Spurs still on the up, vows Poch
IT WAS clear in the rueful punch that Mauricio Pochettino planted in the Anfield turf at fulltime, and in Harry Kane’s demeanour when he emerged from the dressingroom later.
Tottenham had dropped two points rather than gained one, and the door was wide open for Leicester City to go clear in the title race.
A draw at Anfield is no mean feat, particularly for Spurs who have now beaten Liverpool on their own turf just once in the Premier League in 22 attempts.
Nor is scoring 22 goals in a season, which Kane achieved with his exquisite second-half equaliser as he became the first Tottenham man to reach that mark in the Premier League era.
But this was never going to be about the record books. It was about the here and now, and Tottenham’s bid to deliver a first title since 1961.
When the dust had settled on a thoroughly absorbing encounter between two teams who never paused for breath, it was clear that Pochettino and his players sensed the chance may have gone. Leicester’s win over Southampton confirmed their fears.
There may at least be some consolation in the thought that Tottenham’s title challenge is unlikely to be a one-off.
The clutch of young Englishmen driving it will only be stronger for this experience.
‘ This is not just about this season,’ said Pochettino. ‘When you compare Tottenham with big sides, people can see this approach is for the long term.
‘We have the youngest squad in the Premier League yet we’re fighting for the title. But the project is fantastic, because we are ahead of the programme — we are only going to get better.
‘For a lot of players, this is their first season in the Premier League and I am sure that next season they will be better because they will have more experience.’
Kane will lead the charge, but even his fighting talk sounded a little hollow.
Asked if Spurs could still win the title, the England striker said: ‘Yes, of course. Anything can still happen.
‘Leicester would be doing very well to win every game from now until the end of the season. We’ve just got to do what we can and focus on Manchester United next week. We’ve got to get a win basically.’
Kane revealed that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said ‘what a strike’ in his ear as he came off at the end.
‘He’s a good character to have in the Premier League, but if I’d scored another one he might not have done that,’ he added.
‘It’s just a shame that we couldn’t get that second goal. Any day of the week you would rather your team win than have personal records.’
For Klopp, the challenge is to turn Liverpool into title contenders like Spurs, not just match them over 90 minutes. His team went ahead through Philippe Coutinho’s fine effort, but finished still 17 points behind their opponents. Injuries, he believes, have played a crucial part.
‘Usually it’s not my job to say this but we had a lot more injury problems than Tottenham,’ said the German.
SUPER STAT: Tottenham have picked up 19 points from losing positions this season, more than any Premier League team. Liverpool have dropped the most when leading, surrendering 17 points.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet 7; Clyne 6.5, Lovren 7, Sakho 5, Moreno 6; Milner 6.5 (Milner 90min), Henderson 6, Can 6; Lallana 7 (Allen 82), Sturridge 6.5 (Origi 72, 6.5), Coutinho 8. Subs not used: Ward, Toure, Skrtel, Smith. Booked: Coutinho, Can. Scorer: Coutinho 51.
TOTTENHAM (4-2-3-1): Lloris 7; Walker 6.5, Alderweireld 6.5, Wimmer 6, Rose 6.5; Dier 6.5, Dembele 7; Son 5.5 (Chadli 66, 6.5), Alli 5 (Mason 88), Eriksen 7.5; Kane 7. Subs
not used: Vorm, Trippier, Chadli, Onomah, Carroll, Davies. Scorer: Kane 63. Referee: Jon Moss 7.
Man of the match: Philippe Coutinho.