Match report: Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Andy Hunter has filed from Anfield, which means it’s time to wrap things up. Thanks for your company and emails – goodnight!
Liverpool reaction
Cody Gakpo
It’s been a disappointing few weeks. To win like this at home – and we could have scored more – was a good day. We enjoyed it: play together, go for goals, defend together.
[On his goal] It was a good cross from Harv, that’s why! But yeah, it was a good header.
[On his fatherhood-themed celebration] I’m very happy, very blessed. That was for my son, yeah. Everyone’s doing well.
Harvey Elliott
We were motivated to put it right. We all know we haven’t been good enough in the last couple of weeks; that’s just a fact. The boys went out and did a great job.
[On his goal] I thought it was over to be honest. It was only when I saw it drop at the last minute that I knew it was going in. It’s about time I scored a goal: I’ve hit the bar and post and everything in the last few games. It’s always nice to score, especially at Anfield.
[On his celebration] It was for my friend. I’ve been promising it for god knows how many months since I last scored. Today I managed to do it.
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That was a richly entertaining game between two teams who don’t care much for a low block. Liverpool raced into a 4-0 lead, with Harvey Elliott scoring the pick of the goals, before allowing Spurs back into the game in the last quarter.
The substitute Richarlison scored one, made another for Son and got behind the Liverpool defence almost at will. If he played with such penetration every week, he’d be worth £200m. A third Spurs goal would have made things interesting, especially after last season, but Liverpool held firm and could easily have made in 5-2 on the break.
Liverpool fully deserved to win. That was probably their best performance since the 1-1 draw with Manchester City in March, and it’s even longer since they had so much fun on a football field.
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Full time: Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham
Peep peep!
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90+7 min Vicario makes a flying save from Nunez right on the edge of the Liverpool area. And that’s it.
90+4 min: Disallowed goal Salah scores emphatically from Nunez’s low cross, only for the flag to go up against Nunez. It looked tight on the replay, though play resumed very quickly. After the fiasco in the return game, I’d imagine the VAR team were a gazillion per cent certain before they told Paul Tierney to restart play.
90+3 min “Look,” says Angus Chisholm, “I’m an Arsenal fan, so Spurs’ set-piece travails are extremely funny to me. But I’m also Australian so I feel compelled to stick up for Ange a bit, and the fact that his comments have been somewhat misinterpreted and then blown out of all proportion.
“He’s not said that set pieces are unimportant, or that he doesn’t care about them, or whatever. His point is that they’re not his priority at this point in his ‘project’, and that he has more pressing fundamental issues to work on with his team. That seemed pretty obvious. It took Arteta years to turn Arsenal into the finely drilled set piece team they are now, and they had more obviously pressing technical, tactical and personnel issues to deal with in the intervening seasons.
“There’s no guarantee that Ange will have similar success of course. But if Tottenham do want to jettison him, then with potential managerial vacancies elsewhere, maybe he could finally get the opportunity to manage a big English club that he so clearly deserves.”
There’s no chance he’ll leave Spurs, unless a bigger club goes for him.
90+2 min Alexander-Arnold is booked for taking his time over a throw-in.
90+1 min Richarlison gets behind the defence yet again and is about to shoot from 10 yards when Alexander-Arnold takes the ball off his toe. Richarlison’s movement has been brilliant since he came on.
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90 min Alexander-Arnold’s outswinging corner is headed wide by Van Dijk, the 33rd attempt at goal in this game. Moments later Maddison’s dangerous low cross is booted clear by Gomez in the six-yard box.
Seven added minutes. Sod it, make it 20, this is great fun.
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88 min: No penalty That’s fair enough I think, although had it been outside the area a free-kick would have been given. Different rules apply, I guess, and to most observers it was a brilliant piece of acrobatic defending from Gomez.
87 min: So close! Richarlison rampages into the area, left of centre, and hits a left-footed shot across goal. Alisson makes a brilliant save, but the ball still loops up in front of an open goal. Gomez clears with a spectacular flying kick and then brushes the head of Johnson in his follow through.
There’s a VAR check for a penalty.
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87 min Salah plays a nice angled pass into the area for the onrushing Szoboszlai, who shoots wide of the near post on the run. Couldn’t quite wrap his foot round the ball, etc.
86 min “I like Robertson, of course, and he’s an important player for Scotland,” says Simon McMahon. “I have fond memories of his one season at Tannadice too, but they’re tainted somewhat by his last game in a United shirt. The one and only time my team have actually featured on the MBM (if you don’t count the hundreds of times I’ve emailed during other games, of course). I mean, St. Johnstone. BLOODY ST. JOHNSTONE.”
