Liverpool ran Tottenham Hotspur riot with a thumping 6-3 victory after two goals each from Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz ensured the Reds extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to four points, whilst Spurs sit in 11th place leading into Christmas.
This heavyweight clash may have served as somewhat of a preview for what is to come, with the two sides having been drawn against each other in the League Cup semi-finals set to take place early on in the new year.
Having made two errors in their mid-week fixture against Manchester United, Fraser Forster gifted Mohamed Salah a ball in the box inside three minutes, but the Egyptian was unable to hit the target with his effort. The Reds continued to mount the pressure on the home side, forcing Spurs to crowd the box and defend.
Salah thought he had broken the deadlock inside 20 minutes when his effort clipped the top of the crossbar after a sloppy pass from Yves Bissouma fell into his path once again for his fifth shot of the match. But it was his opposite wing Luis Diaz who found the back of the net first, with a delicious ball whipped in from Trent Alexander-Arnold finding the Colombian's head with pinpoint precision.
The visitors doubled their lead before half-time with Alexis Mac Allister gambling that a ball would drop into his path to head onto, aided by Forster's decision-making to come out and try and beat the Argentine to the punch in what appeared to be a dominant display by Liverpool in the first half.
However, Mac Allister was picked off by Spurs inside his own half, with James Maddison pouncing on a loose ball and slotting the ball past Alisson. But Liverpool marched way out in front again with Dominik Szoboszlai finding himself in acres of space, slotting the ball through Forster's legs to restore their two-goal lead on the stroke of half-time.
The second-half got off to a rampant start with a sublime counter-attack, and after multiple scrappy attempts at clearing their lines, Archie Gray, who was left in no man's land on the floor, could only kick the ball away to Salah, who tapped the ball home and gave his team a commanding 4-1 lead with 35 minutes left remaining.
Szoboszlai had a glorious chance to make it five, finding himself in a 1v1 against Forster, and after doing the hard part in rounding the keeper, he failed to hit the target. But it wouldn't be long for Spurs' defensive frailties to be exploited once again, with Szoboszlai and Salah combining for Liverpool's fifth goal of the afternoon in an emphatic performance by Arne Slot's men.
The man in form for Tottenham - Dejan Kulusevski - gave the fans something to smile about when he clawed one back with a volley after a very good one-two with Dominic Solanke. Then, it was Solanke's turn to get on the scoresheet with a very neat finish whilst battling with van Dijk to cut the deficit to two goals...for a few minutes.
Luis Diaz continued his good performance netting again, and gave Liverpool their sixth goal of the afternoon in what was a wild and thoroughly entertaining contest in N17.
Tottenham vs. Liverpool - Match Statistics
Tottenham
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9
5
7
6
1
Match Highlights
To follow...
Tottenham Player Ratings
Dejan Kulusevski Andy Robertson Spurs vs Liverpool
GK - Fraser Forster - 4/10
Problems with distribution from his feet continued to mount, with him inviting pressure early on. Not much he could do about Liverpool's opener. However, he arguably could have done much better to prevent the other two goals - or, at the very least, made the visitors work harder for them. Disappointing way to follow up a nightmare game in the mid-week.
RB - Pedro Porro - 5/10
Kept his place in the side despite recent inconsistencies in his last few outings in all competitions. Didn't quite look at it again, with Liverpool finding a lot of success down his side. If they didn't have so many injuries, it would be intriguing to see whether he would have been selected.
CB - Radu Dragusin - 4/10
Showed some unorthodox defending at times. Largely at fault for the third goal, having been caught out of position and run past far too easily. Needs to be much more commanding as Spurs' only recognised centre-back on the field.
CB - Archie Gray - 5/10
Yes, he is still playing out of position, but still just 19-years-old, his inexperience was exploited by the league-leaders. The positive coming out of the match, though, is that it will be an invaluable experience as he continues to develop.
LB - Djed Spence - 7/10
Had the tough task of defending Salah, but stood his ground well on multiple occasions, including an impressive double-block in the first half. Looked good on the ball going forward too - great to see him finally get some game time and could establish himself as a key figure for Postecoglou in this hectic festive schedule over the next few weeks.
CM - Yves Bissouma - 5/10
Flew out the blocks with high energy in going to win back the ball, but this fizzled out very early on in the contest. Struggled to maintain possession and string passes between the lines.
CM - Pape Matar Sarr - 5/10
Lost the run of Luis Diaz in the run up to the first goal, and like Bissouma, struggled up against Liverpool's midfield trio that looked on top form.
CM - James Maddison - 6.5/10
Hung in there during the first-half and his goal to cut the deficit appeared to instill some energy into the legs of his teammates. Was a great finish, but not enough to help his team overcome the flurry of goals by the visitors.
RW - Heung-Min Son - 5/10
Didn't offer too much going forward - often slowed down the play when receiving the ball in advanced attacking areas. Expected more from the skipper.
