When Harry met Salah
... it ended 4-1 for Spurs at Wembley
The two most prolific marksmen in the English Premier League this season - Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane – collide again tomorrow as Liverpool host Tottenham Hotspur in a game that could prove decisive in the increasingly tight battle to finish in the top four. Spurs punished Liverpool 4-1 in the first clash at Wembley last Oct 22, with Kane scoring a hattrick and Salah netting the Reds’ only goal. So who will be the hotter of the two hotshots at Anfield?
LONDON: The two most prolific marksmen in the Premier League this season will meet tomorrow as Liverpool host Tottenham in a game that could prove decisive in the increasingly tight battle to finish in the top four.
With only five points separating Manchester United in second and Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs in fifth, the fight for Champions League qualification has rarely been so intense.
Victory for third- place Liverpool at Anfield would open up a five-point gap to Tottenham, a healthy buffer for Juergen Klopp’s team who have lost only once in 16 league games.
A win for the visitors, however, would catapult them into the coveted Champions League places ahead of their opponents.
While neither manager is likely to care which of their players ends up the match-winner tomorrow, the build-up is likely to focus on two individuals who have been in sparkling goal-scoring form all season.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Tottenham’s Harry Kane have bagged 40 league goals between them this season, with the Spurs striker having scored 21 times to lead the battle for the Golden Boot by two over Liverpool’s Egypt international.
Kane is a familiar presence at the top of scoring charts yet Salah’s impact since signing from Roma in the close season has been a revelation, even more so because he does not even play as an outand-out striker.
Both players were on target when the sides met at Wembley in October, a 4-1 victory for Spurs that marked a watershed moment for Liverpool who then embarked on a 14-match unbeaten run in all competitions. .
That ended withw a surprise defeat by relegation strug gglers Swansea, although they rebounded d with a 3-0 win over Huddersfield on Tuesday.
Tottenham, whow have not completed a lea ague double over Liverpool s since 2010-11, will fan ncy their chances s and will come e into the game on n a high havin ng comfortably be aten Manches ster United 2- 0 at Wembley on We ednesday.
That was a rarer occasion when Kane fail led to score, but the striker enjoyse playing against Liv verpool and has contributed d four goals and two assists in his last six league appearan nces against the Merseyside club .
Manchester United host Huddersfield to oday looking to bounce back fro om their Wembley defeat where manager Jose Mourinho lame ented “ridiculous” defensive errors s.
Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen scored after 11 1 seconds and United defender Phil Jo ones scored an own goal with a clumsy attempteda clearance that rocketed into his s own net.
Chelsea also s uffered an embarrassing set- back in mid dweek, losing 3- 0 at home to Bournem mouth, sparking further media specu ulation about manager Antonio C onte’s future and making Monday y’s trip to Watford all the more imp portant.
At the top of t the table, however, all remains sere ene for Manchester City, who hold a 1515-point lead and visit a Burnley side who have not won in their last eight league matches today. — Reuters