85 min Richarlison has been full of beans since coming on. After another good run from him, Son tees up Lo Celso for a tame shot that is easily saved by Alisson.
84 min: Liverpool substitution Dominic Szoboszlai replaces the superb Harvey Elliott.
83 min: What an effort! Alexander-Arnold intercepts a pass on the halfway line, spots Vicario off his line and immediately rakes a spectacular shot towards goal. Vicario charges back desperately and is extremely relieved to see it fly a few yards over the bar.
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82 min Salah goes down in the area after a challenge from Skipp, and is about to appeal for a penalty when the flag goes up for offside.
The offside looked tight on the replay but play resumes pretty quickly. No idea whether it was a foul though.
80 min Salah misses a sitter from six yards. It was a weird incident: Elliott’s deep cross was stunned back across goal by Gakpo. Van de Ven pointedly left the ball, even though Salah was behind him on the six-yard line, but that so surprised Salah that he could only dangle a leg at fresh air.
As Gary Neville says, Van de Ven can only have assumed Vicario was behind him.
80 min Almost another one for Spurs! Son beats Alexander-Arnold on the left edge of the area, only to slip as he tries to trick his way past Quansah. Had he got past him he would have had a clear shot.
Liverpool switched off at 4-0 and Spurs are taking advantage. Skipp found Richarlison in far too much space, back to goal 10 yards out. He didn’t have quite enough time to turn so instead laid it back to Son, who swept a disguised shot past Alisson.
There’s a VAR check for offside but the goal stands. Son has become the first visiting player to score in four consecutive Premier League games at Anfield.
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GOAL! Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham (Son 77)
I say!
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75 min: Spurs substitution Giovani Lo Celso on, a woebegone Pape Sarr off.
74 min: Double substitution for Liverpool Ryan Gravenberch and Darwin Nunez replace Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz.
GOAL! Liverpool 4-1 Tottenham (Richarlison 73)
Another clean sheet bites the dust. Johnson gets away down the right and slides an early cross to Richarlison, all alone in the middle. He guides a first-time finish across Alisson from about eight yards. He took that well.
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72 min Elliott tries to repeat his goal – the position is almost identical – but curls straight at Vicario.
He’s such an impressive player.
71 min Son’s cutback from the byline takes a touch off Quanash and deflects into a dangerous area. Richarlison is on his heels, though, and Gomez has time to unfold a deckchair before clearing.
71 min Since winning 4-0 at Villa Park in March, Spurs’ run of results away from home is not pretty: 0-3, 1-1, 0-4, 0-2, 0-4*.
69 min “Glad Liverpool are giving a proper tribute to Klopp’s extraordinary tenure after the last few woeful games,” says Colum Fordham. “Really impressed by Robertson who is scoring goals and crossing beautifully. One of Liverpool’s key players.”
As I’m sure Simon McMahon will agree, he’s peaking at just the right time.
67 min Alisson makes a trademark one v one save from Son, though everyone knew Richarlison was offside in the build up. Alexander-Arnold didn’t bother to run back with Son, so obvious was it.
66 min Maddison turns Bajcetic smartly on the edge of the area but then shoots over with his left foot. He looks bright though.
66 min “Some good form at just the right time,” says Matt Dony, cheerily high-fiving strangers in the street. “Glad they haven’t left it comically late or anything…”
65 min: Double substitution for Liverpool Joe Gomez and Stefan Bajcetic – back after missing almost the entire season through injury – come on for Andy Robertson and Wataru Endo.
63 min Maddison is immediately fouled on the edge of the D. He slaps the free-kick into the wall, and then 20 seconds later Bissouma is booked for kicking the ball away.
61 min: Triple substitution for Spurs James Maddison, Richarlison and Oliver Skipp replace Bentancur, Kulusevski and poor Emerson Royal.
Jurgen Klopp is beaming with paternal pride. Emerson Royal’s defensive header went only to Salah, who touched it back to Elliott. He skipped daintily past Bentancur, on the edge of the D, before arrowing a left-foot drive into the top corner. That’s a beautiful goal.
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GOAL! Liverpool 4-0 Tottenham (Elliott 60)
A majestic goal from a seriously likeable young footballer.
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58 min Porro spots Alisson off his line and tries to score from the halfway line. He doesn’t.
57 min Emerson Royal fouls Salah and is booked. He’s having what is known in some cultures as a torrid.
57 min There is at least one precedent to encourage Spurs. They came back from 3-0 down at Anfield a year ago, with Richarlison equalising in the 93rd minute. These are facts.
56 min Son beats Elliott in the area, then tries to go round Quansah, who times his tackle well.
