Liverpool came away with all three points at Anfield through a penalty from Salah. Kane gave Tottenham the lead inside 1 minute but Henderson levelled in the second half and Salah got the decisive goal from the spot.
The team selection from Liverpool was the same midfield as Manchester United, which struggled to break down their dogged defence. Pochettino brought back Eriksen and Alderweireld but Vertonghen was not involved.
I thought Kane would score late on, but him scoring so early probably surprised himself. On their first attack, Sissoko drove through and played the ball wide to Son. His shot deflected off Lovren, hit the post and fell to Kane who nodded in. 47 seconds in and Tottenham were ahead.
For the rest of the match, Liverpool dominated everywhere. Chances came for Salah, Firmino and van Dijk but the Reds couldn't find the back of the net. United were very good at stopping Liverpool from attacking from wide areas but Tottenham did not provide the same pressure. They got deeper and deeper as Liverpool got closer and closer.
The best chance of the first half for Liverpool came through Mane. Alexander-Arnold whipped in a fantastic ball (a feature throughout the entire game) but Mane tried to head the ball to the near post, completely missing it. Half time had arrived and mainly down to Gazzaniga's amazing display, Liverpool weren't winning.
Before Liverpool had a real chance in the second half, Tottenham were almost 2-0 up. Son easily shrugged off Lovren, who struggled all day long against the South Korean and Kane, rounded Alisson and smashed a shot off the bar. A big let off for Liverpool.
A goal did come eventually and through captain Jordan Henderson. After a poor first half, Henderson struck after it seemed Firmino had been pushed and Gazzaniga had finally been beaten. Everybody in the ground could only see Liverpool winning from here.
Liverpool continued to press for the lead and won a penalty to get it. Mane got his body in front of the liability Aurier and the Ivorian kicked Mane in the back of the leg - a stonewall penalty. Salah drilled hard and low with Gazzaniga rooted to the spot. The Reds had fought hard and got what they deserved.
Tottenham looked more threatening on the counter attack in the second half than the first. Danny Rose blazed over a great opportunity and right at the end, Alderweireld headed straight at Alisson.
With their lead cut to three points, Liverpool winning was a must. It is now a six point advantage and no one can deny they didn't deserve the win. Tottenham are 11th, even Manchester United are above them in 7th. It wasn't a good performance from Spurs but not as bad as some may have expected.
Comments
Post a Comment