Tottenham fail to Turn up as Liverpool keep climbing

What Happened?

Liverpool won comfortably at Wembley 2-1 against Tottenham. What a fixture to start off the premier league after the international break! There is so much at stake. It didn't live up to the hype though with Liverpool coming through comfortably. The scoreline, however, doesn't tell that story. It could have ended in a draw with Son denied a penalty for a foul in the very last minute of the extra time. With 5 wins out of 5 Liverpool hold on to the top spot in the table.

First Half

The game started as expected with Liverpool running out of the blocks at Tottenham causing plenty of problems in the first 10-12 Minutes. Liverpool also had a goal disallowed for offside in the 3rd minute. Tottenham grew in the game after 15 minutes although this seemed more to do with Liverpool hanging back and waiting for Tottenham to make a mistake. The Liverpool forward line kept probing the Tottenham defence, who were starting from the back too often uncomfortably. Tottenham only managed to put some long balls in the Liverpool defence but to no avail.

The game continued to be scrappy with no one really taking hold of the midfield. For Liverpool, that was the way they were set up to attack on the counter. Tottenham, on the other hand, were just sloppy. A back pass in the Tottenham defence went to Sane who managed to get a corner out of it. The resulting corner into the 6yard box wasn't dealt with properly by Vorm. The ball bounced to Wijnaldum who headed it in only for Vorm to push it out after it was over the line. Referee Michael Oliver blew the whistle after receiving confirmation from the Goal-line Technology. Liverpool were ahead in the 39th minute.

Second Half

The second half started with Liverpool banging on the door again. Mane forced Vorm into parrying the ball away from a move which started by Spurs losing the ball again in the midfield. A couple of minutes later Moura had the best chance of the game for Tottenham. Moura picked up the ball on the left flank and ran past the Liverpool defence only to shoot on the first post. With the goal at his mercy he could have very well put it anywhere he liked. The run reminded of the kind Mo Salah is known for.

A few minutes later Liverpool found the net again in the 54th minute. This time it was Firmino. Mane cut back across from the left which wasn't dealt with by Alderweireld. The ball bounced off Vertonghen on to the post and then off of Vorm and into the path of Firmino who tapped it in. There was a chance for Vorm to grab the ball after it bounced off of him but all he managed to do was grab all the air around the ball. Hugo was missed, needless to say.

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool FC - Premier League

With their defence and midfield in shambles, Tottenham could not get a proper attack together until the 5 minutes of extra time. Erik Lamela who had come on for Dembele blasted the ball into the Liverpool goal in the 93rd minute. It was lucky that the ball found him through all the bodies across the Liverpool goal all the way at the second post.

Tottenham had their tails up and there was time for one last attack. Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp smiled as he expected his team to give Tottenham one more chance and they lived up to his expectation. However, he got very very lucky as the Referee denied Tottenham a certain penalty for a foul on Son by Sadio Mane.

As Liverpool march on, questions will be asked of Tottenham who failed to turn up. Had Liverpool been a little more ruthless with their finishing they would have finished at least a couple more of their 17 shots. After the Watford loss, Pochettino would have expected a reaction from his men who lack the winning mentality and season after season underdeliver.

What's next...

Tottenham goes to InterMilan on the 18th September for their first Champions League game and comes back to play away at Brighton on the Weekend. Liverpool starts their campaign in the champions league before coming back to play Southampton at home.