55 min “I like Postecoglou,” says David Wall, “but either he thinks everyone is an idiot and believes him when he says they don’t work on set-pieces, or actually he is an idiot and doesn’t do so when it’s such an obvious weakness and way to improve their results (and similar with not always playing a ludicrously high defensive line if you keep getting caught out). Considering how well they started, that he got most of the players he wanted in the summer and more signings in January, should Spurs fans be a bit disappointed by how their season is fizzling out (even if overall they’re pleased considering last year)?”
I think overall they’ve had an excellent season, especially when you factor in the injuries. They look shot to bits now though, which will make it even more surreal when Emerson Royal’s Ricky Villa homage against Manchester City wins the title for Arsenal.
54 min: Good save by Alisson! Out of nothing, a half chance for Spurs. Porro’s terrific cross is met 12 yards out by Johnson, whose forceful downward header is smartly saved to his left by Alisson.
53 min Salah’s shot deflects behind off Emerson Royal. I think Salah was offside, so it was better for him not to score. Nothing comes of the corner anyway.
It’s a classy goal, all the work of two players who have been terrific today. Elliott robs Emerson Royal, moves the ball back onto his left foot and curls an excellent cross to the far post. Gakpo towers over Romero and powers an accomplished downward header to the right of Vicario. He did really well to get that much power on it.
GOAL! Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham (Gakpo 50)
And it’s goodnight from Spurs.
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48 min Van de Ven is booked for something or other; I think the referee played the advantage before that Salah chance.
47 min Early opportunities at both ends. Quansah steps in front of Son on the edge of the area, a crucial intercepton, and moments later Salah shoots too close to Vicario after a fast break.
Salah could have a field day in the second half.
46 min Liverpool begin the second half.
“Sure Liverpool have been decent,” says Peter McLeod, “but is there any team in the league that’s easier to play against than Spurs right now? Opposition goes into any game against us confident they’ll score. By the way I’m still 100% pro-Ange.”
There’s always one team that goes on an early holiday, usually after a disappointment. Who could forget Man Utd’s glorious run in spring 1989, when the only goal they scored in almost 12 hours of football was a shank over his own keeper from Tony Adams.
“RIP Bernard Hill,” says Paul Griffin. “Boys from the Black Stuff, Titanic, Lord of the Rings. What a career. But I am not sure he could have carried off Souness’s look of innocence in Simon McMahon’s clip (39 mins). Genuine effrontery as his opponent lies writhing in agony with Souness’s footprint on this solar plexus.”
Solar plexus? Which medical school did you go to?
Half-time reading
Half time: Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham
Vicario charges a long way from his area to beat Mo Salah to a through ball. That’s the last touch of an increasingly one-sided half. Spurs started really well but then Liverpool started to pick them apart.
The recalled Mo Salah looked in the mood from the odd and headed Liverpool ahead in the 16th minute. After a number of near misses, Andy Robertson tapped in the second just before half-time.
45+2 min Liverpool have had 13 shots, eight on target. Spurs have hado one, none on target.
45 min Two minutes of added time.
Alexander-Arnold’s cross picked out his mate Robertson at the far post. He half-volleyed it back across to Salah, whose shot was saved very well to his right by Vicario. But Robertson had kept running and tapped the loose ball into the net from a few yards.
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GOAL! Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham (Robertson 45)
It was coming, and there it is.
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44 min Sarr is booked for stopping Liverpool from taking a quick free-kick.
42 min Romero’s inadequate pass goes straight to Elliott on the edge of the area. His shot is blocked by Romero, who has done that part brilliantly in the first half. Mac Allister fizzes the loose ball across to Alexander-Arnold, who cuts inside and shoots over from the edge of the area.
40 min Alexander-Arnold’s sweet strike from 20 yards is blocked by Emerson Royal, then Diaz sends a scissor kick wide of the far post.
Big Ange picked a bespoke team with Liverpool’s intensity in mind, but even with six legs in midfield they are struggling to cope.
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39 min “For some reason,” says Simon McMahon, “a YouTube search for Yosser Hughes / Graeme Souness results in this. And this. A genuine attempt to play the ball of course.”
Oh aye, it was genuine. The only question is whether it should be singular or plural.
37 min A second goal is coming. Mac Allister’s cutback is desperately cleared by Spurs, then Gakpo shoots straight at Vicario from 25 yards. Liverpool have been excellent; they look like they’re having fun.
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36 min Salah’s cross is headed up in the air by Romero. Robertson backpedalls to lash a volley that is headed away by Romero. Gakpo appealed for handball but I’m pretty sure it was head first. Had he missed it with the noggin he’d have been in trouble though.
