ROSE IS A THORN IN KLOPP’S SIDE
Spurs defender makes explosive Reds pay for host of missed chances
THE outcome may have been the same but this time, as the Liverpool bus inched through the crane-scape and on to Tottenham High Road, Jurgen Klopp could feel the anguish of dropped points churning inside.
‘It feels worse,’ conceded Klopp, who began his career in England with a goalless draw in this fixture last October. ‘Simon Mignolet saved our lives last time. This time he made one brilliant save.’
This time, it was Michel Vorm performing heroics for Spurs with a series of saves and Danny Rose charging forward from left back to grab a late equaliser Mauricio Pochettino’s team hardly deserved.
Klopp was philosophical about the result but his true feelings wriggled free when he was informed Sadio Mane’s ‘goal’, ruled offside, looked to be fair when scrutinised with the help of slow-motion replays.
‘Not too cool,’ he said, rocking back in his seat, hands on head, contemplating the ceiling. ‘But it happened. It was a brilliant goal, no?’
In fairness, it was; a blistering counter-attack launched by Georginio Wijnaldum but a flag went up against Adam Lallana as he delivered a square pass to Mane, who lashed the ball into the net.
That exhilarating passage of play epitomised Liverpool. They were explosive and destructive on the break, tearing through Spurs and yet unable to convert any of the many clear chances they created.
A first-half penalty confidently taken by James Milner was the only tangible reward for the pace and mobility which were tormenting Tottenham’s back four.
Not only were they fast and mobile, they were aggressive, too, pressing and competing to win the ball in advanced areas of the pitch. For a spell in the first half, Mane was exceptional, perhaps reducing his intensity when he was warned by referee Bobby Madley about a late challenge moments after being booked.
Spurs, in contrast, were far from the fluent unit they were last season. Goals are proving elusive, Harry Kane has not scored in five games and yet they are scrapping and accumulating points.
They have one more point than Liverpool after three games — and will be relieved to have taken one from this contest, having been outplayed for an hour. Tottenham could have slipped behind in the fifth minute when Christian Eriksen was hustled into a mistake and Roberto Firmino was slipped into the clear. A goal seemed certain when Firmino’s pass found Philippe Coutinho but Vorm, in for the injured Hugo Lloris, stuck out his right leg and halted the shot on the line.
It would be the first of several vital interventions by the Dutch goalkeeper in the first half.
He twisted in the air to claw out a cross deflected towards the top corner of his own goal by Toby Alderweireld, denied Coutinho at the near post and twice sprinted from goal to dispossess Mane with heart-in-mouth sliding tackles.
Tottenham’s defensive test was not helped when right back Kyle Walker went off feeling ill in the first half.
Pochettino reshuffled, moving Eric Dier to right back, Dele Alli deeper into midfield and Kane into a support role behind Vincent Janssen, who came off the bench to lead the line but had no great impact.
Spurs had almost reached the sanctuary of half-time when they slipped behind.
Dier was drawn inside by runners and Firmino spun out wide, collecting a pass and darting into the penalty area ahead of Erik Lamela, who caught his heel as he crossed the line. Referee Madley pointed to the spot and Milner sent Vorm the wrong way.
The early pattern stretched into the second half. Wijnaldum fired over, Mane’s effort was disallowed and Joel Matip beat Jan Vertonghen in the air from a Liverpool corner and glanced the bar with a header.
Finally Spurs stirred. Eriksen missed the target when he should have done better and Mignolet summoned a fabulous save to beat out a header by Alderweireld.
Just 18 minutes remained when Rose struck. Dier drove forward to