The volume increased from the knot of Liverpool supporters in the corner of the stadium shortly after the Diogo Jota sending off on 69 minutes. It was as though they anticipated something extraordinary, something that they could recount in years to come to their children’s children: that trip to Tottenham when we faced down Ange Postecoglou’s all-out-attack with nine men.
Dominic Szoboszlai was the first to pick up on their hope. A new signing who already looks Liverpudlian to his core, he stopped in front of the fans and gestured frantically. They responded, raising the volume. Trent Alexander Arnold was next. He is Liverpudlian to his core and now, as the clock ticked on to 90 minutes, he implored the fans to give still more. And they did.
The clocked had moved on to 95 minutes. Only seconds remained to achieve something momentous. It’s one thing to hold out against a good team with ten men. To do so with nine, for more than 20 minutes against this Spurs team, would merit the performance of the season.
And so amidst all the joy at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed with empathy for Joel Matip and not just because he was among the heroes here. In a game with a surfeit of excitement, Liverpool experienced some of the worst luck possible. Some key decisions were debatable: Jota’s first yellow card, Curtis Jones’ first-half red.
Yet the goal Luis Diaz scored on 34th minute, which was somehow ruled offside by VAR Darren England when it appeared well onside, is a dagger to the body of fair play. It’s understandable when officials got calls wrong in real time. If we now cannot trust the VAR to apply the rights lines and call the law correctly, then the whole rule of football law breaks down. On Saturday, the officials body had already apologised for a significant error. At least in admitting that so quickly they had some dignity much good it did Liverpool. ‘Who does that help now?,’ said Jurgen Klopp. ‘We won’t get the points.’
Joel Matip scored a late own goal as Tottenham left it late to beat Liverpool in a dramatic Premier League clash on Saturday
The goal triggered manic scenes just when Tottenham looked to be heading for a 1-1 draw against nine-man Liverpool
Curtis Jones was sent off for the Reds against Tottenham following a high challenge on Yves Bissouma in the first half
Luis Diaz looked to have given Liverpool the opener only for the goal to be wrongly disallowed for offside, with PGMOL admitting after the game that a ‘significant human error’ had been made
Jurgen Klopp was not happy with the decision or PGMOL’s apology, believing the moment changed the momentum of the game
However, before descending into a lawyer’s breakdown of football laws, take a moment to consider the sheer drama of this show. Klopp, even in his frustration, could. ‘I’ve never seen anything like that,’ he said of the nine-man performance.
‘It was top, top….’ There is no higher football praise. He didn’t get points from the game but insisted: ‘I did get a lot out of it and I will help the boys find that.’ Indeed this does look a different Liverpool to last season, one ready to challenge again.
And yet they were not the victors. It is Tottenham who are joint top of the league. There was one last chance for Spurs, one last attack.
Cristian Romero pushed the ball wide to Pedro Porro. He fired in his cross which such ferocity that Matip just instinctively reacted, stuck out a foot and directed past his own goalkeeper.
A game of this quality, with its glorious ebbs and flows, deserved its dramatic finale. It was the Premier League at its finest, the pressing rabid, the technique superb and the tactical responses to setbacks outstanding.
At the end of it, Big Ange was acknowledging a euphoric stadium, which was swaying arm in arm to a glorious rendition of Robbie William’s Angels.
Who had this on their Bingo card when Harry Kane left in August? This is more than a feeling. This Tottenham look to be made of something more substantial than that.
It was another late, late win after the victory here against Sheffield United and there’s nothing like that to ratchet up euphoria yet Postecoglou doesn’t quite buy it. ‘
There was a fair bit going on and I’m trying to process it,’ he said. ‘I’m not sitting here thinking we’re ahead of some schedule. We had some significant challenges [pre season] and we’ve dealt with them well. I don’t know how far we can go with this group, we just have to keep pushing on.’
And before the controversy, some excellence should be acknowledged. Alisson kept Liverpool in this game, his saves from James Maddison and Son Heung-min after the break among the best you can see.
Szoboszlai was astonishing, from directing the play with eleven men, sitting deep with ten and then as a lone attacker with nine. James Maddison swaggered through the game with a substance that grows match by match.
He is irresistible, his pass to secure the opening goal sublime. And yet it wasn’t even the best of the game, Mo Salah showing he still has it with a pass for Diaz that should have been converted just before the break. Son wasn’t fully fit and yet leads the line with a gusto and energy that is breath-taking and returned to be being a finisher of the highest quality.
Son Heung-min put Tottenham ahead after 36 minutes, slotting the ball home after great work from James Maddison
Cody Gakpo scored just before half-time but appeared to injure himself in doing so – which will be a concern for Klopp
Diogo Jota was given his marching orders in the second half after picking up two bookings in quick succession – though it appeared as though he didn’t make any contact with Destiny Udogie for his first
Liverpool – despite dropping down to nine men – defended resiliently and looked to be heading for a hard-earned point
Matip though put the ball in the back of his own net and looked frustrated as he was consoled by Liverpool keeper Alisson
So to the controversies and incidents. The turning point: Curtis Jones wasn’t being malicious when he went in on Yves Bissouma on 28 minutes but he did slightly misjudge his challenge, slip over the ball and end up high, studs showing on his shin. That’s always going to be a red card in the VAR era. When you freeze the frame, it looks even worse. In normal time, it just looked an honest mistake. ‘We play the game in real time but judge it in slow motion,’ said Klopp.
The Diaz goal that wasn’t on 34 minutes was a superb through ball from Salah and even better strike. It deserved to be given for that alone. Even when the first TV clip shot up it seemed he was well onside. Within seconds though the assistant’s offside flag was confirmed. It is hard to conceive how that happened.
So Tottenham struck the opener, a goal of such purity it echoed the best of the club. Maddison’s pass was weighted so well, it invited the diagonal, attacking run which Richarlison delivered and his delicate, assured touch back across goal was just as good, with Son’s run to finish also outstanding.
Jurgen Klopp thanked the travelling supporters following full time as his side came within inches of holding on
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou again received the plaudits from the fans inside the ground at full time
It will be a tough result for Liverpool to take after performing admirably well despite the numbers advantage for Tottenham
And yet, deep into added first half minutes, Szobszlai crossed and delivered the perfect cross into the box on to Van Dijk’s head. It seemed Cody Gakpo had missed his chance, miscontrolling. But he swivelled and shot on the turn to equalise. Injured in the free kick that led to the goal, he wouldn’t return, Jota coming on instead.
What a ten-men performance requires is immense discipline. What it doesn’t need is two stupid fouls in 90 seconds to leave your team with nine men. Both from Jota were on Destiny Udogie, the first debatable, perhaps a sly tactical one, though maybe Udogie tripped over his own feet. Fair enough, but that’s your warning. When he dived in a minute later on the same player, he was inviting his own expulsion.
Klopp responded by withdrawing the tireless Salah. Gomez and Diaz. With a 3-4-1 formation. Szoboszlai now his only nominal attacking player, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson now wing backs. They almost made it to 96 minutes. Had they done so, they would have recorded it in the annals of Anfield. As it was, we had a game for the ages but refereeing decisions that we thought had been confined to history.
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