34 min As for the penalty appeal, replays show that Gakpo made a lot of what we are now contractually obliged to call minimal contact. That said, had the penalty been given on the field I’m not certain the decision would have been overturned.
33 min Gakpo goes flying in the area after a challenge from Van de Ven. Anthony Taylor waves his hands really wide to signal that it’s not a penalty.
Spurs break, then Liverpool break again. Diaz clips a superb ball through to Salah, who controls it on the run and is about to shoot when Emerson Royal knocks the ball behind for a corner. Excellent defending.
32 min Spurs need to get Kulusevski, their craftiest player in the absence of Maddison, into the game more. At the time their possession is a bit sterile.
30 min Liverpool are getting a lot of joy down their right, not least because Emerson Royal is [don’t you dare make that rhyme – Ed] playing out of position at left-back.
29 min Sarr makes an important tackle on Alexander-Arnold, who had beaten Emerson Royal with ease on the left edge of the area (Spurs perspective).
Moments later, Salah flicks a dangerous cross towards Diaz that is headed behind by Romero.
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27 min Spurs are in danger of losing their way after a strong start to the game. Liverpool have been comfortable since going in front.
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24 min Robertson’s inswinging corner is held well by Vicario. He needed that after the week he’s had.
23 min Bissouma blocks Gakpo from getting in Vicario’s face. Alexander-Arnold’s excellent corner is headed behind for another by Romero…
22 min Diaz wriggles through Van de Ven’s challenge in the area before Vicario denies him with what is essentially a block tackle. Good goalkeeping, but the upshot is a corner for Liverpool.
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21 min Liverpool are playing some bright football after a slow start, and for now they look far more penetrative than Spurs.
19 min The lively Diaz is crumped by Bissouma, whose next foul will probably be a yellow card.
Mo Salah has looked sharp from the first whistle and now he has put Liverpool ahead. Gakpo cut inside from the left and teased a beautiful cross to the far post. Salah ran off Emerson Royal and strained his neck muscles to force a header through the left hand of Vicario.
Vicario should have done better, seeing it again. His weight was on the wrong foot, his right, which is why Salah managed to sneak the ball past him at the near post. Even so, it was a well worked goal.
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GOAL! Liverpool 1-0 Tottenham (Salah 16)
Welcome back!
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15 min Spurs keep the ball for 30 seconds or more until Johnson flashes a terrific ball right across the face of goal. Clive Allen would have gobbled that up.
14 min Salah slaps a shot against the near post, though he was well offside.
13 min “Looking forward to another regulation handsome win/untidy draw/shock home defeat for the Scousers today,” says Jeremy Boyce. “But who could blame them for any of those, given that the entire city, red and blue, will be mourning one of their mutual greats, I’m talking Bernard ‘Yosser Hughes’ Hill, a man who single-handedly made the Scouse accent and attitude a thing of beauty. I was always impressed by his mate Shake ‘Ands’; watch out for the post-match shakes.”
I’ve been trying to find the clip of him with Graeme Souness but I really need to start watching the game properly.
12 min At the other end Johnson clips a dangerous cross towards Kulusevski that is well cleared by Robertson. This game is really open, and lots of fun.
9 min: Double chance for Liverpool! The game has come alive. Sarr loses the ball in a dangerous area to Elliott, who plays in Salah. His shot from a tight angle is kicked away by Vicario, then Elliott’s follow-up is cleared off the line by Romero.
8 min: Salah hits the bar! It was a cross with the outside of the boot that swerved over Vicario and hit the face of the crossbar. Moments later, Salah looked set to score from Gakpo’s header when Van de Ven stuck out a leg to clear.
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6 min Spurs have made a smooth start, passing the ball around with their usual verve and optimism. Early days and all that but they look good.
4 min “On the subject of Salah and Klopp, Alan Shearer wrote a pretty good column for The Athletic about the similarities between Salah’s benching last week and when he was sat down by Sir Bobby Robson at Villa in 2004,” says Joe Pearson. “I wouldn’t normally point your readers elsewhere, but the column is really quite insightful.”
Point away; we’re all grown-ups here, eh? EH?
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3 min Alexander-Arnold fouls Son on the left wing, almost in line with the edge of the area. Porro’s free-kick is headed away and Bissouma launches a shot into orbit.
2 min Spurs are in the wide-awake club, with Porro winning an early corner after a long passing move. He takes it, Van Dijk heads clear.
1 min Spurs kick off from left to right as we watch.
A reminder of the teams
Liverpool (probable 4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.
Substitutes: Gomez, Konate, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Jones, Gravenberch, Bajcetic, Kelleher, Bradley.
