A strange game, though not so much out of the ordinary for these two teams under their current managers.
A classic Liverpool and a classic Jose Mourinho team, Tottenham Hotspur these days, met head on in the Premier League at Anfield to fight for the top of the table with a third of the season gone. The reigning Premier League champions won, courtesy of a late winner headed in by Roberto Firmino after Son Heung-min’s run cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s deflected opener in the first half.
Tight or not?
A look at the stats from this contest will tell you one thing; a look at the chances will tell you quite another. It was a game in which Liverpool had the ball in their possession for over three quarters of the playing time, 76% to Spurs’ 24%; in which they took a total of 17 shots compared to Spurs’ eight, hitting the target 11 times while the visitors only did it twice. The Reds attempted 807 passes with an accuracy of 88%; the north-Londoners 250, 61%. It’s quite obvious that the home side dominated the game from start to finish.
But they still could have easily suffered their first home defeat in the Premier League after three and a half years of ‘Fortress Anfield’. Spurs took the first real chance they had as Son escaped an offside trap (at least the VAR ruled that way) and beat Alisson Becker in a clear one-on-one. They also threatened pretty seriously early in the second half, most notably through Steven Bergwijn who wasted two glorious opportunities to turn the game around. Harry Kane also had two chances, probably not as clear-cut as those Bergwijn missed, but at least one of those was a type which the England captain usually buries into the net – a partially free header from close range.
And the visitors were eventually punished at the very death as Firmino showed the staring Kane how it’s done, taking advantage of an apparent misunderstanding between Toby Alderweireld and Kane to slam his header past Hugo Lloris.
Mane vs Aurier
As far as duels between specific players set against each other go, it was very interesting to watch the battles of Sadio Mane with Serge Aurier.
The Spurs right-back won most of their clashes, mostly by breathing down Mane’s neck whenever the ball went towards the Liverpool winger and engaging him in rather murky, half-wrestling contests. On the other hand, Mane changed his approach towards the end of the match, moving ever wider to receive passes and then turning towards his marker. Once face-to-face, he slid past Aurier several times and presented a real danger in the box.
Both players should be given credit for their dedication and desire, and even though it’s Mane’s team who took all the points, Aurier can hold his head high after this performance.
The Mourinho approach
Nobody expected anything different from Spurs at Anfield. This is the way they’ve been playing lately, and it has done a good job for them, at least until the 1-1 draw away to Crystal Palace three days before.
The thing is, if a team is going to defend and let the opposition have the ball and most of the pitch for so much of the 90 minutes, then the players simply must be fully focused from the first to the final whistle. There can be no mistakes, not even of the smallest kind, especially when facing opposition who boast world-class forwards that will likely make you pay for any lapse of concentration.
It should be said that Lloris in Spurs goal really did his bit, denying those forwards with excellent saves on numerous occasions. But there was nothing he could do with Salah’s deflected shot in the 26th minute, or Firmino’s excellent header. If the first goal can be classed as unlucky, the second one felt like it could have been prevented with better marking and communication. It was probably the only moment of the match when Alderweireld wasn’t at his best, though Kane appeared to have got in his way more than helped him.
Williams and Jones continue to impress
With Joel Matip out of the game through back issues while Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are unlikely to play again this season, Klopp named Rhys Williams alongside Fabinho in the heart of defence, giving the 19-year-old his Premier League debut. Apart from one shaky moment, a mistimed header which could have been costly, he was impeccable. He won numerous contests against Kane, often pressing the striker far into the Spurs half, and at other times defended his box with composure and commitment, not to mention ability.
Fabinho should also be given praise – the Brazilian midfileder looks quite a good defence commander in the absence of designated senior centre-backs. He actually looks like he’s been playing there all his life.
Curtis Jones, Liverpool’s midfielder of the same age as Williams, can now perhaps be said to have nailed down a regular starting spot in Jurgen Klopp’s team. Playing alongside the experience of captain Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum, he looked to be feeding off their influence and never out of place, which so many youngsters in this situation too often do.
All in all, Klopp will be pleased that this season, so riddled with injuries for his team, has yielded these two extremely talented players which seem fully capable of taking on full-time roles at the highest level.
The race goes on
Liverpool are now at the top of the Premier League table again with 28 points, while Spurs in second have 25. Southampton (believe it or not) are third with 24, as many as Leicester City in fourth. Then come Everton and Chelsea with 23 and 22, respectively, and then West Ham, another surprise, with 21. The two Manchester clubs are next with 20, the same number as Wolverhampton in 10 place.
The gaps are unusually narrow in all parts of the table after 13 rounds, and the season promises much more twists and turns than the English top flight has seen since Leicester won the title in 2016. Practically any team can overtake the one in front after one round, apart from Sheffield United who are nailed to the floor with just one point from 12 games.
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