Liverpool faced off against Tottenham Hotspur earlier tonight hoping to pick up all three points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Reds dominated the game in the first 45 minutes but struggled to finish off their chances. However, Roberto Firmino finally managed to make the breakthrough in the first half injury-time when he tapped the ball in from point-blank range.
Jurgen Klopp’s men made a blistering start to the second half as they doubled their lead in the 47th minute courtesy of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s goal from close range. Just two minutes later, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg gave Spurs a lifeline when he found the back of the net with a thunderous strike.
Sadio Mane killed the game off in the 65th minute when he got his name on the scoresheet via a powerful strike from a tight angle. The contest ended with the Merseyside giants securing an impressive 3-1 victory at North London to go back to fourth place in the Premier League table.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the clash against Spurs.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian keeper didn’t put a foot wrong in the game but ended up being beaten by a wonder-strike from Højbjerg.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8/10
The English full-back started the game a bit slow and was defensively a bit all over the place in the first half. However, he grew in confidence in the second half and picked up a goal and an assist. Tonight’s performance will do his confidence a world of good.
CB: Joel Matip – 6/10
The Cameroonian centre-back had a few nervy when left isolated with Heung-min Son but did enough to keep a clean sheet in the first half. However, he was subbed at half-time after picking up another injury.
CB: Jordan Henderson – 7.5/10
The Liverpool captain bossed the game from the back and picked up Sadio Mane’s run with a great pass in the lead-up to Firmino’s goal before the half-time interval. It was an excellent display from him as a makeshift centre-back.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
The Scottish international was solid at the back and linked up play well in the opposition half. However, he should have whipped in a few more crosses during the game considering how much space he got down the left flank.
CM: James Milner – 7/10
Milner showed great leadership to get the best out of his teammates and fought for every loose ball he came across. He was the bite and steel in Liverpool’s midfield tonight.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 7/10
The Dutch sensation controlled the game well from the holding midfield position and kept possession ticking for his team throughout the match.
CM: Thiago Alcantara – 7.5/10
The Spaniard was at the heart of most good moves Liverpool managed to conjure up during the game. However, he was at times a bit reckless with his tackling.
RW: Mohamed Salah – 6/10
The Egyptian winger was poor in the first half. However, he was a completely different player in the second 45 minutes and was unfortunate to see his goal chalked off by VAR.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 7.5/10
Firmino led the press well in the opposition half and created quite a few decent openings for his teammates. He was also the man who put an end to Liverpool’s recent Premier League goal-drought via a tap-in from close range.
LW: Sadio Mane – 8.5/10
The Senegalese speedster was a constant nuisance for the Tottenham defenders during the 90 minutes. Mane set-up Firmino’s goal with a great pass and also found the back of the net himself with a powerful strike in the second half.
Substitutes:
CB: Nathaniel Phillips – 6/10
He picked up a yellow card for a poor challenge but was solid at the back after coming on at half-time.
CM: Curtis Jones – 6.5/10
The English midfielder had a few bright moments with Salah on the right flank but never got a sniff at goal.
ST: Divock Origi – N/A
He hardly had any time to make an impact.
