense of a corner.

After recovering from a knock suffered earlier in the encounter, Welshman Bale began to impose himself on the match and twice provided excellent chances for a teammate to strike before half-time.

With three minutes of the period remaining, the winger dinked a cross from the left into the centre of the Liverpool area which was flicked on by Kane into the path of Aaron Lennon, who contrived to hit the post from just a few yards out.

From a similar position on Spurs' left, Bale delivered another cross moments later which married perfectly with a run from midfield by Gylfi Sigurdsson, whose header was comfortably handled by Jones to ensure the sides were level at the break.

Rodgers made five changes for the second half, with Nathan Eccleston, Peter Gulacsi, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom all joining the action, and it was the Reds who fired first.

Picking the ball up in his own half, Reds centre-back Skrtel set off on a dribble into opposition territory, which concluded with a curling strike from the left side of the area that was well caught by Friedel.

A second raft of changes included the first opportunity for Liverpool fans to see Borini in a red shirt, before William Gallas failed to trouble Gulacsi having been played through one-on-one by a fine Tom Huddlestone through ball.

Borini had a chance to immediately prove his worth on 74 minutes. Henderson made space for himself on the right wing and swung a deep cross to the back post, where the Italian forward was waiting.

The new No.29 steadied himself but could not direct his side-foot effort on target, and despite a couple of half-chances for fellow substitute Andy Carroll, the Reds could not find a goal as their trip across the Atlantic ended with a goalless draw.