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Liverpool bounced back to winning ways and into the top-four with a fully deserved 3-1 victory over Tottenham on Thursday night.
In a crucial showdown; Liverpool came into this fixture looking to end their dire run, as they dropped out of the top-four, and failed to win in all their Premier League games since the turn of the year.
Tottenham, on the other hand, had not tasted defeat this year, and they were hoping to continue this form, and move back into the Champions League places.
The game kicked off with both teams squandering some good chances to break down each other’s defense.
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Liverpool finally broke the deadlock late in the first half, when striker Roberto Firmino tapped in from close range for his fifth Premier League goal of the season.
Sadio Mane sweetly controlled a lofted pass from captain Jordan Henderson, before squaring the ball for the Brazilian Brazilian striker to tuck home from close range.
Liverpool doubled their lead early in the second half after Hugo Lloris parried Sadio Mane’s shot into the path of Trent Alexander-Arnold to volley home in the 47th minute.
Tottenham came storming back almost immediately, as they pulled one back two minutes later when tireless midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg powered his shot past Alison from outside the area.
Senegalese forward Sadio Mane capped off his sensational performance with a goal for himself, as he ran behind the defensive duo of Joe Rondon and Matt Doherty to power home Liverpool’s third goal of the night.
Liverpool have now rekindled their title defense, as they bounce back into the top-four, while Jose Mourinho will have to return to the drawing board, as star striker Harry Kane is set to be sidelined for a few weeks, after picking up an ankle injury. On that note, here are the player ratings from the game.
Tottenham 1-3 Liverpool: Player Ratings
Tottenham Player ratings:
Hugo Lloris - 3/10
The French shot-stopper was disappointing and was at fault for the first two goals. He failed to come off his line to collect Mane’s cross for the first goal, and could not keep hold of the Senegalese shot, allowing Arnold to volley home for Liverpool’s second goal.
Joe Rondon - 5/10
A solid performance from the young Welshman. He made six clearances, six tackles and two interceptions. However, he was partly at fault for Liverpool’s third goal, as he allowed Sadio Mane to get in behind him to smash the ball past Lloris.
Eric Dier - 4/10
His miscommunication with goalkeeper Hugo Lloris gifted Liverpool their first goal. He failed to make a difference in defense for Jose Mourinho, as his side ultimately conceded three goals.
Doherty - 4/10
A shambolic outing from the former Wolves man, who struggled to keep up with Sadio Mane’s pace and strength. He was easily beaten by Mane for the second goal.
Ben Davies - 4/10
The Englishman was constantly caught out by Salah’s runs and was nowhere to be found as Trent Alexander-Arnold got to a rebound first to grab Liverpool’s second goal of the night.
Serge Aurier - 3/10
The defender was disappointing in the first half, and lost his marker in the build up to Liverpool’s opener. He offered nothing going forward and was hooked off at half time.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7/10
Another charismatic and energetic display from the former Southampton man as he was excellent throughout the game, keeping the midfield ticking. The midfielder grabbed Tottenham’s goal with a well-struck shot from outside the box.
Tanguy Ndombele - 6/10
A hardworking display from the Frenchman as he did well holding up the ball and relieving the pressure from his teammates. However, he was unable to contribute much going forward.
Steven Bergwijn - 5/10
Bergwijn was quiet throughout the game, however, he created the assist for Hojbjerg’s belter in the 49th minutes.
Harry Kane - 5/10
The Tottenham star suffered an ankle injury early in the first half and never really recovered. He was subbed at the break.
Son Heung-min - 5/10
Son opened the scoring within five minutes, but the goal was ruled out by the VAR as he had strayed offside. Other than that, there was nothing the 28-year-old could do without the injured Harry Kane.
Player ratings of the Tottenham substitutes
Harry Winks 5/10
The 24-year-old came on for Serge Aurier at half time but could not have the impact Jose Mourinho wanted
Erik Lamela 5/10
Lamela replaced the injured Harry Kane, but the gulf in quality between both players was quite glaring. He failed to test the Liverpool defense.
Gareth Bale 5/10
The Real Madrid loanee come on in the final 10 minutes of the game and made no impact whatsoever.
Player ratings for Liverpool
Alisson - 6/10
The Liverpool shot-stopper distributed the ball efficiently and was largely undisturbed throughout the game. However, there was nothing he could do about Hojbjerg’s stunner.
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8/10
A laudable performance from the Englishman, as he posed a constant threat to the Tottenham defense. He grabbed the Red’s second goal of the night, before setting up Sadio Mane with a beautifully whipped-in cross from deep for the third.
Joel Matip - 6/10
Matip stood his ground against both Son and Kane, making some great tackles and interceptions. He was hooked off at the break with reports of another injury.
Jordan Henderson - 8/10
A trademark classy performance from the Liverpool captain. He was played out of position as a center-back, but he coped well and was effective in the build-up to Liverpool's opener.
Andrew Robertson - 7/10
A quiet night from the full-back, but he performed brilliantly whenever called upon, creating a regular outlet down the left-hand side of the pitch.
Gini Wijnaldum - 7.510
The Netherlands international was a joy to watch as he effortlessly beat the Tottenham Hotspur’s press constantly. He played the deepest role in midfield, allowing Thiago Alcantara to roam freely.
Thiago Alcantara - 7/10
The former Bayern Munich man was the link between the attack and defense. He kept the Liverpool midfielde moving with perfectly weighted passes. He was booked early in the first half for a silly tackle on Harry Kane
James Milner - 7/10
The veteran midfielder put no foot wrong the entire game as he kept play going down the left flank with Andrew Robertson.
Mohamed Salah - 7/10
Salah was the major threat for Liverpool on the right flank, and he was a constant problem for the Tottenham defense.
He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet after his goal was ruled out by the video assistant referee for a handball in the build-up by Firmino.
Roberto Firmino - 7.5/10
Firmino opened the scoring from close range, bringing Liverpool’s scoreless run since the turn of the year to an end.
The Brazilian linked up well with the Liverpool attack but faded as the game progressed. He was replaced by Divock Origi in the 87th minute.
Sadio Mane - 9/10
A man of the match performance from the Senegalese superstar as he was involved in all three goals for Liverpool.
Mane squandered two big chance early in the game, but made up for them with an assist for Roberto Firmino, before burying Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross with a neatly taken shot.
Player ratings of the Liverpool substitutes
Nathaniel Phillips 5/10
A solid performance from the 23-year-old defender, who replaced the injured Joel Matip at half time. He got a yellow card five minutes after coming on, but remained calm throughout the game, finishing with two clearances and two tackles.
Curtis Jones - 5/10
Jones came on for Thiago Alcantara for the final 12 minutes of the game but could make no telling impact for Liverpool.
Divock Origi - N/A
The Belgian striker was subbed on in the 87th minute for goalscorer Roberto Firmino and did not have enough time to make any telling contributions.
