Liverpool secured second place in the Premier League after cruising to a 3-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield.

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• Matchcast: Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur
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Spanish striker Fernando Torres netted his 50th goal for the club to open the scoring just after the half-hour mark with Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun adding second-half strikes sandwiched by Robbie Keane's effort.

The result ensured that Liverpool finished second while Spurs missed out on the final Europa League spot.

The Reds were excellent value for their win in a match that for long stretches had a gentle, end-of-term feel to it.

Rafa Benitez's men made the brighter start to the match and Torres's opener came after Steven Gerrard and Benayoun had both gone close.

The visitors made more of an impact in the second-half with David Bentley - who had come on for the injured Jermaine Jenas - looking lively if not always effective.

The hosts always looked the more likely to score again with Ledley King making a goal-saving tackle from Torres on 49 minutes to prevent a second.

The pressure on Spurs continued to build, and it was no surprise when Kuyt added a second just after the hour mark when his shot deflected off Alan Hutton and past Heurelho Gomes.

Fifteen minutes later Keane beat the offside trap and he took his time coolly to curl the ball around Pepe Reina - though the former Liverpool striker refused to celebrate or even acknowledge his goal.

Spurs briefly looked as if they might get back in to the match, but just five minutes later Benayoun latched on to a superb through-ball from Gerrard before hitting a left-foot shot that trickled over the line with Gomes getting a hand to it.

Liverpool could have had another as Benoit Assou-Ekotto cleared the ball off the line from a late goalmouth scramble following a corner.

But they had already done more than enough to close out the game - even if, for this season at least, they were still destined to finish four points adrift of arch-rivals Manchester United.

Spurs, meanwhile, will consider finishing just outside the European spots a job well done after a miserable start to the season - but Harry Redknapp's side still have work to do if they are to challenge the big four's dominance.