Key events
87 min Salah plays a nice angled pass into the area for the onrushing Szoboszlai, who shoots wide of the near post on the run. Couldn’t quite wrap his foot round the ball, etc.
86 min “I like Robertson, of course, and he’s an important player for Scotland,” says Simon McMahon. “I have fond memories of his one season at Tannadice too, but they’re tainted somewhat by his last game in a United shirt. The one and only time my team have actually featured on the MBM (if you don’t count the hundreds of times I’ve emailed during other games, of course). I mean, St. Johnstone. BLOODY ST. JOHNSTONE.”
85 min Richarlison has been full of beans since coming on. After another good run from him, Son tees up Lo Celso for a tame shot that is easily saved by Alisson.
84 min: Liverpool substitution Dominic Szoboszlai replaces the superb Harvey Elliott.
83 min: What an effort! Alexander-Arnold intercepts a pass on the halfway line, spots Vicario off his line and immediately rakes a spectacular shot towards goal. Vicario charges back desperately and is extremely relieved to see it fly a few yards over the bar.
82 min Salah goes down in the area after a challenge from Skipp, and is about to appeal for a penalty when the flag goes up for offside.
The offside looked tight on the replay but play resumes pretty quickly. No idea whether it was a foul though.
80 min Salah misses a sitter from six yards. It was a weird incident: Elliott’s deep cross was stunned back across goal by Gakpo. Van de Ven pointedly left the ball, even though Salah was behind him on the six-yard line, but that so surprised Salah that he could only dangle a leg at fresh air.
As Gary Neville says, Van de Ven can only have assumed Vicario was behind him.
80 min Almost another one for Spurs! Son beats Alexander-Arnold on the left edge of the area, only to slip as he tries to trick his way past Quansah. Had he got past him he would have had a clear shot.
Liverpool switched off at 4-0 and Spurs are taking advantage. Skipp found Richarlison in far too much space, back to goal 10 yards out. He didn’t have quite enough time to turn so instead laid it back to Son, who swept a disguised shot past Alisson.
There’s a VAR check for offside but the goal stands. Son has become the first visiting player to score in four consecutive Premier League games at Anfield.
GOAL! Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham (Son 77)
I say!
75 min: Spurs substitution Giovani Lo Celso on, a woebegone Pape Sarr off.
74 min: Double substitution for Liverpool Ryan Gravenberch and Darwin Nunez replace Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz.
GOAL! Liverpool 4-1 Tottenham (Richarlison 73)
Another clean sheet bites the dust. Johnson gets away down the right and slides an early cross to Richarlison, all alone in the middle. He guides a first-time finish across Alisson from about eight yards. He took that well.
72 min Elliott tries to repeat his goal – the position is almost identical – but curls straight at Vicario.
He’s such an impressive player.
71 min Son’s cutback from the byline takes a touch off Quanash and deflects into a dangerous area. Richarlison is on his heels, though, and Gomez has time to unfold a deckchair before clearing.
71 min Since winning 4-0 at Villa Park in March, Spurs’ run of results away from home is not pretty: 0-3, 1-1, 0-4, 0-2, 0-4*.
69 min “Glad Liverpool are giving a proper tribute to Klopp’s extraordinary tenure after the last few woeful games,” says Colum Fordham. “Really impressed by Robertson who is scoring goals and crossing beautifully. One of Liverpool’s key players.”
As I’m sure Simon McMahon will agree, he’s peaking at just the right time.
67 min Alisson makes a trademark one v one save from Son, though everyone knew Richarlison was offside in the build up. Alexander-Arnold didn’t bother to run back with Son, so obvious was it.
66 min Maddison turns Bajcetic smartly on the edge of the area but then shoots over with his left foot. He looks bright though.
66 min “Some good form at just the right time,” says Matt Dony, cheerily high-fiving strangers in the street. “Glad they haven’t left it comically late or anything…”
65 min: Double substitution for Liverpool Joe Gomez and Stefan Bajcetic – back after missing almost the entire season through injury – come on for Andy Robertson and Wataru Endo.
63 min Maddison is immediately fouled on the edge of the D. He slaps the free-kick into the wall, and then 20 seconds later Bissouma is booked for kicking the ball away.
61 min: Triple substitution for Spurs James Maddison, Richarlison and Oliver Skipp replace Bentancur, Kulusevski and poor Emerson Royal.
Jurgen Klopp is beaming with paternal pride. Emerson Royal’s defensive header went only to Salah, who touched it back to Elliott. He skipped daintily past Bentancur, on the edge of the D, before arrowing a left-foot drive into the top corner. That’s a beautiful goal.
GOAL! Liverpool 4-0 Tottenham (Elliott 60)
A majestic goal from a seriously likeable young footballer.
58 min Porro spots Alisson off his line and tries to score from the halfway line. He doesn’t.
57 min Emerson Royal fouls Salah and is booked. He’s having what is known in some cultures as a torrid.
57 min There is at least one precedent to encourage Spurs. They came back from 3-0 down at Anfield a year ago, with Richarlison equalising in the 93rd minute. These are facts.
56 min Son beats Elliott in the area, then tries to go round Quansah, who times his tackle well.
55 min “I like Postecoglou,” says David Wall, “but either he thinks everyone is an idiot and believes him when he says they don’t work on set-pieces, or actually he is an idiot and doesn’t do so when it’s such an obvious weakness and way to improve their results (and similar with not always playing a ludicrously high defensive line if you keep getting caught out). Considering how well they started, that he got most of the players he wanted in the summer and more signings in January, should Spurs fans be a bit disappointed by how their season is fizzling out (even if overall they’re pleased considering last year)?”
