Klopp fury as Spurs grab dramatic draw
JURGEN KLOPP could not hide his fury after Harry Kane earned Tottenham a draw in the most dramatic of games.
The Liverpool manager applauded sarcastically as he looked down the touchline he had galloped along just moments earlier to celebrate Mohamed Salah’s second goal that appeared to have won the game for his side.
Klopp’s ecstasy turned to anger in the space of two mad minutes of an enthralling game.
Salah had just waltzed through the Spurs defence to score a wonderful goal fit to win any match.
And the Kop was still rocking as Erik Lamela collapsed to the ground in the Reds area after coming together with Virgil van Dijk.
Referee Jon Moss waved away appeals from the Spurs players for a penalty and the game resumed momentarily until the official noticed his assistant, Edward Smart, had his flag raised.
Moss pointed to the spot, then went to discuss the decision with Smart before confirming he had indeed awarded Spurs a second spot-kick in a matter of minutes.
Having missed the earlier penalty, Kane smashed the stoppage-time effort into the bottom corner and Anfield went from a sea of joy to a seething pit.
So Moss became the centre of attention again a week on from when he was fourth official at Anfield for Liverpool’s FA Cup loss to West Brom.
On that occasion Klopp claimed the official had told him stoppage time was decided by TV during a game marred by Video Assistant Referee referrals.
The Kop boss would have loved VAR here as his side may have opened up a five-point gap on fifth-placed Spurs.
Instead, they remain two ahead in the race to qualify for the Champions League.
It was a fascinating match decided by two moments of magic from Salah, two controversial decisions, a missed penalty and a spot-kick scored. Oh, and a wonder strike from Victor Wanyama that will be criminally overlooked after all the drama of how the game ended.
Amid the madness, it is also an example of why both are miles behind Manchester City as, while it was exciting, it was also error-strewn.
The match started with a mistake from Spurs midfielder Eric Dier, whose loose pass played in Salah and the Egyptian ace calmly sent Hugo Lloris the wrong way to put Liverpool ahead after three minutes.
The Reds were well on top and a deflected effort from James Milner went just wide, while Roberto Firmino headed past the post as the home side failed to punish Spurs’ careless defending.
Kop keeper Loris Karius was called upon after the break when he raced out to block Heung-Min Son, before Dele Alli was booked for diving.
Tottenham had a lot of the ball but were not really creating chances when up stepped Wanyama in the 80th minute.
The Kenyan had just come on for Mousa Dembele, who had been running the game, when he sprinted past a flat-footed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to meet a poor punch from Karius.
With a swing of his right boot, the midfielder hammered the ball past the keeper and into the top corner.
Four minutes later Kane went down in the area after Karius rushed out. The contact was minimal, which was enough for a debate, but there was also the fact the Spurs striker was in an offside position when Alli played the ball through.
Dejan Lovren got a touch as he tried to intercept the pass which meant the assistant did not raise his flag, but even Klopp and Pochettino couldn’t agree on the rule.
However, Kane’s spot-kick was straight at Karius and easy to save.
Just as it looked like the game would fizzle out, Salah stepped up with a fantastic goal. He swivelled to beat Ben Davies, then turned Jan Vertonghen before lifting the ball over Lloris from the tightest of angles in the 91st minute.
Klopp charged down the touchline, roaring at the celebrating Kop, as he beat the badge on his chest. But the joy was short-lived.
Deep into injury time, Lamela backed into Van Dijk as the Dutchman tried to take his hanging leg away. The assistant thought differently, though, and a penalty was awarded.
There was to be no mistake from Kane this time and he raced away in celebration at his 100th Premier League goal.