In what turned out to be a competitive, nail-biting and thrilling encounter, defending champions Liverpool edged past Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in their English Premier League (EPL) clash at Anfield on Wednesday night. With this win, Liverpool rose to the top of the table, displacing Spurs to second.
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The game was off to an attacking start from the hosts, who came up with three attacks in the opening 22 minutes. It was in the 26th minute when Mohamed Salah put the champions ahead with an 18-yard strike after Spurs’ Pierre-Emile Højbjerg flicked the ball onto the path of the Egyptian.
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It was quickly followed by another attack from Curtis Jones, just two minutes later. However, it soon resulted in a counter-attack from the Spurs in the 33rd minute, as Giovani Lo Celso passed an easy one to Son Heung-min, while the Korean was left clear to Allison, who put it past him, into the net.
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Four minutes later, Sadio Mane almost gave Liverpool the lead again, only to be denied by Hugo Lloris. It happened to be the final attack of the half, as the deadlock stayed at half-time.
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The second half saw a relentless approach from the visitors, who came up with five attacks until the 80th minute. While Liverpool came close in the 74th minute, with Mane hitting the bar, it was all put to rest by Roberto Firmino at the stroke of full-time, who headed a conventional swinging corner from Toby Alderweireld. It eventually turned out to be the winner, with the hosts walking away with three points.
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Following the game, Spurs manager Jose Mourinho quoted, “The best team lost and he disagreed, but that’s his opinion. By the way, if I behave on the touchline, like he does, then I’m not there. Come on, that’s animated. Do you want to take the table with the time from the fourth official? I’m saying for some reason I’m different and I’m sad.”
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Meanwhile, Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, praised Rhys Williams for his excellent gameplay. “Oh my god! Outstanding. Rhys Williams. It’s nowadays playing against the Alan Shearer with Harry Kane. They avoid Rhys and put Fabinho for the long balls. Rhys was so strong in the air. He played a pass for our first goal and has the right amount of confidence, so you don’t have to explain how it works.”
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