ST - Dominic Solanke - 7/10
Lacked service as a result of Spurs' struggles in the midfield areas. Spent more time in the opposition's half than in his own, though he alone cannot be at fault for that. Came to life more in the second-half, and managed to get himself on the scoresheet, and assist another, even if it was all for no points.
LW - Dejan Kulusevski - 7/10
Looked the most likely player to get Spurs back into the game after finding themselves in a two-goal hole, and it was his effort in dispossessing Mac Allister that led to the goal, though it was in vain, as Liverpool restored their two-goal lead just a few minutes later. Continued to show his desire to will his team forward despite being behind in the game, and was rewarded with a goal for his efforts.
Sub - Lucas Bergvall - 6/10
Played some good balls forward, but was thrown into the deep end with Liverpool midfielders surrounding him at every available opportunity.
Sub - Brennan Johnson - 6/10
Couldn't impact the game as much as he would have liked to. Had an opportunity on goal, but put the ball wide of the target.
Sub - Timo Werner - N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Liverpool Player Ratings
Alexis MacAllister Liverpool
GK - Alisson Becker - 6/10
On such a cold day in north London, he probably wished he had slightly more to do between the sticks. However, with his teammates in front of him staying compact, it was a rather lonely game for Liverpool's No. 1.
RB - Trent Alexander-Arnold - 9/10
Looked very much at his best with his full range of passing on display, including his cross hit with purpose that assisted Diaz for the opener. Looked to be his team's biggest attacking threat for the majority of the game, using his feet to take his opponents out of the game. Defended just as well.
CB - Virgil van Dijk - 8/10
A solid performance by the Reds captain, reading everything that came his way and putting himself in the right place at the right time every time.
CB - Joe Gomez - 7.5/10
Like van Dijk, Gomez looked very comfortable in Liverpool's back line, dealing with Spurs' attacks - albeit limited - when they were presented with them.
LB - Andy Robertson - 7/10
Solid performance by the left-back, and while he put in some good balls into good attacking areas, he was left looking average after his teammate's masterclass on the opposite flank.
CM - Ryan Gravenberch - 8/10
Another very impressive performance from the Dutchman, with him yet again showing that he is one of the best in the world in the no. 6 position. Read the play excellenty, and recorded some vital interceptions which translated into Liverpool attacks.
CM - Alexis Mac Allister - 7/10
Had to gamble for his goal, but it was certainly one which paid off as it just strung his team into a new gear, and left it impossible for Spurs to recover. However, he was at fault for Spurs' goal, and whilst he claimed it was a foul, the contact was soft at best.
CM - Dominik Szoboszlai - 9/10
A very impressive display from the Liverpool midfielder, getting on the scorehseet and assisting one. His work defensively should not go unnoticed, preventing the ball from going through behind him on multiple occasions, whilst his passes forward put Liverpool in dangerous positions to attack.
RW - Mohamed Salah - 9/10
There are not enough superlatives to describe just how much Mo Salah means to this team. Two goals on the night, and an assist, the Egyptian put in another dazzling performance in what has been a hugely impressive 2024/25 campaign. Made a strong case for the man of the match award, but at this point, he is expected to perform like he did tonight on a weekly basis.
ST - Cody Gakpo - 7/10
The quietest of Liverpool's attacking three which started the contest, and the only one not to get on the scoresheet. However, he helped move the ball forward well, and opted to play the team game when he could have had chances to score himself.
LW - Luis Diaz - 9/10
Made the right run into the central channel to meet Alexander-Arnold's cross with his head for the opening goal, which kick-started Liverpool into action, and they never looked back. Caused problems for Spurs' makeshift backline all afternoon long, and got his reward by also scoring Liverpooll's sixth goal - and the game's ninth.
Sub - Diogo Jota - 7/10
Offered another attacking outlet for Spurs to have to defend, but couldn't quite replicate what the starters had done, though he did register a key pass.
Sub - Curtis Jones - 6/10
Looked comfortable on the ball when he came on, but didn't have too much of an impact in the time he was on the pitch.
Sub - Darwin Nunez - N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Sub - Harvey Elliott - N/A
Not on the field long enough to impact the game.
Man of the Match
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
MixCollage-22-Dec-2024-06-14-PM-7446
Whilst Szoboszlai had arguably his best performance of the 2024/25 season so far, with two goals and two assists on the night, Salah snatched the Man of the Match award away from him in the last moments of the match. There was also a shout for Luis Diaz, who scored a double and was mightily impressive throughout the contest too.
The Egyptian winger ran Spurs' defence riot all game long, not giving them any room for error, and making them pay at virtually every opportunity. While he missed multiple chances early on, he never lost confidence, and was back to his glistening best in virtually no time at all. There is simply no winger like Salah in the Premier League, and he was crucial to Liverpool extending their lead at the top of the league table heading into Christmas.