Merseyside giants Liverpool had to be content with only a point against their rivals Tottenham Hotspur, in a game, which was full of drama and excitement.
After taking the lead within 134 secs, Liverpool were well on their way to clinch all three points against a rather blurry Tottenham outfit, who looked off-colour for the most part of the game. However, a stunner from second-half substitute Victor Wanyama got his team right back into the game.
Although Mohamed Salah quickly managed to restore Liverpool’s lead with a solo effort, new signing Virgil Van Dijk conceded a silly penalty in the last minute which was successfully converted by Harry Kane.
Here are the Liverpool players rated and slated in their draw against the Lilywhites.
Loris Karius(7.5/10): A confident display from the former Mainz keeper, who made a couple of great saves before making a weak punch, the rebound of which, fell straight to Victor Wanyama for Spurs’ equalizer late in the second half. However, he did redeem himself, when he saved Harry Kane’s tame effort from the penalty spot.
Trent-Alexander Arnold(7.5/10): Was quite effective in the offensive half, where he linked up with his fellow teammates. He was decent on the defensive front, even though he did struggle against the likes of Dele Alli and Heung Min Son late on in the game.
Dejan Lovren(7.5/10): A much-improved performance from Dejan Lovren, who was arguably Liverpool’s best defender on the night. The former Southampton man, neutralized a lot of Spurs’ attacks thanks to his impressive tenacity.
Virgil Van Dijk(7/10): A mixed display from Liverpool’s newest recruit this evening. The Dutchman was quite impressive in the first half whilst proving to be quite dangerous from set-pieces. However, hell broke loose in the second half, where he made a ton of mistakes including the rash foul on Erik Lamela, which resulted in a penalty for the visitors in the last minute.
Andrew Robertson(7/10): Not an effective outing for the Scottish defender, who was bogged down due to Spurs’ impressive performance in the second half.
Emre Can(7/10): The German International appeared quite tentative at times and took things very casually while defending, which ultimately cost Liverpool two valuable points. Could have done a lot better in defensive phases.
Jordan Henderson(8/10): Was actually very impressive while he was on. The English International took charge of the midfield with some great work-ethic and fantastic closing down. His substitution in the second half was hugely detrimental to the Liverpool team.
James Milner(7.5/10): Although not as effective as Liverpool needed him to be, the former Man City midfielder still played quite well in the centre of the park. His fantastic work-rate helped the likes of Emre Can and Jordan Henderson to dominate the opposing midfield.
Mohamed Salah(10/10): No words needed for the Egyptian wizard, who showed his mettle once again. After capitalizing on Eric Dier’s mistake in the early stages of the game, the former Chelsea star scored a stunning solo goal, late in the game, to restore Liverpool’s advantage. A stunning display from the Egyptian.
Roberto Firmino(7.5/10): Put in a decent shift, as always. The Brazilian sensation linked up well with the likes of Salah and Mane in the final third, which caused a lot of trouble for the opposing defence.
Sadio Mane(7.5/10): The Senegalese attacker was also very effective in the final third, largely thanks to his sheer pace and sharp movements. Although he could have done a lot better in feeding the final balls in for the likes of Firmino and Salah, Sadio Mane still proved to be a handful for the Spurs defence.
Subs
Georginio Wijnaldum(6.5/10): Failed to make an impression after replacing Jordan Henderson in the second half. The Dutch midfielder didn’t help Liverpool’s cause as they looked to settle in on their slender one-goal advantage.
Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain(6.5/10): Came on for Sadio Mane in the second half but didn’t make much of an impact either. The former Arsenal man was largely isolated and lacked support.
Joel Matip(NA): His introduction in the 78th minute was the root of Liverpool’s problems, as Jurgen Klopp tried to bank on his side’s slender one-goal lead over Spurs by bringing on another defender in the shape of Joel Matip. The former Schalke defender, however, failed to further solidify the shoddy backline of Liverpool.
