Liverpool's title hopes took significant damage after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home against a Tottenham Hotspur, who really could have won the tie.
Jurgen Klopp's men looked surprisingly unimaginative when it came to mounting attacks, with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson slinging plenty of hopeful crosses into the penalty area with no success. Despite all of their possession and the fact the Reds were camped in Spurs' final third for much of the game, the visitors arguably had the better chances.
Son Heung-min shocked Anfield when he put Spurs in front early on in the second-half after Harry Kane was able to play in Ryan Sessegnon who then laid it on a plate for the South Korean international. January signing Luis Diaz was on hand to spare the hosts' blushes with a deflected equaliser with less than 20 minutes to play.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could have won it for Antonio Conte's side late on but opted to try and head the ball into the path of Harry Kane rather than go for goal himself. There was to be no late flurry in front of the famous Kop despite fans doing their best to rally the Reds.
Following the full-time whistle, Klopp was surprisingly upbeat all things considered but did seem frustrated when discussing Tottenham's style of play on Saturday night.
“For all the praise for Tottenham, a world class opponent, they won against City – the game play works for these games but they are still fifth and for everything they were time-wasting – it makes not easier, it’s smart but not easy," the Reds boss complained.
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Klopp also did not let his post-match press duties pass without taking yet another subtle swipe at the fixture list. He said: “In these moments we could have been better and in better positions but apart from that it’s just incredibly difficult to play against an opponent with a world class manager and a full-week to prepare – we play every three days it’s so tricky but I’m really fine with the performance."
While the point is enough for Liverpool to leapfrog title rivals Manchester City into first at the top of the table, they are only there due to their superior goal-difference and have played one game more. In turn, the momentum has swung hugely in favour of Pep Guardiola's side.
The usual suspects who so often secure the points for Liverpool struggled against Spurs, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane struggling to make any kind of impact and seeing the amount of chances they had severely restricted.
