Tottenham Hotspur hosted Liverpool at Wembley Stadium earlier today, looking to bounce back from their recent defeat at the hands of Watford. Jurgen Klopp opted for a 4-3-3 formation, and his men began the match on the front foot. Roberto Firmino had a goal disallowed in the first minute, but it didn’t stop the away side from threatening the Tottenham goal. In the 39th minute, Georginio Wijnaldum scored the opening goal of the contest with his header, which was enough to give Liverpool a deserved 1-0 lead at half-time.
The Merseysiders came out after the break with more goals on their mind and managed to score their second goal through Firmino’s tap-in from close range. However, they couldn’t add to their two-goal lead despite creating a plethora of chances. Spurs managed to crawl their way back into the contest in injury-time through Erik Lamela’s fantastic finish, but it turned out to be a consolation goal as the Reds ran out 2-1 victors on the day.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against Spurs.
GK: Alisson Ramses Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian goalkeeper was hardly troubled by the Tottenham attackers. He was excellent with his distribution and was unlucky not to come away with a clean sheet from the game.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6.5/10
Another matured performance from the Liverpool youngster, he managed to cope with the threat of Danny Rose quite well but failed to make an impact going forward.
CB: Joe Gomez – 6/10
The Reds centre-back made a few errors during the game but recovered well in the second half to see out the three points for his side.
CB: Virgil van Dijk – 7/10
The Dutch defensive ace was a commanding presence inside the Liverpool penalty box and managed to keep Harry Kane quiet during the game.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 8/10
The Scottish full-back has become one of Klopp’s most consistent performers on the pitch. He was an outstanding outlet for the away team down the left flank. Robertson also picked up Sadio Mane with a well-crafted ball which led to Liverpool’s second goal.
CM: James Milner – 8/10
The English veteran worked his socks off in midfield and covered more ground than any other player on the pitch. He was also excellent with his distribution which helped the Reds boss the midfield.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 8.5/10
He broke the deadlock with a well-placed header which caught Michel Vorm out in the Tottenham goal. The Dutchman put on another impressive display in midfield which is why he is keeping Jordan Henderson out of the Liverpool starting XI.
CM: Naby Keita – 7/10
He linked up play well at the centre of the pitch and operated in a floating role behind Mane. However, the Guinean failed to convert from close-range which will disappoint him.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 6.5/10
The Egyptian international tried to make some darting runs behind the Tottenham backline and succeeded quite often because of some woeful Spurs errors. However, he was wasteful with his opportunities and was selfish at times in the final third.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 8/10
The Brazilian forward ran the show right from the get-go and was the best player on the pitch. Firmino scored a goal in the first minute which was disallowed, but he worked hard and got the deserved reward when he tapped-in Liverpool’s second goal in the 54th minute. His eye injury will be a cause for concern with a crucial match against Paris Saint-Germain looming on the horizon.
LM: Sadio Mané – 8/10
The Senegalese was a wonderful outlet down the left wing and linked up well with the likes of Robertson and Keita to create some fantastic opportunities for his teammates up top. He was unlucky not to score in the second half and put the contest to bed.
Substitutes:
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
The Reds skipper brought some fresh legs in midfield which helped Liverpool dominate the game in the second half.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – 6/10
He won a few freekicks that aided his team to manage the game during the latter stages of the encounter.
CB: Joel Matip – N/A
He hardly had any time to make an impact.
