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Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 Liverpool
Goals: Spurs - Kane 4', 46', Son 12', Alli 45+2'
Liverpool - Salah 24'
After commanding performances in the Champions League, both Tottenham and Liverpool came into this game with extra belief and confidence. This game was billed as an entertainer but sadly, only one team made its true appearance in front of a record appearance at Wembley. Spurs humiliated Liverpool 4-1 to maintain their winning run in the league and bring the Reds back to earth after their 7-0 drubbing of Maribor in Europe.
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Harry Kane scored one and assisted one in the first 12 minutes. Mohammad Salah pulled one back for the visitors on the first quarter mark but Dele Alli scored Spurs' third right on the first half whistle. Kane scored his second in the 56th minute to seal a brilliant win for the title contenders. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the five talking points from a serious humbling of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool from Pochettino's high flying Spurs:
#5 Spurs continue their dream week
After a solid display at the Santiago Bernabeu, Spurs needed to turn up the heat in the league against one of the elite opponents and how well they did they do that! Ruthless can be the perfect word to describe Spurs going forward against the Reds whereas decisive can be said to describe their defending. The Londoners were sharp from the first whistle, counter pressed the masters of that technique and hit them on the counter-attack with numbers.
A draw against Real Madrid and a resounding win against Liverpool has taken Spurs to 20 points - level with Manchester United. Pochettino is now unbeaten in 12 matches this season and also looks to have put their Wembley troubles to rest. Spurs have won three consecutive games at their temporary home, conceding just once. Adding to that, this victory was the Spurs' first one over Liverpool in 10 attempts, the last win for the North London side coming back in 2012 which makes today's win extra special.
#4 Dejan Lovren may have had his last chance to prove himself
The Croatian centre-back has frankly been given more chances to resurrect his Liverpool career than he deserves. His errors have cost the team time and again but his display against Spurs should end all doubts about his future and role at the club. This was truly one of the worst individual performances that one can remember from a Liverpool player in the Premier League.
Lovren was just not at it today, being at fault for the first two goals. He was agonizingly slow to react to a lobbed pass for Harry Kane for the first and failed to clear with his head from a Hugo Lloris throw for the second. The centre-back was terrified at the sight of Harry Kane and each one of his touches looked like creating another opening for the hosts.
He was substituted on the half hour mark with Jurgen Klopp rightly taking him off the field of action. Lovren was just not ready for the task at hand and deserved a walk of shame back to the bench in the first 30 minutes itself. One can have bad days on the field but this was worse than that. A lot worse. The word catastrophe will feel shy about itself after learning about Lovren's performance.
#3 Heung Min Son shows the strength in Spurs' depth
At a time when Liverpool were missing Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Lallana and Sadio Mane, Spurs started the game without their original midfield duo and their regular fullbacks. But the player which caught the eye was the South Korean international, Heung Min Son. Or a player who could be safely termed as the best 'squad player' in the Premier League.
Son scored Spurs' second of the night, latching onto a Harry Kane ball before brilliantly finishing it past Simon Mignolet. Just moments after, Son hit the upright after shooting from the right-hand side and had another opportunity which was saved by the legs of the Belgian. The forward could have had a hattrick tonight in the first 30 minutes of the game.
Son can be said as the perfect player to coach for Pochettino and his staff. He never complains about his playing time, gives his all when he receives his chance and makes the most of every given opportunity. The South Korean is one of the reasons why Spurs can challenge the might of the Manchester clubs - by giving the Lilywhites strength in numbers and more importantly, by having the quality to share the workload with Harry Kane.
#2 Liverpool's defensive circus with Jurgen Klopp as the ringmaster
Suicidal. No other feeling comes to mind when thinking about Liverpool's backline. In football, there is a player in every team who becomes a liability, at times, for his side. In this Liverpool side, the entire back four along with their goalkeeper has become a huge liability in the past few years.
The Reds' defensive unit has been shambolic, to say the least and it has to be said that Jurgen Klopp must share the blame for this. He has had enough time to identify the mistakes and ask for recruitments in the transfer market. Instead, he has opted to trust the players at his disposal which have time and again disappointed him. Klopp's loyalty may become the biggest reason for his downfall if the German fails to deliver for the Anfield outfit.
Liverpool have conceded 15 away goals in the Premier League this season - more than Crystal Palace and West Ham United. You can't compete for the titles and be considered as a top club if you have a porous defence as bad as that of Liverpool's. Klopp needs to take some strong steps (just like he took by making a bold substitution in the first half) in the winter transfer market to bring in defensive reinforcements and keep afloat a sinking ship.
#1 Harry Kane is the league's MVP
There is a reason why Real Madrid are looking to break the transfer record to bring on board a striker that guarantees goals. Harry Kane has been in sensational form this season and continued his September form against Liverpool. Scoring two, Kane was a constant thorn in the Reds' way and also delivered an assist for the second goal.
Today's double takes Kane's tally to 17 this season - the highest in Europe. He also scored his first home league goal of the season at Wembley. Kane showed tremendous work rate against Liverpool and was one of the liveliest players on the field. Though Liverpool made matters easy for Spurs with their Sunday league defending, it needed a man like Kane to finish those chances with ease. Spurs and Harry Kane are on a roll with the striker's valuation going up with each goal scored.
