Liverpool delivered just the tonic for the unease in front of goal they’ve endured lately as the Reds put three goals past a Spurs side who looked pedestrian for most parts.
The Reds showed their best performance since the away win against Crystal Palace as Trent Alexander-Arnold, James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum dropped near-perfect displays to put Liverpool back in the Top 4 in the points table.
Roberto Firmino continued his impressive form against Spurs when he put Liverpool ahead in the first half stoppage time with a shot from close range. It was the Brazilian’s fifth goal against Spurs in 6 matches.
Liverpool soon took a 2-goal lead when Trent Alexander-Arnold smashed in a loose clearance from Hugo Lloris inside the Spurs net in the 47th minute.
The home side did manage to halve the deficit and that too in the most magnanimous of manners when Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg let one rip from distance to score his first goal for the Lilywhites.
But it just wasn’t meant to be for Spurs on the night as Sadio Mane, who had already missed a number of golden chances to score a goal, put the the game to bed when he connected with a long pass from Alexander-Arnold to make it 3-1 for Liverpool.
Tottenham offered very little in attack and in defence as Jose Mourinho again opted for a 3-4-3 formation with Joe Rodon, Eric Dier and Ben Davies forming a 3-man backline whilst being supported by Serge Aurier and Matt Doherty in the wingback positions either side of the central defenders.
Man of the Match – Sadio Mane
VAR Action – Both Spurs (Son Heung-min) and Liverpool (Mo Salah) were denied a goal each by the Virtual Assistant Referee.
Match Highlights
Tanguy Ndombele’s sweet turn on James Milner
He might have been on the losing team, but Tanguy Ndombele was still taking names tonight 💀🤭 pic.twitter.com/u6tWV6Q6fv
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 28, 2021
Jurgen Klopp’s interview after the match
“What I saw today was who we are.”
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 28, 2021
“It was a massive fight, and the football obviously on top of that.”
“I saw a lot of things I wanted to see, yes.”
🎙 A delighted Jurgen Klopp’s shares his post-match thoughts with @TheDesKelly… pic.twitter.com/EOMv0NzjjQ
Jose Mourinho’s interview after the match
“Every time we reacted, the next mistake was coming.”
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) January 28, 2021
“Harry Kane is injured in both ankles. To cope with one, he probably could have.”
A despondent Mourinho on Tottenham’s defeat to Liverpool…
🎙 @TheDesKelly pic.twitter.com/3B9FRe78sT
