Liverpool beat Tottenham with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike getting on the scoresheet in the second half. This is what we spotted as Xavi Simons was sent off in the first half.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM, NORTH LONDON // Alexander Isak scored the breakthrough goal for Liverpool as Arne Slot's side moved up to fifth in the Premier League standings - but it came at a price.
Isak and Hugo Ekitike netted in the second half, but the former was helped off the field with a potentially serious injury that he picked up in the process of finishing his one-on-one.
Xavi Simons was shown a red card for a high challenge on Virgil van Dijk in the first half, with referee John Brooks, who was sent to the monitor for a second look, giving him his marching orders. The Dutchman left him with little choice.
And while Isak was needed to score the opener and the Reds were not always completely convincing, they were the deserving winners in the end, even when Richarlison provided a scare by getting one back. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded and ended in far more chaos than it should have.
Alexander Isak blow
In the Liverpool midfield in the first half, even before Simons was sent off, Arne Slot needed to see a bit more urgency. The only one showing much of it was Curtis Jones, but it took a half-time change for Liverpool to find a way through.
Things were congested and while Florian Wirtz touched the ball every now and again, it was never anything sustained. It was cruel, then, that Alexander Isak, the man to break the deadlock, was immediately taken off.
Isak took the goal well but was then clattered into by Micky van de Ven. Arne Slot won't know yet how bad it is, but Isak was clearly in a lot of pain. After a potential lift-off moment for the Reds, the 26-year-old now faces an anxious wait to see how long he will be out.
Xavi Simons' Christmas card
While Simons certainly didn't mean to hurt his international teammate, the tackle on Van Dijk was a clear red card. As soon as the referee was called to the sidelines, the 22-year-old may as well have started to make his way to the locker room.
The onus was already on Liverpool to win this game, but playing against 10 men for the majority, there really was no excuse. Things have shown signs of an upturn recently and that simply had to continue.
That was the only thing that happened first half. In the second, it all got a lot crazier than Liverpool would have wanted. Had the Reds not won in the circumstances, it would have been ridiculous, but that did, for a spell at the end, appear to be a possibility.
Jeremie Frimpong hint
Dominik Szoboszlai was superb in this game last season, scoring and helping Liverpool to a 3-6 win. Heading into this one, there was some doubt about his availability given the injury he sustained against Brighton.
In the middle of the pitch, he found things difficult. At right-back, he was slightly better, purely because there was more space for him to work in. Without the extra focal point of Isak, however, he wasn't always given much to aim at.
Interestingly, even when Jeremie Frimpong came on, Szoboszlai still stayed at right-back. That would suggest the Dutchman is very much viewed as a forward.
If Bradley is out for any period of time, we might get to test that theory, though not against Wolves. After he was booked, Szoboszlai will be suspended for that game.
Hugo Ekitike scoring form
With back-to-back braces in each of his last two Premier League games, Hugo Ekitike is in good form. He scored against Spurs last season (in the Europa League for Eintracht Frankfurt) too.
Here, though, for a while, he struggled to win his battle with Cristian Romero and Van de Ven. Van Dijk played a couple of balls in behind that he was outmuscled. With or without Isak, Liverpool needed a bit more.
Ekitike, to his credit, kept plugging away. He leapt above Romero to score the second goal, which proved crucial. He did little else, but as long as he keeps up the goalscoring, that won't matter.
Premier League state of play
With a win, Liverpool moved up to fifth, though it will have to kick on again and play better than this in the future if it is to maintain that position. It was scruffy, and it might have been different 11 versus 11, but the Reds got over the line.
Anything else would have been unacceptable. Tottenham went into the game in 13th place — behind Brentford — and it is at home, in particular, that Thomas Frank's side has struggled. In the calendar year of 2025, Spurs have now played at home in the Premier League 18 times, winning just four.
It wasn't pretty, but Liverpool suddenly looks in a respectable position again. As 2026 nears, it has something to build on, even if it knows it must play much more convincingly than this.