After a gauntlet of tough fixtures in recent weeks, the last thing Tottenham Hotspur needed was an away trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool. Spurs’ record on Merseyside is well documented, with Anfield an unhappy hunting ground for the Lilywhites. Unfortunately, Sunday’s match was not the fixture where that history was forgotten, with Spurs unable to overcome a Liverpool side that at times looked devastating with some devastating individual performances of their own.
Ange Postecoglou made one change to the side that lost to Chelsea, bringing Rodrigo Bentancur into the side for Richarlison in order to create more solidity through the middle and prioritize the press, and the early signs were positive. Spurs looked bright early, winning possession high and with intricate play around the Liverpool box, though Liverpool slowly warmed into the match before creating the bigger early chances. Mohamed Salah’s scoop rebounded off Guglielmo Vicario’s crossbar, before a fantastic save from the Italian and a goal-line block from Cristian Romero somehow kept the score at nil-all.
Spurs had been controlling the majority of early play, but Liverpool looked dangerous every time they came forward, which began to happen with more frequency, and it was the Reds who opened the scoring. The Spurs defense allowed Cody Gakpo to cut back inside from the left, before the Dutchman curled in a cross behind the Spurs defense. Salah ran off Emerson Royal’s shoulder and finished with his head past Vicario from close-range.
From there, it was mostly one-way traffic, with Liverpool doubling the lead just before half-time. Vicario made another good save on a Salah shot from the penalty spot, but he could only palm the ball back out into the danger area, with Andy Robertson the quickest to react. The Scotsman easily knocked the ball past Vicario and the Reds took a 2-0 lead to the half.
Normal service resumed in the second half, with Liverpool adding to their lead soon after the break. An atrocious giveaway by Royal in a dangerous area caught the Spurs defense out of shape, with Harvey Elliott curling in a cross from Spurs’ left. The Liverpool attackers far outnumbered the Spurs center backs, and Gakpo rose highest to beat Romero to the ball and head past Vicario.
It was soon four for Liverpool, with Harvey Elliott getting himself amongst the goals, curling a shot from range into the top left corner. Postecoglou made a triple change, with Richarlison, Oliver Skipp, and James Maddison coming on for Royal, Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, but it was too little, too late for Tottenham, with the match pretty much out of reach.
Spurs didn’t let their heads drop, though, with rearguard action resulting in two late goals allowing Ange’s men to salvage some pride from the match. The first started with an excellent pass through from Yves Bissouma in a deep position, which found Brennan Johnson on the right wing in space. His low pass across the 18-yard box found Richarlison, who helped the ball on its way with a tidy finish. The Brazilian was soon involved in Spurs’ second, holding up the ball in the center of the box from Skipp’s pass, before cutting back to Son. Spurs’ captain finished past Allison with aplomb, and while the glimmer of hope created in that moment didn’t eventuate, the match ended with a more respectable 4-2 scoreline.
Reactions
- If I hadn’t been writing this, I would’ve been tempted to turn the match off after that fourth goal went in. From about the 15-minute mark to the 60-minute mark, Liverpool made Spurs look like an amateur side. Credit to the team that they managed to get back to within touching distance.
- Ange has his work cut out for him over the next few weeks to keep the team motivated and the fans onside. Performances like against Chelsea and a chunk of this match are beginning to frustrate supporters (for good reason), but it’s important to remember that we are still in the early stages of a rebuild.
- The press looked good early on with the midfield switches; but that came at the expense of passing and ability on the ball, with Sarr especially struggling in possession under Liverpool’s pressure. That pressure soon told, and it was notable how much better Tottenham looked with passers like Lo Celso and Maddison on the pitch – even though Liverpool had probably eased up by that point.
- Speaking of – Gio needs to be playing more at this point. He’s been excellent in his limited minutes. Is it fitness, or maybe a personality clash with Ange? I don’t know, but there’s a big question mark there for me.
- Richarlison made a huge impact as well; he created a focal point for the Spurs attack and was heavily involved. It also had a positive effect on Son, who immediately looked brighter and more energetic out on the left.
- It says… something, though, that the side immediately looked better with Oliver Skipp at left back than Emerson Royal. The Brazilian had one of the worst performances in recent memory.
- Burnley up next; Spurs need a result to prevent themselves sliding down the table. Surely they can take this one?
- COYS!