5 things to take away from the Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur game

It did not turn out to be the exhilarating match that we all craved for and expected from two attacking sides. At least not initially. A rather dull match exploded into life towards the end as Liverpool and Tottenham played out a 2-2 draw at Anfield.

It was a potential six-pointer for two sides competing with each other for a top-four finish. In the end, both had to share the spoils.

After an early goal from Mohamed Salah, it was Tottenham who took the attack to Liverpool, as the home side, especially in the second half, resorted to sending long balls from deep to their pacy widemen.

The last 15 minutes produced a stunning long-range shot, a missed penalty, a near-perfect imitation of Lionel Messi and, of course, a last-minute penalty to equalize.

Goals:

Mohamed Salah 3', 90+1' (Liverpool)

Victor Wanyama 80' (Tottenham Hotspur)

Harry Kane 90+5' (P) (Tottenham Hotspur)

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#5 When Harry met Salah

Nobody expected Salah to score 20 goals this season

It was the meeting of the two top-scorers in the league - Harry Kane on 21 and Mohamed Salah on 19. Both players have been in electrifying form this season. The Golden Boot's surprise contender, Salah, was up against its winner in each of the two previous seasons.

Salah managed to go level with Kane with two strikes, the first of which made him the fastest Liverpool player to score 20 Premier League goals beating Daniel Sturridge and Fernando Torres. But that was before Kane scored his 100th career Premier League goal to pull ahead again.

Kane was silent for most of the match and had previously missed one penalty before dispatching his second in the dying minutes of the game with the kind of ferocity that we've been accustomed to seeing from him, and was lacking in the first.

Salah is the first Liverpool player since 2013-14 to score 20 goals in the league in a season, silencing fans and pundits alike who, earlier in the season were lambasting Liverpool for not signing a 20-goal-a-season striker.

The finale to this exciting sub-plot is set to light up the Premier League.

#4 Liverpool's midfield lack creativity

Liverpool's midfield produced only 1 key pass the whole game

It was an uninspiring performance yet again from Liverpool's midfield. Although they managed to stifle Spurs in the first half, towards the end they looked fatigued and were run over my Spurs' diamond in midfield.

Emre Can, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum (substitute) made just 1 key pass between them and had an xA (expected assist) of 0.10. It is clear that the influence of a certain magician is missing in the Liverpool ranks.

Hopefully, for them, Adam Lallana's return will inject some much-needed creativity to the Reds' midfield. Wijnaldum, especially, has been insipid and needs to quickly return to last season's form.

#3 Referees under the spotlight

Jon Moss and Eddie Smart (both in black) came under a lot of pressure

Referee Jon Moss and Assistant Referee Eddie Smart came under unwanted attention after a series of controversial decisions.

A questionable penalty was awarded to Tottenham after Kane fell in the box from minimal contact from Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius. The big question was whether Kane was offside in the buildup to the goal. He had a long discussion with Smart on the touchline and deemed Dejan Lovren to have got a touch on the ball, thereby negating the offside decision.

However, there was a counter-argument that since Kane had made a move for the ball, which in turn forced Lovren to attempt to clear the ball and that therefore, since Kane was involved in play, it should have been offside.

Either way, the offside rules are highly ambiguous and clarity needs to be brought in as soon as possible.

The second penalty for a challenge on Erik Lamela by Virgil van Dijk also split opinion as Smart overruled Moss's initial decision.

#2 Dele Alli's diving streak

Alli's third booking of the season for diving

One thing Jon Moss was able to get spot on, though, was Dele Alli's dive in the second half, for which he was rightly booked. That was Alli's third booking for diving this season, and he is garnering an unhealthy reputation among the Premier League referees as well as opposition fans.

Mauricio Pochettino would do well to chat with him over a cup of coffee and make him understand that it makes no sense to dive. Even if he manages to cheat the referee, he will be banned for the next two games.

Currently, if a referee doesn't spot a dive and gives a penalty, the FA can take retrospective action and suspend the player for two matches.

However, there will be no action taken if the referee spots the dive. The FA needs to extend retrospective action to players who have already been sanctioned in-game by the referees.

#1 Spurs away record fails to improve

Spurs have a dismal away record against the 'Big Six'

After this draw, in their last 19 away games against the five of the other 'Big Six', Tottenham have only won once (7D, 11L), and Mauricio Pochettino recently blamed this record for their title struggles.

In contrast, they have won ten of their last 18 home games against the top six and only lost thrice.

That is, of course, a great improvement from their mediocre years, but this Spurs team is capable of better performances away from home.

Their next big game away is at Stamford Bridge and it could be a decisive game in the chase for the UEFA Champions League spots. Spurs would hope to change this dismal record starting against their London rivals.