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Jurgen Klopp’s in-form Liverpool side made the trip to north London to take on Tottenham Hotspur on matchday 18 of the Premier League. With Manchester City securing a 4-0 win over Newcastle United earlier in the day, the Reds needed a win to stay hot on their heels.
Unfortunately, a flurry of missed opportunities and some spirited play from Spurs denied them the opportunity to keep the pressure on the defending champions.
As Liverpool looked to work their way into the Tottenham box through patient build-up play, the hosts banked on quick counter-attacks. After squandering one decent chance, it was Spurs skipper Harry Kane who put the London side ahead. Dele Alli and Son Heung-min squandered a couple of great chances in the next few minutes and were duly punished by Liverpool.
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The Reds equalized 10 minutes before the first half, with Diogo Jota converting expertly from Andrew Robertson’s cross. The two teams continued to offer each other possession in the second half and kept missing decent opportunities. Robertson, who set up Liverpool’s first goal, once again popped up with a decisive touch, this time turning the ball in himself.
Spurs, however, did not let their intensity drop and restored parity after only five minutes through Son. Robertson then controversially saw a straight red in the 77th minute, forcing Liverpool to play with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
It was a mixed bag for Liverpool on Sunday, with some players underperforming while others lived up to the billing.
Here are two of the best and three worst performers for Liverpool in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Sunday:
Worst: Tyler Morton
Had it not been Tyler Morton’s first Premier League outing, he would have been higher on the list. The Liverpool Under-23 player operated as a right-central midfielder and tried his best to carry the ball forward.
However, he had a hard time adjusting to the pace of the game and provided little to no penetration.
In 60 minutes, he only had 32 touches, 23 accurate passes, and provided no key passes. Overall, a decent debut, but nothing to write home about.
Best: Andrew Robertson
Liverpool left-back Andrew Robertson missed a great chance in the early stages and then lost composure to see red in the closing moments.
However, he also set up Liverpool’s first goal and scored the second, meaning he practically won Liverpool the point at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
His passes were good, crosses better, and his work rate was top-notch as well. Overall, an impressive performance from the Scotland international, marred at the end by a moment of madness.
Worst: Mohamed Salah
Liverpool and Premier League’s leading goalscorer (15) this season Mohamed Salah has been sensational in almost every match he has played. Even if one keeps his ridiculous goalscoring aside, the Egyptian regularly contributes to the team’s build-up play.
Unlike most Premier League teams, Tottenham Hotspur looked unaffected by the Liverpool right-winger’s red-hot form. They simply cut his supply and forced him to remain in non-threatening areas.
In the first half, where most Liverpool and Tottenham forwards saw a lot of the ball, Salah was surprisingly deprived of it. The Egypt international did try a couple of neat exchanges, but the end product was lacking.
Perhaps Liverpool could have made the encounter a little easier by giving the ball to Salah a little more often. That way, he probably would have been able to pull further ahead in the Golden Boot race.
Best: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Trent Alexander-Arnold, one of the best full-backs in the world, fired on all cylinders against Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. The Englishman surged ahead regularly, put in threatening crosses into the area and was not shy of having a go at goal himself.
Alexander-Arnold forced two saves off Hugo Lloris, provided four key passes and assisted Robertson for Liverpool’s second goal.
The England international also won six duels, attempted four tackles, and performed a clearance. All in all, it was another excellent day at the office for Liverpool’s creator-in-chief on the right flank.
Worst: Alisson Becker
On his day, Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker is easily one of the best in the business. Against Tottenham, he probably endured one of his worst in the Premier League this season.
Alisson started the game with confidence and organized his backline with authority. Unfortunately, even his best efforts could not keep Harry Kane from hitting the back of the net in the 13th minute.
Despite conceding an early goal, Alisson recovered quickly and made a couple of great saves; first smothering Son’s chance before palming away Alli’s effort. Unfortunately, all of his good work was ultimately undone in the 74th minute when he misjudged the pace and positioning of the ball.
He rushed off his line to intercept Ben Davies’ ball towards Son, but got caught up in no-man’s-land, gifting the attacking team an open goal. The South Korean applied the finishing touch to make it 2-2.
