Match report: Liverpool 4-3 Tottenham

Andy Hunter’s report has arrived, so I’m off to watch the snooker. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight.

Liverpool reaction

Trent Alexander-Arnold

Crazy. What a game. It was a fantastic end to the game, stuff that you want to see to be honest. It wasn’t so much relief [when Jota scored], just celebration. You go from disappointment to sheer joy in a couple of a minutes.

We were all over them in the first 15 minutes. That was our gameplan. But there’s a lot of stuff we need to learn. We can’t be almost drawing 3-3 when we’re 3-0 up; that’s not what top sides do.

It’s not just my position that has changed, it’s everyone’s. There’s still things to learn but we’re enjoying our football. We need to see it through to the end of the season.

Diogo Jota

We made it hard for ourselves but in the end it’s a day to remember for the people in the stands and for me. Getting the winner is always special.

I don’t think we’ve ]won four games in a row] before this season. It feels great and we just need to keep going.

“The second Newcastle 4-3 is a great point for comparison,” says Niall Mullen. “As today the Reds had all of the attacking talent and no defensive solidity. That said, I doubt Allison will ever give a performance as truly abysmal as David James did that night.”

He doesn’t have a PlayStation.

As Yash Gupta points out, Lucas Moura hasn’t had the greatest time on Merseyside this season. He lasted six minutes at Goodison Park before getting a straight red card, and I think his unwitting assist for Jota was his first touch today.

“Shades of Liverpool v Newcastle in 1997!” says Duncan Roberts.

Ah yes, good point. Everyone forgets that game for obvious reasons.

Liverpool go above Spurs and into fifth after a preposterous match. Spurs were 3-0 down in 15 minutes and looked a total shambles. But then Kane scored, Son scored and Richarlison scored in injury time. It looked like one of the great comebacks – until Lucas Moura presented the ball to Diogo Jota, who punished him with extreme prejudice.

Well that was fun.

90+7 min Now Ryan Mason is giving the fourth official a bit of a mouthful, though not quite as in your face as Klopp. He was booked by the way.

Liverpool have snatched it! It’s a nightmare for the substitute Lucas Moura, who tried to cushion the ball infield to Romero and instead gave it straight to Diogo Jota. He surged into the area, in the inside-left channel, and rifled a brilliant low shot across Forster. In the circumstances that was a nerveless finish.

Klopp celebrated by giving the fourth official a mouthful, and then pulled his hamstring! Pure comedy.

Oh my goodness!

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View image in fullscreen

Of all the gin joints in all the world, Richarlison has scored his first Premier League goal for Spurs at Anfield. Son curled a superb inswinging free-kick towards Richarlison, who stooped to head the ball as Nunez’s studs flew towards his face. He didn’t time the header at all – I think he took his eye off the ball - but because of that it went straight into the ground and bounced over Alisson!

This is bonkers.

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View image in fullscreen

90+2 min Davies is off the field receiving treatment for a cut lip.

90+1 min Milner is booked for a rustic challenge on Kane.

90+1 min Davies goes down holding his face after a challenge from Salah. Liverpool are furious, and Klopp lies down on the floor for some reason. It was a foul, a whack to the face, albeit accidental.

90+1 min Six minutes of added time.

90 min: Spurs substitution x2 Lucas Moura and Arnaut Danjuma replace Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic.

89 min The free-kick is punched away by Alisson.

89 min “If a team was able to combine the first half performances of Manchester United with the second half performances of Tottenham, they might be able to keep up with City,” says Ian James. “What to do with the leftover halves is another question - though Chelsea might be interested.”

88 min Liverpool are a bag of nerves. Salah fouls Davies on the Spurs left, which allows the centre-backs to go forward for the free-kick…

86 min No penalty! I suppose that’s fair enough on the grounds that it wasn’t a clear and obvious error, but Konate is a bit fortunate.

86 min: Liverpool substitution James Milner replaces Curtis Jones.

86 min Richarlison made a meal of it, no doubt, but Konate was on the wrong side and wrapped his arms round him.

85 min Richarlison goes down in the area after being held back by Konate. This might be given by VAR.

84 min: Spurs substitution Richarlison replaces Oliver Skipp, who is bleeding but seems fine.