I think overall they’ve had an excellent season, especially when you factor in the injuries. They look shot to bits now though, which will make it even more surreal when Emerson Royal’s Ricky Villa homage against Manchester City wins the title for Arsenal.
54 min: Good save by Alisson! Out of nothing, a half chance for Spurs. Porro’s terrific cross is met 12 yards out by Johnson, whose forceful downward header is smartly saved to his left by Alisson.
53 min Salah’s shot deflects behind off Emerson Royal. I think Salah was offside, so it was better for him not to score. Nothing comes of the corner anyway.
It’s a classy goal, all the work of two players who have been terrific today. Elliott robs Emerson Royal, moves the ball back onto his left foot and curls an excellent cross to the far post. Gakpo towers over Romero and powers an accomplished downward header to the right of Vicario. He did really well to get that much power on it.
GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham (Gakpo 50)
And it’s goodnight from Spurs.
48 min Van de Ven is booked for something or other; I think the referee played the advantage before that Salah chance.
47 min Early opportunities at both ends. Quansah steps in front of Son on the edge of the area, a crucial intercepton, and moments later Salah shoots too close to Vicario after a fast break.
Salah could have a field day in the second half.
46 min Liverpool begin the second half.
“Sure Liverpool have been decent,” says Peter McLeod, “but is there any team in the league that’s easier to play against than Spurs right now? Opposition goes into any game against us confident they’ll score. By the way I’m still 100% pro-Ange.”
There’s always one team that goes on an early holiday, usually after a disappointment. Who could forget Man Utd’s glorious run in spring 1989, when the only goal they scored in almost 12 hours of football was a shank over his own keeper from Tony Adams.
“RIP Bernard Hill,” says Paul Griffin. “Boys from the Black Stuff, Titanic, Lord of the Rings. What a career. But I am not sure he could have carried off Souness’s look of innocence in Simon McMahon’s clip (39 mins). Genuine effrontery as his opponent lies writhing in agony with Souness’s footprint on this solar plexus.”
Solar plexus? Which medical school did you go to?
Half-time reading
Half time: Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham
Vicario charges a long way from his area to beat Mo Salah to a through ball. That’s the last touch of an increasingly one-sided half. Spurs started really well but then Liverpool started to pick them apart.
The recalled Mo Salah looked in the mood from the odd and headed Liverpool ahead in the 16th minute. After a number of near misses, Andy Robertson tapped in the second just before half-time.
45+2 min Liverpool have had 13 shots, eight on target. Spurs have hado one, none on target.
45 min Two minutes of added time.
Alexander-Arnold’s cross picked out his mate Robertson at the far post. He half-volleyed it back across to Salah, whose shot was saved very well to his right by Vicario. But Robertson had kept running and tapped the loose ball into the net from a few yards.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham (Robertson 45)
It was coming, and there it is.
44 min Sarr is booked for stopping Liverpool from taking a quick free-kick.
42 min Romero’s inadequate pass goes straight to Elliott on the edge of the area. His shot is blocked by Romero, who has done that part brilliantly in the first half. Mac Allister fizzes the loose ball across to Alexander-Arnold, who cuts inside and shoots over from the edge of the area.
40 min Alexander-Arnold’s sweet strike from 20 yards is blocked by Emerson Royal, then Diaz sends a scissor kick wide of the far post.
Big Ange picked a bespoke team with Liverpool’s intensity in mind, but even with six legs in midfield they are struggling to cope.
39 min “For some reason,” says Simon McMahon, “a YouTube search for Yosser Hughes / Graeme Souness results in this. And this. A genuine attempt to play the ball of course.”
Oh aye, it was genuine. The only question is whether it should be singular or plural.
37 min A second goal is coming. Mac Allister’s cutback is desperately cleared by Spurs, then Gakpo shoots straight at Vicario from 25 yards. Liverpool have been excellent; they look like they’re having fun.
36 min Salah’s cross is headed up in the air by Romero. Robertson backpedalls to lash a volley that is headed away by Romero. Gakpo appealed for handball but I’m pretty sure it was head first. Had he missed it with the noggin he’d have been in trouble though.
34 min As for the penalty appeal, replays show that Gakpo made a lot of what we are now contractually obliged to call minimal contact. That said, had the penalty been given on the field I’m not certain the decision would have been overturned.
33 min Gakpo goes flying in the area after a challenge from Van de Ven. Anthony Taylor waves his hands really wide to signal that it’s not a penalty.
Spurs break, then Liverpool break again. Diaz clips a superb ball through to Salah, who controls it on the run and is about to shoot when Emerson Royal knocks the ball behind for a corner. Excellent defending.
32 min Spurs need to get Kulusevski, their craftiest player in the absence of Maddison, into the game more. At the time their possession is a bit sterile.
30 min Liverpool are getting a lot of joy down their right, not least because Emerson Royal is [don’t you dare make that rhyme – Ed] playing out of position at left-back.
29 min Sarr makes an important tackle on Alexander-Arnold, who had beaten Emerson Royal with ease on the left edge of the area (Spurs perspective).
Moments later, Salah flicks a dangerous cross towards Diaz that is headed behind by Romero.
27 min Spurs are in danger of losing their way after a strong start to the game. Liverpool have been comfortable since going in front.
