Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur played out an entertaining draw on Saturday afternoon as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
Liverpool scored the first goal of the game at White Hart Lane when James Milner converted a penalty late in the first half after Erik Lamela brought down Roberto Firmino in the box.
Despite coming close time and again, the Reds failed to add to their goal tally and were duly punished when Spurs left-back Danny Rose pounced on a loose ball in the box and volleyed it home in the 72nd minute.
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We bring to you the 5 talking points from the game.
#1 Liverpool started another game poorly
An issue that has plagued The Reds so far this season is their inability to control the game at the start and the same issue resurfaced against Spurs.
The side began the game poorly, as they looked out of their depths in the opening 15 minutes of the game.
They gave away possession cheaply, were physically outmuscled by Spurs and offered a lot of time and space to the likes of Lamela and Eriksen.
However, unlike Arsenal and Burnley, who capitalised on Liverpool’s nerves in the previous games, Spurs failed to fully utilise the opportunities that came their way and truly test Simon Mignolet.
However, Liverpool side grew as the game progressed and truly dominated the game from the 15th minute onwards. Despite Spurs fielding a congested midfield with the likes of Wanyama and Dier in it, the Reds managed to find space to operate in and looked more threatening for the rest of the game.
#2 Coutinho goes missing again
The Brazilian has been hailed as the player whose abilities could make or break Liverpool’s chances of any silverware in the season. The silky player began the season on a high, scoring twice in the victory over Arsenal.
However, he has a tendency to go missing in games and he has shown his inconsistency in his side’s recent draw with Burnley and the draw against Spurs.
He should have put the Reds ahead in the 5th minute when he was presented with only Michel Vorm to beat. He did not and the miss proved to be costly as his side could only eke out a single point from the fixture.
Even though he did try to make up for the miss, his efforts proved futile with Vorm proving to be a tough man to beat.
He was wasteful with his passing, was dispossessed on a number of occasions and failed to add to the creativity of his side.
With the season still young, Klopp will be worried about Coutinho’s inconsistency, around whom Klopp wishes to build his attacking.
#3 The future of Daniel Sturridge is under the scanner
The future of Daniel Sturridge has come under doubt after he was dropped from the starting line-up despite being.
The English international did himself no favours by saying that he does not prefer playing in wide positions, and the decision to bench him could be Jurgen Klopp’s way of telling him that he can either fall in line with his ways or find himself a new team.
Sturridge has had his off-the-field issues with the management in the past and could look for a move away from the club, should he continue to feature in wide positions.
Klopp, possibly, sent another statement of intent when he brought on Divock Origi ahead of Sturridge. But, it may have been a tactical decision given Origi’s strengths at running the channels and ably supporting the striker.
#4 Spurs do not look intimidating
Despite the score line and major statistics largely suggesting that there was nothing to separate the two sides, one has to admit that Spurs do not look intimidating.
Having finished 3rd in the league last season, a lot is expected of Spurs in this season, with many deeming them good enough to lift the coveted trophy come the end of the season.
However, the side does not look intimidating enough at the moment, and were outplayed by Liverpool in all departments of the game and have Michel Vorm to thank for the point they gained today.
The problem could be the inability of the side’s main strikers – Harry Kane and Vincent Janssen to get on the score sheet. Neither of them looked like they were going to find the back of the net during the game, which is a worrying sign for the club.
With a lot at stake, Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping that Kane can get back to his goal scoring ways so as to ensure that Spurs regain their status as one of the top sides in the league.
#5 Michel Vorm put in a world-class performance
Despite being an understudy to Hugo Lloris since his move from Swansea, with extended playing time, Michel Vorm is beginning to show why he was amongst the league’s highly rated goalkeepers a few seasons ago.
The injury to Lloris has meant that Vorm has played every league game so far and the fact that he has conceded just two goals serves as a testament of his abilities.
He began the evening on an excellent note, making a critical save off Philipe Coutinho to deny the Brazilian a clear goal scoring opportunity. He followed it up with some impressive clearances to deny the quick Sadio Mane and was in complete control of his box for large durations of the game.
A key development at White Hart Lane ever since Pochettino took charge of the club is their ability to bring in replacements for key players without affecting the overall performance of the team.
While it was Kevin Wimmer, who proved to be an able replacement for Jan Vertonghen last season, it looks like Vorm’s form could mean a tough fight for the starting spot for Lloris, when he gets fit.
