Following their midweek dismantling in the UEFA Champions League and the ever-increasing pressure of a surprise relegation battle, Spurs came into today’s game with the odds stacked against them.
Liverpool knew they had the opportunity to close the gap on the top four after both Chelsea and Aston Villa lost this weekend, and the Reds got off to the perfect start, taking the lead through a sublime 18th-minute Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick.
Following a dominant spell of possession for the home side, the Hungarian was given the opportunity to line up one of his trademark set-piece goals from 25 yards after Alexis Mac Allister was brought down by Souza.
And Szoboszlai made no mistake from the dead ball, sending a powerful, curling effort nestling into the top-left corner despite Guglielmo Vicario getting a hand to the ball.
After netting the opener, Liverpool almost immediately doubled their lead when Ryan Graverbech powered into Spurs’ box but blazed his shot over the bar. Minutes later, Cody Gakpo – trusted to spearhead the Reds’ attack – saw his low shot saved onto the post by Vicario.
Spurs struggled for large parts of the first period but finished the half strongly, as Richarlison flashed a header narrowly wide before the Brazilian was denied by Alisson Becker with another strong header from a corner.
Igor Tudor will have been encouraged with the fighting spirit his players showed in the first period, but would’ve been wary of the fact that Liverpool’s games have produced a league-high 59 total goals in the second half this season.
Rio Ngumoha came close to netting the second goal after the teenager was picked out by Jeremie Frimpong, but after cutting inside, his curling shot flew past the post.
Spurs then had an opportunity near the hour mark through Richarlison, who outmuscled Virgil van Dijk, only to see his shot saved by compatriot Alisson.
Arne Slot made a triple change after the hour mark, including the introduction of Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike.
The two substitutes almost combined for the game’s second goal minutes later as the former picked out the latter, but the French forward missed the ball on the stretch. Salah was proving to be a thorn in Spurs’ side, continually running the defence ragged, yet the final ball was lacking.
As the final stages approached, Liverpool’s miscued finishing kept Tottenham in the contest, and they were punished in the 90th minute through their sole danger man, Richarlison.
The former Everton man was picked out by Randal Kolo Muani, taking a touch inside the box and firing home to send the away crowd into raptures.
Liverpool were ultimately made to pay for their poor finishing and remain in fifth place, two points behind Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, Tottenham move a point away from the relegation places, but still remain winless in the Premier League in 2026, desperately needing this point to serve as a platform to leap up the table.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur)
