It took a lot of guts to see off another late comeback from Tottenham, not to mention several dismissals from Ibrahima Konaté and brave punches from Alisson, and while this wasn’t a complete performance from Liverpool, it was easy to see why Klopp celebrated to the fullest. running across the pitch to celebrate with the traveling support. It’s been a strange few months for Liverpool. Whether this victory, their first away in the league, marks a turning point remains to be seen. The legs are more tired and the tension has dropped. This is still not the dynamic force of old and, for all that Liverpool excelled during the first half, taking the lead through two clinical strikes from Mohamed Salah, Antonio Conte wasn’t exactly pushing it when he insisted the tie would be fairer. result. In the end Liverpool had Salah alone up front and a five-man defense fighting to protect the points. Spurs played with unbridled fury after Harry Kane halved the deficit and will take heart from how their attack improved after Dejan Kulusevski, who had not played since September, came off the bench. “We have to respect the fans,” Conte said, reflecting on the boos that greeted his team at half-time. “They pay their tickets. But if you ask me if I was a little disappointed? Yes.” Conte’s perspective certainly had merit, although much of the local discontent stemmed from his side’s repeated inability to seize the initiative from the first whistle. Ultimately this was a comeback too far for Spurs, who have conceded third place at Newcastle, and Liverpool took advantage. “A brilliant first half,” said Klopp. “Winning here is incredibly difficult.” There was a striking difference in the way the teams lined up in the final third: Spurs were reacting to injuries to Richarlison and Son Heung-min by asking Ivan Perisic to support Kane, Liverpool’s front three constantly causing problems for their interchangeable movement. Harry Kane celebrates the goal that gave Spurs hopes of a draw. Photo: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images The opening 10 minutes were Liverpool unchained, a sense of the authority of old flowing back into those red shirts. It was also Spurs at their reactive worst and the immediate concern for Conte must have been that none of his defenders knew who they were supposed to get. The problem for Eric Dier, Ben Davies and Clément Lenglet was that Liverpool, who have climbed seven points behind Spurs, had no focal point. There was no way Salah could get stuck down the right and the visitors didn’t hang around. They were quick to look for Darwin Núñez, an unruly presence who relished attacking the space behind Emerson Royal on the left, and another concern for Conte was how his hopes of winning the midfield battle were dashed by Roberto Firmino, the who kept leaving to accept. the ball between the lines. There was an inevitability to Firmino who sparked the drive for Liverpool’s first. They had already threatened through Núñez and soon dismantled Spurs again. Firmino sent Andy Robertson on to cut forward and when Spurs cleared the left-back he aimed for Nunez, whose clearance gave Salah time to pull back on his left foot and slot past Hugo Lloris. Spurs were statuesque, though hinting at a response. Perisic went close, turning against the post. Alisson also had to save smartly from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and there were some worrying moments for Liverpool when Ryan Sessegnon ran into Trent Alexander-Arnold. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. At that stage Liverpool, who had lost their previous two league games, appeared to have relinquished control. Alexander-Arnold’s defense was shaky and Spurs became bolder, sensing that Rodrigo Bentancur, Højbjerg and Yves Bissouma were beginning to overwhelm Thiago Alcântara, Harvey Elliott and Fabinho. One individual mistake changed everything. Five minutes before half-time, Alisson fired a long ball forward. Unpressured, Dier saw it drop from the sky and headed it straight to Salah, who accepted the gift by running clear to beat Lloris with a lovely little dink. Game over? Not exactly. Spurs came out with more intensity after half-time, Perisic hitting the woodwork again and starting to push Liverpool back. “We had to keep fighting,” Klopp said. “We did that.” Conte had opened the game, introducing Kulusevski and Matt Doherty. Spurs are a different team when Kulusevski plays. The winger gives them more angles and was soon involved, dribbling past Thiago and releasing Kane, who held off Konaté and curled a shot past Alisson. Liverpool prepared for a siege. They fell behind and Klopp rowed with Conte, who was booked. It was all Spurs. There were cries of anguish when Lenglet took a corner. Bentancur just failed to convert a move from Kane. It was all hands at the pump for Liverpool. Nunez and Firmino left, with Jordan Henderson slotting into midfield and Joe Gomez coming in to partner Konaté and Virgil van Dijk in central defence. It was desperate stuff from both teams and the relief for Klopp was huge when it was over.
