Teddy Sheringham's double-barrelled blast fired Spurs to only their third win in 48 league trips to Anfield.
Liverpool's 100% start was swept way in another feast of glorious football from this breathless introduction to the FA Carling Premiership.
Graeme Souness' side looked on their way to a fourth straight victory when Nigel Clough delivered his fourth goal in as many games since his 2.25 million pound signing.
But his old Nottingham Forest and England colleague Sheringham levelled for Ardiles' team from a 30th minute penalty and then drove in the winner 12 minutes later.
Too often in the past 80 years, Spurs at Anfield has meant ritual humiliation; Ardiles lost 7-0 on his first visit as a player, the Reds signed off last year with a 6-2 win.
But that was at the height of the Venables crisis and the little Argentinean has swiftly repaired the Londoners' morale and confidence.
With the presence of Neil Ruddock, the only summer deserter from White Hart Lane, in the Liverpool defence, giving the game an extra edge, it was Spurs who came closest to opening the scoring. Bruce Grobbelaar brilliantly clawed away Gordon Durie's ninth minute drive from 25 yards, and then when a nervous Ruddock gave the ball away to the little Scot four minutes later, the goalkeeper dashed off his line to block.
So it was against the run of play when Steve McManaman forged the 17th minute breakthrough from the left, his mesmeric run past Dean Austin carrying him to the byline to set up Nigel Clough to sidefoot his fourth goal in as many games since his move from Forest.
But Spurs, unchanged for the fourth consecutive game, stormed back and Liverpool could have no complaints when David Burrows, starting his first game of the season, nudged over Sheringham just inside the box. Grobbelaar read the England striker's spot-kick correctly but could not reach the powerful drive past his right hand.
Though Rob Jones went close to restoring Liverpool's lead from 30 yards, Spurs grabbed the lead just before the break. David Howells attacked from the right, Jason Dozzell tried to take the ball round Grobbelaar and it broke for Sheringham to turn in his second.
Teenage left-back Sol Campbell's brilliant tackle on Steve Nicol denied Liverpool an immediate response, and Spurs then needed all their new resilience to resist a second half battering. But apart from a Burrows drive, well saved by Thorsvedt and a Molby volley just too high, they held out well for a win which will do them a power of good.
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