Liverpool overcame their recent abysmal form to claim their first Premier League win of 2021 with a 3-1 victory away to Tottenham.
Liverpool entered the game coming off a shock defeat at home to Burnley, having not picked up three points since their 7-0 rout of Crystal Palace in mid-December – a run winless league run stretching back to five games.
But strikes from Roberto Firmino, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane saw them claim their first away win of the year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and put an end to their four-game goalless streak in the top flight too.
The win came at a cost for the victors though, as they will now prepare to take on a difficult February schedule with even fewer centre backs. Joel Matip, who started the game in defence alongside Jordan Henderson, damaged ankle ligaments during the match in a big blow to manager Jurgen Klopp. Defensive midfielder Fabinho, who has been filling in at centre back, missed the fixture entirely due to a ‘minor muscle issue’ to compound matters.
Injuries aside, Klopp can be satisfied now that at least one of Liverpool’s major issues – that is, lack of goal production – seems no longer to be a problem.
The same cannot be said for Spurs, however, as the league’s assists leader Harry Kane is expected to ‘miss a few weeks’ due to ankle injuries sustained in the match-up.
The game began as was anticipated, with each team challenging one another from the whistle – demonstrated early on, when in answer to Mane’s missed opportunity from close, Spurs countered. Son Heung-min was played through by Kane and finished in the net, though VAR disallowed the goal.
The early chance was a wake-up call for the Reds though, as they upped the physicality to shut down the dynamic duo, proving that the late penalty against Burnley had not discouraged them, as Matip and Henderson dealt big blows – blows which saw the Kane leave the game at half-time.
Liverpool as always remained relentless with their efforts, with Alexander-Arnold and James Milner continuously forcing the ball into the box. But it would take until the final minute of added time before the Reds finally broke through, with captain Henderson playing a ball over the top to Mane, who neatly laid it off for a tap in from Firmino – the goal hero who scored the winner in the final minutes of the reverse fixture earlier this season.
But while it took until added time for a goal in the first half, the second half saw them in abundance, starting with a goal from Alexander-Arnold, as he capitalised on Hugo Lloris’ poor save from Mane’s effort.
Their two-goal cushion could not last as long as they hoped, as just minutes later Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg received the ball on the edge of the Liverpool area, striking it perfectly past Alisson Becker, and keeping Spurs’ hopes alive.
Liverpool’s comfortable lead was regained once again on 65 minutes however, as this time Alexander-Arnold played in a cross to the six-yard box, which was calmly seen to by Mane for the fourth and final goal of the game.
The win moves Liverpool back into the top-four, now four points behind league leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
As for Tottenham, they currently sit in sixth place behind West Ham. They too have played one match less than the reigning league champions, though are joint on points with Everton, who have played only 18 games this season (league lowest, tied with Aston Villa).
While the Premier League remains fluid, with teams trading places in the table each week, this loss could easily prove costly for Spurs, as they find themselves struggling to keep up with the title contenders.
Fortunately for Tottenham, they play 17th placed Brighton on Sunday, before facing struggling London rivals, Chelsea – presenting an opportunity to make up for points lost in this 3-1 defeat.
Meanwhile, Liverpool face an improved West Ham side to finish January, before taking on a challenging February schedule, which will see them welcome Brighton in their first home game after their devastating loss to Burnley, before squaring off against league leaders Manchester City, Leicester and Merseyside rivals, Everton.
By Kit McIntosh
