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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

Tottenham vs Liverpool winners and losers as Mo Salah hampers Eric Dier's World Cup hopes

Liverpool held off a late Tottenham onslaught to secure all three points in North London and end a run of two consecutive defeats.

A brace from Mohamed Salah was enough for the Reds to get back to winning ways after defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds. Harry Kane did pull one back for Tottenham - but that didn't stop them from suffering a third Premier League loss in four games.

Liverpool may have got the victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but which individuals stood out in the final Premier League fixture of the weekend? Here, Mirror Football list the winners and losers from a tense encounter in N17.

Winners

Mohamed Salah

An obvious winner. Salah was at his brilliant best on Sunday, scoring two poacher's goals to reaffirm his reputation as one of the Premier League's most dangerous forwards. The Egyptian's first was an unforgiving finish, drilling the ball home from close range.

Salah's second was just as prolific - taking advantage of Eric Dier's mistake (more on him later). He now has 14 goals in 20 games this season, an impressive record by anyone's standards. Klopp insisted Salah will be remembered as one of the Premier League's greatest ever strikers in his post-match press conference - and it's hard to disagree with that.

Ryan Sessegnon

What a timely performance from Sessegnon. Ben Chilwell's injury means there's a space in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the World Cup and the Tottenham defender has put himself in the frame for a call-up after Sunday afternoon's display.

Ryan Sessegnon tormented Trent Alexander-Arnold (PA)

Which players impressed you on Sunday afternoon? Let us know in the comments below!

Sessegnon caused Trent Alexander-Arnold plenty of problems throughout the afternoon, most notably at the beginning of the second half when he got in behind the defence and squared a neat ball to Ivan Perisic. Frustratingly for Spurs, the Croatian hit the bar.

Southgate must now decide if he wants to take Sessegnon to Qatar, with Crystal Palace talent Tyrick Mitchell also in the frame. Ironically, Sessegnon's display might have just booked his place on the plane and eliminated Alexander-Arnold's dwindling hopes.

Harry Kane

Harry Kane was superb on Sunday afternoon (Getty Images)

What a player the England captain is. Kane reiterated his obvious class throughout the afternoon, starting with a first-half cross that almost ended in the back of Alisson's net. The ball deflected off the Brazilian goalkeeper and hit the post, much to Alisson's relief.

Kane almost dragged Spurs back into the contest with a trademark finish, taking the ball in his stride and finding the far corner. England fans will be hoping he doesn't get injured in Tottenham's final two games before the World Cup against Nottingham Forest and Leeds.

Losers

Eric Dier

Eric Dier made a huge mistake against Liverpool (Getty Images)

With the World Cup just around the corner, many critics are calling for Eric Dier to start England's opener against Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium on November 21. Yet on Sunday's evidence, the Tottenham defender might be warming the bench in Qatar.

Dier made a huge mistake for Salah's second goal. All the Englishman had to do was head away a simple long ball forward, with Salah putting him under minimal pressure. Yet he failed to that and the Egyptian pounced to complete his brace with a lovely chip.

Despite his blunder, Dier is in good form and he will surely be part of Southgate's 26-player squad for the World Cup. Yet he may have blown his chance to be a starter. Does Harry Maguire, for example, play ahead of Dier? It's a big call for the England boss.

Darwin Nunez

Darwin Nunez needs to do more in big games (AFP via Getty Images)

It's slightly harsh to class Nunez as a loser, as he put in a steady performance against Tottenham (and was on the winning team). He unleashed a fierce effort at Hugo Lloris early on by beating the offside trap and forcing the Frenchman into an acrobatic save.

Yet Nunez faded into the background after that. He didn't do enough to grab the headlines and played a supporting role as Salah took centre stage. The Uruguayan is quick and strong, but he isn't suited to play on the left of a front three. He looked out of position.

Antonio Conte

Much was expected of Tottenham after several summer signings, including Richarlison and Yves Bissouma. But it's not working out for Conte at the moment. Spurs have struggled to impress this season and are fortunate to have 26 points in the Premier League.

It's quite clear they are not yet good enough to compete with the likes of Manchester City and bitter rivals Arsenal for the Premier League title. Conte has probably realised this - and it could make him think twice come May.

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