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Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at Wembley and reached a new landmark by winning their opening five Premier League for the first time in their history. Georgino Wijnaldum put the Reds in front just before halftime before Roberto Firmino doubled the lead in the 54th minute.
Tottenham looked nowhere near their best for large portions as Liverpool were cruising to a comfortable victory before an Erik Lamela goal in the 93rd minute added some spark late on in the game.
Despite Heung-Min Son's appeal for a penalty in the final seconds, Lamela's goal proved a tad too late as Liverpool hung on for the three points while Spurs lost their second game on the bounce in the league.
On that note, here are the hits and flops from the game:
#5 Hit - Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah was unable to find the net this weekend but he did create a lot of problems for Tottenham Hotspur. The Egyptian's pace was too hot to handle for the opposition defence as Salah was able to break through on numerous instances.
However, the 26 year old did have some wonderful opportunities to open his account for the afternoon but all went in vain. But, when he was not in the box, Salah did play the role of a creator as he played in some influential passes into the box that nearly caught Tottenham out.
Salah did have a lot number of touches in the game, only 29, but he mostly found it pretty easy to get in behind the Spurs backline as right-back Kieran Trippier failed to provide any tough competition to the former Chelsea man.
#4 Flop - Harry Kane
Harry Kane's indifferent start to the campaign continued as the 25 year old failed to find the net for the second consecutive game running. Kane broke his goal duck for August last month but is yet to score in September as the struggles for Tottenham Hotspur pile on.
The 2018 World Cup Golden Boot Winner put in one of his worst performances of the season on Saturday afternoon as he looked barely involved in any of the attacking build-ups and in return, had just 22 touches of the ball during the entire 90 minutes.
On the other hand, Kane was able to complete just 69% of his total passes while producing just two attempts and one shot at goal. The only positive from the game would be his aerial strength as the Englishman won a couple of good headers in the box but none of them eventually bothered Liverpool keeper Alisson.
Usually, September has been the month in recent years when Kane has started firing in the goals but this year it has turned out to be the opposite. It is important that the Spurs vice-captain picks himself and starts putting in consistent performances as a tough road awaits for his club both in the Premier League and the Champions League.
#3 Hit - Virgil Van Dijk
A lot of questions were raised when Jurgen Klopp had signed Virgil Van Dijk for £75 million in January. However, all the doubts regarding his price tag have been put to rest as the Dutchman has proved to be the X-Factor in Liverpool's resurgence this year.
Van Dijk possesses the required leadership qualities in defence and knows how to rally his troops during crucial moments of the game. His demeanour has reflected a positive response in the rest of the squad as the Reds have been able to close out games and keep the wins intact.
The 27 year old's outing on Saturday was consistent as always as he led from the front and didn't let the pressure have an effect on his partners in defence against the likes of Harry Kane and co.
Van Dijk made five stunning clearances to keep Spurs at bay and didn't let Mauricio Pochettino's men sniff an opening at goal. The towering centre-back ocassionally contributed in attack also as he played in two long balls and had a couple of cracks at goal.
#2 Flop - Michel Vorm
Michel Vorm started for the second consecutive week against Liverpool as skipper Hugo Lloris has been ruled for several weeks due to a thigh strain.
The Dutch shot-stopper had a woeful afternoon in front of the home supporters as two careless errors led to the goals and it proved to be the turning point as Tottenham lost their second game of the Premier League campaign.
Firstly, Vorm failed to punch the ball away cleanly from a James Milner corner kick in spite of some pushing from countryman Virgil Van Dijk. Similarly, the Spurs defence were also unable to clear the ball away and Georgino Wijnaldum scored off a second chance with the goal being instantly awarded by goal-line technology.
The second goal was again down to the veteran goalkeeper as a lack of communication with Jan Vertonghen granted mishap. The duo put their bodies on the line to clear a Sadio Mane cross but the Belgian defender reached first and the deflection off him saw the ball hit the post.
When the ball rebounded off the post, Vorm had failed to collect himself and missed an easy opportunity as the ball slipped right between his gloves and landed straight into the feet of a lurking Roberto Firmino who immediately pounced and tapped the ball in from two yards out.
#1 Hit - James Milner
Since his arrival in 2015, James Milner has always been one of those Liverpool players who is not widely mentioned or talked about. The performance against Tottenham Hotspur was another example of his stellar display as he played a vital role in the Reds securing their fifth win of the season.
Milner proved to be one of the key creators against Spurs as the veteran midfielder set up three key passes but unfortunately, none of his teammates were able to capitalize on the chances that were presented for them.
Similarly, the 32 year old made his presence known in defence as he tracked back on several occasions to help out his defenders. Milner chipped in with five successful tackles and two clearances as his efforts helped to ward off danger during different stages of the game.
Individual performances like the one today is one of the key reasons for Jurgen Klopp's persistence with Milner as one of his three midfield starters so far this campaign.
From an overall point of view, The former Manchester City playmaker contributes in all areas of the pitch and has also been able to keep out the likes of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho from taking his spot in starting XI.
