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Roberto Firmino’s 90th-minute winner propelled Liverpool to a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in a top of the table clash at Anfield that saw the Reds topple Spurs from the number one spot in the standings.
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Earlier, Son Heung-min had restored parity for the visiting side just a few minutes after Mohamed Salah had given Liverpool the lead in the first half.
Liverpool started in the ascendancy, dictating the pace of the game with a series of measured passes in the Spurs half. Their opponents adopted a deep defensive position and waited for chances to hit on the break.
Liverpool were rewarded for their efforts in the 26th minute through Salah. The Egyptian pounced on a loose ball on the edge of the area and saw his deflected shot loop over a helpless Hugo Lloris into the Spurs goal.
However, it wasn’t long after the opening goal that Spurs’ gameplan came good. The visiting side hit back with a sharp counter-attack that Son finished off with an unerring strike into the bottom corner.
Despite Liverpool maintaining their dominance in possession in the second half, Spurs had the best chances to take the lead. Steven Bergwijn hit the post before Harry Kane headed wide from close range moments later.
Spurs were left to rue their missed opportunities late on, as Firmino powered home a bullet header from a corner in the 90th minute to win Liverpool the game and maintain their perfect record at home this season.
On that note, let’s take a look at the hits and flops from an engrossing match at Anfield.
#1 Hit: Giovani Lo Celso
Despite being replaced by Lucas Moura a few minutes before the hour mark, Lo Celso was able to make quite a telling impact on the match during his time on the pitch.
Drafted into the starting eleven to replace Tanguy Ndombele, the Argentine international partnered Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the center of the Spurs midfield. Lo Celso was often the link between defense and attack for Spurs.
It was Lo Celso’s precise through ball that set Son on his way for the equalizer. The Argentine drove forward into midfield before squeezing the pass through for his teammate to score.
For all his attacking contributions, Lo Celso did not shirk his defensive duties. He was often found clearing the ball away from goal in his own penalty area in addition to making a few tackles to stop a number of Liverpool moves to develop.
#2 Flop: Serge Aurier
Serge Aurier has shown himself to be capable of making errors with worrying regularity during his time in England. Unsurprisingly, many thought that Aurier’s run in the Spurs starting lineup would come to an end with the summer signing of Matt Doherty from Wolves.
However, the Ivorian has raised his game admirably in this campaign, taking advantage of every opportunity given to him in the Spurs side this season. Aurier seems to have reclaimed the right-back spot from his Irish teammate for the time being.
Unfortunately for Spurs, it was the error-prone Aurier of old rather than this season’s solid, tough-tackling, and dependable version that took to the field against Liverpool. He found himself in all sorts of trouble virtually from the first whistle.
Aurier seemed all at sea when up against the trickery of Sadio Mane, the overlapping runs of Andy Robertson, and the well-timed advances of Curtis Jones. He was caught out of position time and again by Liverpool’s attack-minded players.
Were it not for the defensive cover afforded to him by Moussa Sissoko, Aurier could have found himself in serious trouble as he struggled to cope with Mane throughout the game. The latter seemed to be able to go past him with relative ease on multiple occasions.
#3 Hit: Curtis Jones
A number of injuries in the Liverpool squad, in addition to a dip in form for certain players in his position, has meant that Curtis Jones has enjoyed an extended run in the Liverpool starting eleven across all competitions this season.
Against Spurs, Jones lined up alongside Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum in a midfield three. He was given the license to drift across the field and pop up in all sorts of promising positions.
It was due to the English youngster’s fast feet that Liverpool were able to fashion the chance that led to their opener. Jones even had a chance to extend his side’s lead with a speculative effort that was well gathered by Lloris.
Jones’ intuitive positioning, clever runs, and excellent range of passing, among other attractive qualities, have really caught the eye of the footballing world. And he certainly seems to be one for Liverpool’s future.
#4 Flop: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Having established himself as one of the world’s premier attacking full-backs after racking up a number of goals and assists over the past couple of seasons, Trent Alexander-Arnold has failed to hit the same heights this season.
Although injury has limited his game time in this campaign, Alexander-Arnold has only managed one assist this season and failed to add to that tally in this encounter.
The probing crosses that the Englishman usually plays in with almost laser-guided precision onto the heads of his side’s attackers have been absent thus far this season. Unfortunately for Liverpool, they were not on display against Spurs either.
Furthermore, Alexander-Arnold was caught out of position for Spurs’ equalizer, with Son exploiting the vacant space left behind by the Liverpool right-back to score.
While Liverpool are good value for their position in the current league table, Alexander-Arnold’s form will be an area that they will surely be an area they will be looking to improve in going forward.
#5 Hit: Hugo Lloris
Given Spurs’ cautious, defensive-minded setup and the attacking options in the Liverpool ranks, Hugo Lloris would have expected to be facing a number of shots at his goal before the match began.
That was exactly what ensued, with Liverpool taking advantage of Spurs sitting deep to send a barrage of efforts raining down on their goal. All of those attempts were dealt with admirably by Lloris.
The Spurs skipper pulled off a series of fine saves to deny Jones, Salah, and Firmino during the course of the game, showing extremely safe hands and excellent athleticism. He also commanded his box well, as he came out to claim a few crosses with great authority.
For his efforts in goal, Lloris was unfortunate to see his clean sheet sullied by a deflected effort that looped over his head into the net. The powerful header that arrowed into the top corner for the winner was a pity too, as both efforts rendered him absolutely helpless.
