'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Final scoreline: Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Goalscorers: Mo Salah (3' 90+1') Victor Wanyama 80' Harry Kane 90+5'
You couldn't script it better. 90 minutes of a blitzed out end to end gig, the ground getting thoroughly ploughed, bodies zipping back and forth, endless labour, primetime performances and a tortuous finale to boot. Welcome to the Premier League!
A game of two halves unfolded at the storied battleground of Anfield as emotions wig-wagged, leaving us short of breath and sucked in by the adrenaline.
Mo' Salah took the lead for Liverpool in the third minute of the game as Klopp's men looked all set for further embellishment of the Anfield fortress. Liverpool didn't take their chances and Spurs grew back into the contest and all that pressure culminated in the sweetest of strikes from Wanyama, which placed the game back on level terms.
Tottenham then missed a chance to ruffle Scouse hearts as Harry Kane missed from the spot as Anfield roared some life back into Klopp's men. Mo Salah then delivered what looked like the knockout blow to Tottenham with a swashbuckling solo goal before Harry Kane scored in the very last minute of the game from a controversial penalty.
Oh, there is plenty to talk about. So let's get to it.
#5 Sunday night entertainment couldn't have got better
Jurgen Klopp's heavy metal machine found its match in Mauricio Pochettino's industrial unit. Two high-pressing teams kept squeezing possession out of each other and rarely came down the gears.
Liverpool were all over Tottenham in the first half and should have maybe scored at least one more for all the chances they were able to carve out. But Spurs came back strongly in the second half and the match had as dramatic an ending as any we have seen in the recent past.
We saw 2 absolute screamers. 2 goals that could go on to be contenders for the Goal of the season. First was a Wanyama shot missile that the woodwork will be happy it missed and this was followed by a Messi-esque moment of magic from Mohamed Salah. Harry Kane had missed from the spot after a penalty was awarded in controversial circumstances.
As Liverpool looked all set to seal all 3 points, Tottenham was awarded yet another penalty, once again under questionable circumstances. This time though, Harry Kane dispatched it with ease much to the dismay of the Anfield faithful. The finale is bound to be debated for days and maybe months to come.
But that was one cracker of a match.
#4 Can we please get VAR?
Liverpool seemed to have cleared their lines and thwarted what was probably the last Spurs attack of the match when the linesman ruled Virgil Van Dijk guilty of kicking Erik Lamela inside the area. But replays showed that Van Dijk did not follow through with his kick and it looked more like Lamela ran right into it. But there was contact, no doubt.
Jon Moss relented to the linesman's theory and awarded a penalty kick to Spurs. Harry Kane slotted home coolly as the Liverpool players continued berating the linesman. Even Jurgen Klopp had a go at him.
Earlier in the 84th minute, Harry Kane had missed from the spot. But that felt like justice at the time given the circumstances, once again. Harry Kane was clearly offside when the ball was played and looked like he went down to minimal contact. After holding a long discussion with the linesman, Moss pointed to the spot much to the frustration of the Reds.
Just take all your anti-VAR arguments and put it in a bottle and send it floating in the sea. There really is nothing wrong with getting things right for heaven's sake. Use the technology. Spare the referee. If the warriors of the web take the blame route tonight, there's no guessing what we're in for.
Save us all the trouble and just get the darn thing.
#3 A point that means 2 things to 2 teams
Liverpool would feel disappointed for having let go of 2 points at home. They failed to exact revenge on Pochettino's men for the thrashing they received at Wembley. They'd be all the more gutted due to the fashion in which it unfurled.
Tottenham, on the other hand, will feel relieved about that point. For the first 45 minutes, it looked as though Liverpool would run away with it. But they turned on the heat in the second half and took the game to Salah and co. They pushed Liverpool back into their own half and could have even taken the lead had Kane converted from the spot.
But Lorius saved his shot and Salah's goal in the 90th minute should have been the last highlight of the game. But kudos to the Lilywhites for not giving up the fight.
Though they would've loved to walk away with the point on a better note, it's still a point they will comfortably pack in their backpack.
#2 Spurs were erratic but made amends for it
The midfield diamond consisting of Dembele, Dier, Dele Alli and Eriksen were slick with their passing and often picked out Kieran Tripper's and Son's runs down the flanks. But even though they were effective in attack, they were getting outclassed in midfield as Liverpool kept finding ways to run riot.
The Liverpool defenders had a good game for the greater part with Dejan Lovren and Virgil Van Dijk putting in shifts early on to ensure Harry Kane remained an isolated figure up front.
But in the second half, Spurs made some changes. Eriksen drifted to the left flank as Alli took up the no. 10 spot and they looked a much better side immediately.
Wanyama's introduction bore fruit as he sent in an absolute rocketship to the top corner. It was straight out of Shaolin Soccer, believe you me.
That's perhaps one of the best things about this Tottenham side. They are a side filled with a bunch of hardworking, technically profound players whose versatility helps them to tweak their tactics to adapt and cater to the demands of the game and overcome their adversaries.
#1 Records, body bags and Mohamed Salah
What is this man? We're all just happy and privileged to be watching the diminutive Egyptian tear up the Premier League at this point. A man for the big occasion, he convinced the world yet again of his outstanding capabilities as an attacker.
Always looking to upend the opposition defence, relentlessly embarking on high octane runs and taking the game to the visitors... Mo Salah did it all.
He took the lead for Liverpool with a calculated finish but it was the second one that left me with my mouth open long enough for the flies to start a family somewhere in my thorax.
Salah lost the ball but he regained it back post-haste and obliterated the Spurs defence before dinking the ball over Hugo Lloris. A flash of brilliance from the man we have come to expect it of every time he sets foot on a football pitch.
Salah's first of the night was his 20th goal in the Premier League this season. He accomplished that feat in his 25th game. No other Liverpool player has done it faster than Mo Salah.
No, not even that Fernando Torres or the Luis Suarez.
What. A. Player!
