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Tottenham visited Anfield on Sunday level on points with Manchester United. However, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were still third in the table, owing to a better goal difference. But Pochettino knew that a defeat or a draw at Anfield would give Arsenal a chance to leapfrog them to third place. As such, he had a lot at stake, but he was not the only manager under pressure.
Jurgen Klopp knew that if Manchester City won all their remaining games, they would be crowned Champions come May. The best his team could do was win all of their 7 games in the Premier League and hope that Guardiola’s men falter along the way.
Liverpool started the game brighter and scored in the 16th minute through Firmino. But Tottenham came out stronger in the second half and equalized through Lucas Moura in the 70th minute. However, things fell out of place for Tottenham in the end, as an own goal from Alderweireld in the 90th minute gave Liverpool all three points.
Klopp will be delighted with the gutsy display from his men but will be thankful to these three men who won the game for Liverpool.
#3. Sadio Mane
The Senegalese came into the game in red hot form and even though Mane failed to score, he gave a good account of himself on the pitch. He caused Tottenham all sorts of trouble from the left side, where his clever movements and ball control opened up opportunities for the home team.
Mane combined well with his attacking partners and made quite a few good runs into the box himself. However, he could not churn out clear cut opportunities for himself. His speed always looked threatening on the counter and had Salah been a little unselfish, the Senegalese could have scored a goal in the second half, after Liverpool broke away in speed.
Mane also contributed at the back, tracking back religiously and helping his team out on many occasions. He dropped down on the left and helped Robertson cope with the growing threat of Tottenham. Mane even initiated counter attacks from the deep by winning back the ball. His work ethics helped Liverpool maintain the momentum and win the game.
#2. Roberto Firmino
Jurgen Klopp has immense faith in the Brazilian. This is mainly because Firmino brings a lot more to the game than just goals. And against Tottenham, the Brazilian once against showed just why he is so crucial to this Liverpool team.
Firmino started the game under heavy attention from the Tottenham defense. His every movement was tracked and the Brazilian was closed down continuously by the away team. Tottenham tried to deny Firmino any space to operate, but the Brazilian showed his cleverness to ensure that he continued to have an impact.
He combined well with Salah and Mane and also dropped down to cause his markers all sorts of troubles. But it was in the 16th minute that Firmino made his mark on the game. He followed Robertson’s cross well and got between the Tottenham defense to head home from close range. It gave Liverpool the perfect start and helped them win the game.
#1. Andrew Robertson
The Scottish left back is one of the best in the world right now and put another stellar display against Tottenham on Sunday. Tottenham had deployed Trippier as a wingback in a bid to stop the Liverpool left back’s forward runs. But as the game progressed, it was clear that Liverpool man had too much quality in him for Trippier to handle.
Robertson was tireless on the left as usual, relentless in his desire to join the attack, but responsible enough to drop back to stop the away team when required. As the game progressed though, Robertson grew in stature and became a menace for the Tottenham team.
Robertson combined well with Mane and Milner but was the star of the show himself. He was always in space to receive the balls from the midfield, run at the defense and send in crosses. From one such attacking move, Robertson sent in a gem of a ball for Firmino to head in and give Liverpool the lead.
Robertson was also crucial for his team in the back, making crucial interventions and saving Erikson from scoring with the open goal at his mercy. It was also from his ball into the box that Salah forced an error from Lloris, which led to the own goal from Alderweireld.