Tottenham Hotspur (possible 4-3-3) Vicario, Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Emerson; Sarr, Bentancur, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson.
Substitutes: Skipp, Hojbjerg, Dragusin, Richarlison, Maddison, Gil, Lo Celso, Austin, Moore.
Referee Paul Tierney (Lancashire)
Jarell Quansah on Liverpool’s season
The dressing room is full of winners and people who want to win – we won [the League Cup] this year as well and from there we are in a different place to others
Ange Postecoglou chats to Sky Sports
This is the most challenging part of the season for us. You’ve gotta be up for it, because in 12 months’ time maybe there’ll be a different challenge and we’ll need to be up for that. The players understand that it’s not easy to do what we’re trying to do, but they need to be up for it.
It’s a massive test today. But what a great opportunity for us to go out and try and play some football.
[On the switch to three in midfield] We’ll need some legs today. Look it’s a short turnaround and we’ve got a couple of guys who are a little bit sore. I’m sure there’ll be some intensity and energy early in the game, and we wanted to make sure we get the balance right.
I try to step back every now and then and have a look at the broader picture. This group of players have done awfully well this year. Sometimes I think I’m too hard on them, but I do that for a reason.
“Why are Spurs so bad at buying players for £40-60m that aren’t worth half that?” wonders Andrew Hurley.
I was going to make a levy joke, but those pesky proper nouns and their need for capitalisation mean it’ll never work.
“In-form Chelsea?” sniffs Phil Grey. “Don’t you mean inconsistent Chelsea, Rob? They’ve won one away game in 2024, very recently got thumped by Arsenal and failed to beat Burnley and Sheffield United. They’ve only crept up the table because Man United, Wolves, Brighton and Fulham have suffered dips in form while Chelsea have remained their usual inconsistent selves.”
Well, they’re in the top four of the form table, which in some cultures constitutes being in form.
Jurgen Klopp chats to Sky Sports
[Can you enjoy the last few games now the pressure is off?] Yeah, I can. It’s more difficult for the boys – we can just stand here and think, ‘What are we playing for really?’ I know you need a reason or a spark to give your all. We’ve tried to do that. We’ve had a good week – we trained intensely, how we should, and prepared the boys.
Tottenham are a tricky opponent with a specific way of playing. You cannot just play against them – “let’s have a look” – or they will go through you and cause you massive problems.
I’m in a good mood, this is my penultimate home game and I’m looking forward to it.
[On Mo Salah’s return] He had a really good training week. That’s what we all want and what he wants, so there was absolutely no doubt he would start today.
Full time: Brighton 1-0 Aston Villa
It’s always a triumph when an MBM preamble is out of date before the match has kicked off. Spurs might be back in the Champions League race after Aston Villa lost 1-0 at Brighton. It means Spurs are seven points behind Villa with two games in hand. One of them is against Manchester City, so they probably need to win today to have a realistic chance of finishing fourth.
No mas
Premier League latest
In-form Chelsea are battering West Ham in their 2pm game. The match between Brighton and Aston Villa is goalless. But it might not be for long: a penalty has just been awarded. Clickity click click click.
Spurs won the return fixture 2-1 back in September, though that game will always be remembered for the goal that wasn’t.
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Team news: Salah starts, Richarlison dropped
Mo Salah replaces Ryan Gravenberch, the only change from Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at West Ham. That means Harvey Elliott will move back into midfield.
Ange Postecoglou also makes one change: Rodrigo Bentancur comes in for Richarlison, which probably means Son Heung-min will play up front.
How we line up for #LIVTOT 👊🔴
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 5, 2024
Up the Spurs! 🤍 pic.twitter.com/4SsbL3OZbc
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 5, 2024
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Preamble
Misery loves company, so it’s only right that Liverpool and Tottenham should meet today. After seven months of optimism, even euphoria at times, their seasons have turned to dust. Liverpool are out of the title race after dropping 10 points in the last five games; Spurs are out of the Champions League race after haemorrhaging 11 points in the same period. If they’re not careful they could miss out on the Europa League as well.
Liverpool will be keen to put on a show in Jurgen Klopp’s penultimate game at Anfield. Stricly speaking they need a win to stay in the title race, though reality has already bitten on that score. In the grand scheme, finishing third and winning a trophy – especially in such a feelgood manner – represents a good season for a team who were in transition even before Klopp announced his departure.
Spurs have had a fine season too: they’ve rediscovered their identity, found a long-term manager and doubled down on the tactical tweak du jour. Like Liverpool, they’ve been badly hit by injuries. And like Liverpool, they probably aren’t in the mood to celebrate the 2023-24 season just yet.
Kick off 4.30pm.
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