LONDON — Liverpool booked top spot in the Premier League at Christmas with a commanding 6-3 victory at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Arne Slot’s side moved four points clear of Chelsea with a game in hand after easing to a win that began with two smart headers inside the opening 31 minutes from Luis Díaz and Alexis Mac Allister. James Maddison halved the deficit four minutes before the break after Mac Allister lost possession cheaply to Dejan Kulusevski and the England international bent a 20-yard shot around Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker, but there was still time for Liverpool to score again as Mohamed Salah sent through Dominik Szoboszlai in stoppage time to extend their half-time lead — a more accurate reflection of the gulf in class between the two sides.
Liverpool threatened to run riot in the second period. Salah turned the ball home from close range after Archie Gray blocked Szoboszlai’s close-range effort before the Egypt international scored again. Szoboszlai raced through and unselfishly squared a simple pass for Salah to sidefoot into an empty net.
Some Spurs fans headed for the exits despite there still being half an hour to play, but to the home side’s credit, they continued to push for opportunities and briefly threatened the most dramatic comeback when Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke both scored to reduce the deficit to two with seven minutes remaining. Another slick counterattack from the visitors snuffed out any hope, though, as Salah fed Díaz for his second, Liverpool’s sixth and a win that left their fans singing “Liverpool, Liverpool top of the league” at full-time. — James Olley
Walloping Spurs shows just how good Liverpool really are
There are many ways to measure Liverpool’s impressive start under Slot, and games against Tottenham are one such barometer.
Arsenal needed a set-piece goal to win 1-0 here in September. Manchester City lost 4-0 at home to Spurs and were beaten on this ground in the Carabao Cup. Chelsea won 4-3 earlier this month but they needed to come from 2-0 down.
Liverpool may have conceded three times, yet they were on a different plane to Tottenham for almost all of this contest. They ended with an expected goals (xG) figure of 4.61, only bettered by four away teams in a Premier League game across the past five years: Chelsea at Southampton earlier this month (5.43), Manchester City at Norwich in February 2022 (5.08), Liverpool at Leeds in September 2021 (4.71) and Man City at Brighton & Hove Albion in July 2020 (4.64).
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou admitted afterwards that Liverpool were “too good” for them — an understatement to say the least. — Olley
Salah continues to rewrite Liverpool record books
“Only Mo Salah.” It is a phrase that Liverpool fans have grown pretty accustomed to hearing in recent years as their talisman continues to break new ground and send club records tumbling.
Once again against Tottenham, Salah wrote his name into the history books by becoming the first player in Premier League history to reach double figures for both goals and assists before Christmas. He now has 18 goals and 15 assists in all competitions this season, after registering two of each against Postecoglou’s side on Sunday, and is also now fourth on the list of all-time Liverpool goal scorers after overtaking the great Billy Liddell.
From the moment a ball was kicked at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Salah looked like a threat. Within 18 minutes, he had taken five shots — more than any other player on the pitch.
That none of those shots translated into a goal did little to deter him. His two assists — for Szoboszlai and Díaz — came on either side of a well-taken brace.
At a time when his long-term future remains uncertain, backing him to make the difference for Liverpool continues to feel like the safest of bets. Whatever happens in the months ahead, keeping the 32-year-old at Anfield beyond next summer feels absolutely paramount for Slot’s side. — Beth Lindop
Liverpool recruitment reveals what Spurs could’ve been
In January 2022, Tottenham spent a considerable chunk of that month’s transfer window edging toward an agreement with FC Porto for Díaz. As they haggled over the fee, Liverpool swooped in late and completed the deal.
“Tottenham was one. Roma was also left behind in the process. They hesitated a lot and let themselves be caught by Liverpool,” Díaz’s father told to BluRadio’s Blog Deportivo in February 2022.
Spurs also scouted Mac Allister prior to his joining Liverpool in June 2023. Liverpool triggered a release clause to sign Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig in July 2023 in another example of the club’s willingness to move quickly in the market.
The long-standing discontent toward Tottenham’s owners and chairman Daniel Levy is multifaceted, but one key element is the perception that they lack ambition in the market and their parsimonious nature can lead to either indecision or missing out on attainable targets altogether. The sight of all three of Díaz, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai netting in the first half here was a physical manifestation of the difference it can make.
Spurs have got some deals right — Micky van de Ven was one of last season’s best signings across the division — but this was a day when Liverpool’s more expansive transfer strategy notably enhanced the gap between these two sides. — Olley
Alexander-Arnold reminds Liverpool why they need him
Díaz’s goal celebration said it all. After the Colombia international had stooped to get on the end of Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s sublime cross into the penalty area, he was quick to show his gratitude to the right-back, kneeling at Alexander-Arnold’s feet and pretending to polish his boots.
It was the Merseyside native’s 85th assist as a Liverpool player and yet another reminder of what the club stand to lose if he is allowed to walk away as a free agent when his contract expires in the summer. The past couple of months have allowed supporters to envision a life without their most beloved academy product since Steven Gerrard.
When he was sidelined with injury in November, Northern Ireland international Conor Bradley deputised admirably in his absence. After Alexander-Arnold’s somewhat lacklustre showing against Fulham last weekend, Slot noted that the defender “still had room for improvement.”
In North London on Sunday, though, Liverpool’s No. 66 was back to his best. As well as teeing up Díaz, Alexander-Arnold caught the eye with a range of defence-splitting passes and also did well to keep Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min largely quiet.
With a skillset as unique as his, it is little wonder that Real Madrid have earmarked him as their top defensive target for next summer. While Liverpool might be able to survive without him, though, his performance against Spurs showed why many fans don’t want to. — Lindop
Uncompromising Ange compromises Spurs
There are times when watching Tottenham is like someone putting on a fantastic firework show but using their own house as the accompanying bonfire. “Are you not entertained?” Postecoglou joked after Thursday’s equally chaotic 4-3 Carabao Cup win over Manchester United, and nobody could argue the case here, but Spurs were the butt of the joke rather than a competitive participant.
Injuries mitigate judgements — young full-back Archie Gray deputised at centre-back for the third time in a week, Fraser Forster looked shaky again in place of regular goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and out-of-favour right-back Djed Spence filled in at left-back — but the case for Postecoglou continuing to insist on an uncompromising, attacking approach at all times in all circumstances is getting harder to make.
Should certain concessions not be made against the league leaders when key players are missing? Postecoglou more often than not will double down on an approach that has proved successful in the past, and he will take comfort from the fact there wasn’t any widespread dissent among the Spurs fans who remained at full-time, just a smattering of boos.
Once more, though, there is a feeling that some control must be brought to the chaos if Tottenham are ever to find the consistency they will need to seriously challenge at the top end of the table. They have now kept one clean sheet in the past 24 home league games. — Olley
