Liverpool beat Spurs 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening to move up to sixth in the Premier League table
Liverpool continued their ascent up the Premier League table with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening. The win was crafted by Liverpool's summer signings, with Alexander Isak putting the Reds ahead in the second half after an expertly weighted pass from the impressive Florian Wirtz.
Fellow newcomer Jeremie Frimpong delivered a deflected cross in the second half that Hugo Ekitike met with a looping header to double the lead. Former Everton star Richarlison reduced the arrears for Spurs late on, but Liverpool held on for their ninth win of the campaign.
However, while the Reds can rejoice in a six-game unbeaten streak following a poor run of form that derailed their Premier League title bid, the night was overshadowed by an injury to Isak. The match was also marked by a series of contentious incidents, including two red cards for Spurs.
Isak landed awkwardly after his shot put Arne Slot's team in front in the match, and hobbled off after receiving treatment on the pitch. The ECHO now examines the latest news from Anfield, with events at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium under scrutiny.
Ekitike handed challenge
French star Ekitike has been told he will need to step up in the coming weeks following the injury suffered by Isak in the Premier League triumph over Tottenham.
The 23-year-old netted his 11th goal across all competitions for Liverpool with his second-half header against Thomas Frank's side. The former Eintracht Frankfurt man appears well-positioned to lead Liverpool's attack, having found the net five times in his last three Premier League outings.
Speaking on BBC's Match of the Day following the match, former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given acknowledged that losing Isak for any period would be a devastating setback for Liverpool, particularly with Mo Salah currently away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
"It's a big loss if Isak has gone off injured again," Given said. "He's had a stop-start campaign so far. But, Ekitike looks the real deal, doesn't he?"
"A brilliant striker, and he'll have to step up. Obviously, Mo Salah has left as well to go to the Africa Cup of Nations. Ekitike will have to stay fit as well because it's a big loss if Isak is out for a number of weeks now as well."
The Reds now face a nervous wait to establish the severity of Isak's injury, with the club fearing that the Swede has suffered a 'significant' problem ahead of an MRI scan on Monday.
While the duration of Isak's potential absence remains uncertain, Slot did provide a brief update after the match, acknowledging it's never a positive sign when a player cannot carry on, particularly after finding the back of the net. "We'll have to wait and see," he said. He continued: "But if a player scores and then gets injured and doesn't try to come back on the pitch, that's usually not a good thing."
Ex-Premier League star slams Tottenham behaviour
Spurs' indiscipline has come under fire from former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart. Tottenham ended the Liverpool match with only nine players on the field.
Xavi Simons received a red card in the opening half, after a VAR review, for a tackle on his fellow countryman Virgil van Dijk. Christian Romero was also sent off following a second yellow card later in the match.
Richarlison also seemed to grab Ekitike by the neck after finding the net and subsequently confronted Dominik Szoboszlai. A clash between the Brazilian and Frimpong resulted in the Dutch wing-back departing the pitch with a bloodied lip.
Rodrigo Bentancur also committed a heavy foul on Milos Kerkez. Hart reckons Spurs' loss of composure ultimately enabled Liverpool to secure the result, despite Frank's team clawing their way back into the contest late on through Richarlison's strike.
Speaking on Match of the Day, the former England shot-stopper said: "They just totally lost control, and for me this is the worst, I really don't like this." He continued: "Bentancur's absolutely cheap shot on Kerkez, he's hit him really hard there, fellow professional, no need for that."
Ekitike later commented on the unsavoury incident, saying: "It was very physical today. There were a lot of duels, but sometimes, it was bad. That wasn't football."