Jota declares Liverpool are ´back´ after breaking Tottenham hearts in seven-goal thriller

Diogo Jota declared Liverpool are “back” after his last-gasp strike fired them to a 4-3 victory over fellow European hopefuls Tottenham at Anfield.

Liverpool looked set for a resounding win when goals from Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah put them 3-0 up within 15 minutes against a Spurs side bereft of confidence.

However, Tottenham staged a remarkable fightback as Harry Kane and Son Heung-min reduced the arrears before Richarlison dragged them level in the third minute of stoppage time.

But there was one final twist to come as Jota took advantage of Lucas Moura’s misplaced pass to score the winner just 99 seconds after Tottenham had levelled things up.

Asked if Liverpool were back to their best after claiming a fourth successive Premier League win, Jota told Sky Sports: “Yeah. It feels great, and we just need to keep on going.

“We made it hard for ourselves. After being 3-0 up, we need to avoid being in this situation. But then in the end, it was a day to remember, especially for me, of course; the winner is always something special.

“Everyone dreams of scoring a last-minute winner. I saw the ball that wasn’t properly defended, I believed I could score, and it was fantastic.”

Diogo Jota plays for Liverpool pic.twitter.com/hISJ6RRHU0

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 30, 2023

With Salah netting Liverpool’s third after just 14 minutes and 16 seconds, the Reds have only been 3-0 up at an earlier stage of one previous Premier League game – in the eighth minute against Aston Villa in March 1996.

While he was delighted by Jota’s dramatic intervention, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was keen to ensure Liverpool learned from squandering a comfortable lead.

“It was crazy. What a game,” Alexander-Arnold said. “These are the games we love to play in. A fantastic ending to a game. It’s the stuff you love to see, to be honest.

“It’s not so much relief, it’s just celebration. It was about pushing to get the winner again. We went from disappointment to sheer joy in a matter of minutes, and it’s an outstanding way to win.

“There’s a lot we need to learn. We can’t be drawing 3-3 when we’re 3-0 up. That’s not what top sides do, we needed to put the game to bed. They fought back, fair play to them.”