Liverpool have been waiting months for their €405 million attacking signings to produce the goods in front of goal. Alexander Isak, due to a combination of injuries and a lack of match fitness, has struggled to settle into the side under Arne Slot and gain any sort of momentum. Florian Wirtz, still without an official Premier League goal after his strike against Sunderland was deemed a Nordi Mukiele own goal, has been working hard to end that barren run. Jeremie Frimpong has also flattered to deceive, while Hugo Ekitiké has proved to be the exception with seven goals heading into this game. But this time, all four contributed decisively in the 2-1 win over nine-man Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night to suggest things may improve in the coming months.
The Reds were undoubtedly helped by a moment of madness from Xavi Simons. With 33 minutes gone, the 22-year-old chased down Virgil van Dijk when the defender was in possession and raked his studs down the Achilles of his compatriot. The referee had no option but to upgrade the initial yellow card to a red one, and Spurs, having had the better of the first half up until that moment, were down to 10 men. It was the first time in over 24 years that a Dutch player had been sent off as a consequence of their foul on their compatriot.
Everything changed after that moment. Liverpool's mentality changed, putting them firmly on the front foot, and Slot sent on Isak for Conor Bradley at the break. In truth, he had to go for broke, knowing that anything other than a win would surely put an end to their extremely slim title hopes. With a man advantage, Liverpool took the initiative and found the opener, with Isak striking past Guglielmo Vicario under pressure from Micky van de Ven. Unfortunately for the Swede, he was caught by Van de Ven on the follow-through and gingerly limped off, bringing a premature end to his evening on the pitch.
It told the story of Isak's time at Anfield: one step forward, two steps back. A confidence-boosting goal, followed by what appears to be a painful ankle injury. Liverpool will be praying it's only an impact injury and not a twist or sprain, but it didn't look good. Of course, Slot knows he can lean on in-form Ekitiké to lead the line in Isak's absence - his header to make it 2-0 was a good example. But spending several weeks in the physio room, rather than integrating into the squad, won't help him or his club.