LONDON — It was a lot of fun to watch Tottenham vs Liverpool unfold on Sunday, well, at least if you were a Liverpool fan.
Liverpool ravaged and feasted on a ragged and depleted Tottenham to win 6-3 as their fans lauded the Premier League leaders from the away end in north London.
Arne Slot’s side sit top of the Premier League table at Christmas and were rampant as Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz both scored twice, while Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai all got in the act. James Maddison briefly made it 2-1 and Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke both scored late on after Liverpool had gone 5-1 up to put some respectability on the scoreline.
Here’s a look at what we learned from another classic Tottenham vs Liverpool encounter.
Liverpool more fluid without a true number nine
It was tough to tell who was playing as a central striker for Liverpool and that is a very good thing for Arne Slot. Liverpool created nine big chances, had a tally of over 4.46 expected goals and had 24 shots at goal. Just like the days of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino flying forward and interchanging seamlessly, Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Luis Diaz did that time and time again against Spurs. With goal scorers Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szobozlai pouring from midfield to make it a four-on-four for most of their attacks, this was Liverpool at their fluid best. Darwin Nunez is going through a tough time up top and Slot has made the decision that he doesn’t really need a proper number nine. That is more than fine as Liverpool’s electric front three and marauding central midfielders are so tough to mark and help them press high and pile on the pressure. When you add Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, and Harvey Elliott into the mix, Liverpool also have a number of players they can rotate seamlessly into this system. Slot has found a way to get all of Liverpool’s best attackers and midfielders on the pitch at the same time and it’s a joy to watch with Ryan Gravenberch as a true holder giving them balance to attack and express themselves.
Depleted Tottenham run out of steam
Missing their two best center backs, left back, and goalkeeper, this was always going to be a tough task for Tottenham. They looked shattered from the start. They played a draining 4-3 win on Thursday against Manchester United in the League Cup quarterfinal and it showed on the pitch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Ange Postecoglou doesn’t have enough options to rotate his team and is playing inexperienced and squad players out of position at the back. Combine that with Spurs’ infamous high defensive line and it’s a recipe for disaster. In their last three home games in all competitions Spurs have now conceded 13 goals to Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool. These results won’t define their season and Ange Postecoglou will be heartened that his side didn’t give up as Kulusevski, Son and Solanke kept on trying to create in attack and Spurs scored three. But it’s pretty clear Tottenham need to reinforce their defensive options even after Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie return to the fold. There can’t be this big a drop off when they lose a few key players — building a top squad, not just a top team, is the next step for Ange’s project at Spurs.
Stopping counters key to Liverpool’s title hopes
The only weakness in this Liverpool team appears to be their lack of pace defensively. Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez are dominant center backs but when Tottenham found gaps down the sides of Liverpool’s center backs and stretched them with crosses into the box, the Reds looked fragile. Liverpool have now conceded two or more goals in four of their last five Premier League games. That’s fine if they’re going to keep scoring three or four at the other end but it’s not sustainable and will cost them points over the course of the season. In the title race you’d say Arsenal have a much better defense than Liverpool and if the Reds are going to keep surging towards an unlikely Premier League trophy this season, they have to tighten things up at the back. Simply put, they have to be more boring. The way Slot roared his side on to get forward suggested he’s fine with being an entertainer over a pragmatist. That is great in theory but Liverpool must tighten things up to get themselves over the line this season.
