REDS COME A KLOPPER
Son stuns Anfield to derail pursuit of City
TOTTENHAM dealt a hammer blow to Liverpool’s Premier League title prospects and boosted their own top-four hopes as they claimed a hard-earned draw at Anfield.
Having already masterminded victory over league leaders Manchester City at the Etihad earlier this season, Antonio Conte led his side to a credible away point against City’s main title rivals.
It could have been worse but for Luis Diaz cancelling out a Heungmin Son strike with a deflected effort in the second half.
The equaliser meant Spurs failed to leapfrog north London rivals Arsenal into fourth, while Liverpool moved ahead of City by virtue of goal difference, but have played a game more.
And that makes chasing down Pep Guardiola’s men in the remaining three games look an even more tricky prospect than it had previously.
The later kick-off time appeared to have played its part in turning the volume up at Anfield, with the players greeted by a white-hot atmosphere as they emerged from the tunnel.
And those in attendance were subsequently treated to a knife-edge half of football worthy of the deafening noise in which it took place.
The drama started when Alisson was forced to somewhat nervously punch away a curling Harry Kane cross that looked destined for the foot of Son.
Liverpool responded in kind, with Hugo Lloris needing to palm at a misplaced Emerson Royal headed clearance that almost set up Mo Salah to score.
Other than such Spurs mistakes, set-pieces looked the Reds’ likeliest route to a goal as they struggled to carve out clear-cut chances against an obstinate defence.
However, when Virgil van Dijk managed to find space from a Trent Alexander-arnold corner, he could only head onto the bar.
And, true to the nature of the game, Tottenham responded by striking the woodwork themselves through a low Pierre-emile Hojbjerg drive from distance.
By the end of the half, Spurs had
allowed their opponents to take 11 shots to their three.
But the ‘shots on target’ count showed Liverpool had managed just two to the visitors’ one, with creating quality opportunities proving a problem.
With both sides playing well in markedly different ways, it was a little surprise to see neither manager look to the bench during the half-time break.
Neither was it a particular shock to see the pattern of play of the first half resume from the off, with the hosts probing and their opponents looking for quick counters.
And it was Spurs’ approach that paid dividends first, with one of those fast attacks bringing the opening goal. Kane was unsurprisingly at the heart of it, driving forward in a central position before feeding Ryan Sessegnon for a low cross that Son gleefully tapped in. The South Korean almost had another immediately after, but diverted an inviting pullback wide. That was enough to prompt Jurgen Klopp (left) to look to his bench, with Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas coming on in place of Jordan Henderson and Andy Robertson respectively. The Reds had an element of fortune on their side, which told when Diaz’s powerful shot took a healthy deflection to wrong-foot
Lloris and find the back of the net. That goal served as an invitation for Spurs to take time out of the game, while Liverpool’s players attempted to gee up an already excited crowd to help see them over the line.
However, Klopp’s side were unable to find the killer touch, ensuring their return to the top of the Premier League was tinged with disappointment.
They had chances – Naby Keita got space to shoot but chose to leave it for Salah and the Egyptian’s curling effort was deflected behind.
Five minutes of injury time kept the door open tantalisingly, but Liverpool could not deliver the goal they so desperately needed.
Manchester City’s grip on the Premier League title tightened as the final whistle went.