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Tottenham’s emphatic 4-1 win over Liverpool last night is further proof of the stark change in fortune and direction in which both clubs are moving in recent years.
The Reds were humbled and humiliated by Mauricio Pochettino’s men and the Argentine gaffer got his tactics spot on once again. It only took four minutes for Harry Kane to expose Liverpool’s famed defensive frailties.
The inform English striker set up Son Heung-min for the second eight minutes later as the opposition defence went to sleep again. The Korean had the chance to make it 3-0 minutes later but his well-taken effort came back off the underside of the bar.
Mohamed Salah gave Liverpool some hope of a comeback with a well-taken goal in the 24th minute but Tottenham’s lead was restored by Dele Alli right on the stroke of halftime.
Harry Kane scored the final goal for Spurs following a poor clearance from Mignolet while dealing with a corner.
Liverpool had a couple of good efforts on target saved by Hugo Lloris in the second half as Spurs comfortably won to go level on points with Manchester United.
Tottenham Hotspur
Hugo Lloris - 8/10
Hugo Lloris showed what Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are missing - a calm composed and world-class goalkeeper. The French captain maybe could have done better for Salah’s goal but he made amends in the second half with a couple of brilliant saves, notably from a brilliant effort by Coutinho.
Kieran Trippier - 7/10
Tripper had an easy game marking Philippe Coutinho and also assisted Harry Kane’s opening goal by finding him with a good lob while the Liverpool defence went to sleep. He was beaten for pace by Chamberlain on a couple of occasions though.
Toby Alderweireld - 7/10
Alderweireld may have expected a tougher game against Liverpool’s attacking line up but he was largely untested. He did well to provide cover to Trippier and also in keeping the defensive shape.
Davinson Sanchez - 7/10
It is rumoured that Klopp turned out the chance to sign Sanchez this summer but after seeing the young Colombian’s display compared to Liverpool’s, Klopp might have second thoughts. His only flaw in the game was letting Salah get goal side of him leading to Liverpool’s only goal.
Jan Vertonghen - 7/10
Vertonghen returned to the heart of the defence after playing down the left flank against Real Madrid in midweek. He helped Aurier deal with Liverpool’s livewire Mohamed Salah very well by doubling up often.
Serge Aurier - 7/10
Easily had a tougher game than any Spurs player on the pitch as he was up against Mohamed Salah but the Ivorian was up to the task, matched pace and made some well-timed tackles to negate Salah’s threat.
Harry Winks - 7/10
Winks didn’t look like a player short on experience despite coming up against much more senior players like Henderson and Milner. The youngster knew his role and closed down spaces quickly.
Christian Eriksen - 8/10
If Barcelona scouts watched this game, then they may think about signing Eriksen instead of Coutinho. The Dane played a deeper role but was very influential. His vision and quick release helped the home side break.
Dele Alli - 8/10
Alli once again showed what Liverpool missed out on when they opted against signing him. The former MK Dons man scored on the nick of halftime and also produced some sublime skills which left the likes of Emre Can and James Milner red-faced.
Son Heung-min - 8/10
The explosive winger became the highest scoring Korean in Premier League history with his goal against Liverpool and came close to adding another. His pace on the counter hurt Liverpool massively.
Harry Kane - 9/10
Kane scored two goals and assisted another and hence should have probably received a 10/10 rating but his sloppiness cost Spurs their clean sheet as he was dispossessed cheaply in his own half.
Subs:
Moussa Sissoko - 6/10
Came on as a sub for Son in the 69th minute with the game wrapped up. He did his job by helping his side see out the game comfortably.
Eric Dier - N/A
Came on as a late sub for Christian Eriksen.
Fernando Llorente - N/A
On as late sub for Harry Kane who had to come off due to a slight hamstring problem.
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet - 2/10
Harry Kane doesn’t need an invitation to score but two horrible mistakes from Mignolet ensured that Kane got more goals to his name.
Joe Gomez - 5/10
He played Kane onside in the build-up to the first goal, but that was the smallest mistake in that build up. He was put in the heart of the defence after Lovren was hauled off.
Joel Matip - 5/10
Matip made some decent interceptions and tackles but his poor clearance from a Spurs free-kick fell to the Alli at the edge of the box and gave Spurs their third
Dejan Lovren - 2/10
The fact that Klopp pulled him off the pitch for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain nearly half an hour into the game tells you how bad he was. He made some terrible mistakes and lost Liverpool the game early on.
Alberto Moreno - 6/10
It has reached a state where Moreno was Liverpool’s best defender in a game. The Spaniard wasn’t spectacular in defence but he was better than the rest. Going forward, he tried his best to help the team get on back.
Jordan Henderson - 6/10
Didn’t look like a leader on the pitch and couldn’t give his defence cover on the counter, nor was he available to mop up the second balls from set pieces. He assisted Salah’s goal with a well found long ball over the top.
Emre Can - 5/10
After a while, it looked like Emre Can was also not sure what he was supposed to do. He started in midfield, moved to a three-man defence and eventually played right back only to be embarrassed by Alli. He also picked up a yellow card for a tactical foul.
James Milner - 5/10
Couldn’t find space in midfield and often drifted wide and was putting in aimless crosses when there was no one to attack them. He played a few decent long balls, but that was about it.
Mohamed Salah - 7/10
The only player who looked like he could change the game for Liverpool. Salah scored with a well taken first-time hit and ran at the Spurs defence several times but his teammates let him down massively.
Roberto Firmino - 5/10
The Liverpool forward’s most telling contribution was a goal-line clearance from a Spurs corner. That sums up his and Liverpool’s game, doesn’t it?
Philippe Coutinho - 5/10
Coutinho kept losing the ball trying to wriggle out of tight spaces often or while attempting to beat players. In truth, Spurs closed him down really well. He had one spectacular effort on target which Lloris palmed away.
Subs:
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 6/10
Although it was in a losing cause, this was Chamberlain’s best performance for Liverpool so far. He made some decent runs down the left flank to put in a couple of good crosses into the box.
Daniel Sturridge - N/A
On as a sub for Roberto Firmino, but Sturridge had very little time to influence the game
Marko Grujic - N/A
On as a late sub for Emre Can
