REDS STOP THE ROT
Champions’ mojo returns as Spurs suffer
LIVERPOOL ended their goal drought in style as Harry Kane suffered a worrying injury on a nightmare night for Tottenham.
Jurgen Klopp’s men ended their eight-hour league goal drought to move within four points of leaders Manchester City.
Roberto Firmino, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane did the damage.
But Spurs will be counting the cost of the defeat and Kane being forced off.
A HUGE sigh of relief for Jurgen Klopp but yet more pain relief for his players.
Sadio Mane was back to his best to win Liverpool the game they could not afford to lose, but again that hole in the heart of the champions’ defence is gaping wider than ever as the transfer window comes to a close.
Instead of celebrating their first league win since before Christmas, the Liverpool manager was again left counting his injuries.
Having lost Fabinho in the build-up to minor muscle injury, Joel Matip’s brief return lasted until half-time of his second game.
There was more worrying injury news for Jose Mourinho, though.
Harry Kane also managed just 45 minutes having needed sustained treatment on each of his ankles after two awkward falls in the opening half-hour.
Perhaps these concerns were the price of the exhilarating pace of the play from the first whistle. Within three minutes, on a different day in a different era, we could have had two goals.
A one-two between Mane and Mo Salah left Joe Rodon on his heels and any other season you would have expected Mane to score. He hit the side netting.
Within seconds, Son Heung-Min gave him the perfect demonstration of cool finishing, sliding the ball inside the near post. Liverpool were ready to kick off when VAR finally spotted a hair’s-breadth offside.
Pretty soon Liverpool were settling into their usual rhythm of dominating possession, and with the speed and complexity of the movement there were always going to be chances. Mane stole in to force
Hugo Lloris into a brilliant reflex save from close range and the France World Cup winner again had to be sharp to beat away another effort from the Senegal striker.
However, the Spurs captain was arguably at fault when Roberto Firmino gave Liverpool the lead in the fourth minute of injury time.
Despite the protests of the entire Spurs contingent, Mane was clearly onside when he crossed low but Lloris and Eric Dier seemed to leave the ball for each other and allowed the Brazilian to tap home. Such an unexpectedly abrupt end to the first half could only tee up the second – not least when Kane failed to re-emerge for it.
Salah nearly scored just 20 seconds in and the defence still seemed half asleep when Lloris parried Mane’s shot and unmarked Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared at the far post to fire the ball home.
Sparked into life by their manager’s fury, out of nowhere Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg drove one in from 22 yards at the other end. There was more drama when Salah put the ball into the back of the net for a second time only for VAR’s eagle eye to spot a handball by Firmino in the build-up.
There was no reprieve, though, when the inexperienced Rodon failed to block Alexander-Arnold’s deep cross and Mane pounced from just behind him. Game over.
More crucially today, though, both camps will assess how long it is game over for their injury victims.