83 min Skipp is still being treated. Jurgen Klopp is enjoying a chat with Ivan Perisic on the touchline.

82 min It was pretty nasty, that. The ball bounced between the two players and Jota, though trying to play the ball, ended up studding Skipp in the face. A booking is probably right, though had he received a red card I don’t think VAR would have overturned it.

81 min Jota is booked for a high foot on Skipp. It’s drawn blood, in fact, and Skipp is being treated.

79 min The replays we’ve seen don’t show a clear push from Alexander-Arnold, so I think that was the right decision. Just before that Konate made a desperate lunging tackle on Skipp in the box. He got the ball, and it’s a good thing he did.

79 min Hojbjerg heads Porro’s cross well wide, but he’s convinced he was pushed over by Alexander-Arnold. I’d like to see that again.

This is a lovely goal. Romero, near the halfway line, clipped an excellent pass over the top, which Son controlled magnificently on the half turn. That put him through on goal, and he calmly slid a low shot past Alisson’s left foot.

There was a check for offside but the timing of the run and the pass were immaculate.

Now. Then.

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76 min Nothing much is happening, hence the below filler. Liverpool have kept the ball well in the last 15 minutes or so, even if they haven’t done a great deal with it.

75 min As things stand Liverpool are fifth, which equals their highest position this season. You’d have got decent odds on that when they overran Manchester City in the Community Shield.

74 min Nunez has gone to the left wing, with Jota moving infield.

73 min: Liverpool substitution Darwin Nunez replaces Cody Gakpo, who had a good day and played a big part in the second and third goals.

73 min Liverpool continue to probe until Van Dijk, 40 yards from goal, mistakes himself for Arie Haan. Goalkick to Spurs.

70 min Alexander-Arnold’s long-range shot is headed away, I think by Davies; then Konate is booked for a tactical foul on Son.

69 min Lots of Liverpool possession now. It’s not completely clear what Spurs are to, because they’ve spent most of the last 10 minutes on the back foot.

68 min After a very dodgy spell either side of half time, Liverpool are looking comfortable again.

67 min: Spurs substitution Pape Sarr replaces Dejan Kulusevski, which means a switch to 5-3-2.

66 min A looping header from Jota lands on the roof of the net, though Forster had it covered.

65 min “Right now,” says Matt Dony, “I’m on the Kop with my son for the first time. He’s unbelievably excited, and I’m feeling unbearably emotional because of it. I’m from west Wales, a long way from Liverpool. My connection to the club is largely arbitrary. But that doesn’t matter. It means a lot to me, and now it means a lot to my son. Football is amazing. And right now, the world is a slightly better place.”

The first home game is one of life’s more beautiful rites of passage, isn’t it. He’ll remember the date forever.

63 min: Double substitution for Liverpool Diogo Jota and Jordan Henderson replace Luis Diaz, who reminded everyone of his abundant class with a fine goal, and the ever-perky Harvey Elliott.

62 min A few minutes of peace for Liverpool. Jordan Henderson is about to come on.

59 min “I don’t know which mystery is a bigger one,” says Admir Pajic. “That this Spurs team have lost so many games this season yet are still in the mix for the top four or that this Spurs team have done the double on that wonderful Brighton team.”

59 min Liverpool, who did as they pleased for 40 minutes, are now really struggling to keep the ball. It’s a bizarre match.

57 min: Good save from Alisson! Porro sizzles a dipping long-range strike that is tipped over acrobatically by Alisson. It’s all Spurs!

54 min: Now Romero hits the other post! Two near missed for Spurs. Kane curled a cross from the left towards Romero, and no I’ve no idea what he was doing up there. It came at an awkward height, a few yards in front of his body, so Romero improvised a volley on the stretch. The ball drifted back across in goal in slow motion, with Alisson unmoved, and bounced off the post.

54 min: Son hits the post! This one would definitely have counted. Kulusevski waved a pass infield with the outside of his left foot, which Son collected 25 yards from goal. He cut across Konate and curled a lovely shot that beat the diving Alisson and clattered off the base of the post.

51 min Son is booked for a foul on Gakpo.

50 min There are a few nerves at Anfield, and the next goal is a big one.

I was going to write ‘the next goal, if there is one’, but you know.