Liverpool suffered a very late scare but managed to get over the line against Tottenham.
The Reds put in a much-improved second half performance against Spurs that meant it looked like they were going to come away with a comfortable three points.
Richarlison’s introduction changed that, though, and he made it a tense ending, although Liverpool just about got over the line.
Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?
Goals from Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak helped get the job done, although the latter was taken off with yet another injury. Here are how the players rated.
Defence
Alisson Becker: 7 – Was on his toes to deny Spurs twice in the first half, even if it was only just. Didn’t have too much to do in the second half bar a few comfortable-enough saves and couldn’t do a lot about the goal.
Conor Bradley: 5 – Took his time to get into the game but slowly got there. Picked up an injury late in the first half and came off at half time, though. The right-back issue persists.
Ibrahima Konate: 7 – Misjudged a header that almost led to a Spurs goal, but was fairly comfortable other than that and was hardly troubled.
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Virgil van Dijk: 6 – Was on the receiving end of Simons’ poor tackle that led to a red card. Was comfortable until the latter stages, with the Dutchman failing to clear the ball that led to Richarlison’s goal.
Milos Kerkez: 6 – Played fairly high up the pitch but did not threaten too much with his deliveries. Was comfortable at the back, though, and certainly looks like he has settled.
Midfield
Ryan Gravenberch: 6 – Created a few chances and worked hard, but was a little bit slow on the ball at times. In his defence, the entire midfield felt a little short of energy.
Alexis Mac Allister: 6 – Was the furthest forward of the midfielders but was probably the least impactful. Still worked hard and the balance of the midfield felt good, especially second half.
Curtis Jones: 6 – Got on the ball as much as he could, like he always does, but could not make too much of an impact. Still was silky at times and has definitely been a good addition to the midfield.
Phew! Three points, but a really, really poor display. What are your takeaways?
Attack
Dominik Szoboszlai: 6 – Played in Salah’s position in the first half and helped with the balance of the side, but moved back to right-back due to Bradley’s injury. Far less impactful from there, although did a selfless job for his teammates.
Hugo Ekitike: 8 – Worked hard and got in behind a few times in the first half, but lacked support and was isolated at times. Played alongside Isak in the second half but they could not find an understanding, but took his goal really well with a clinical header.
Florian Wirtz: 7 – Showed a few flashes of brilliance and tried his best to speed the game up where he could. Assisted Isak for his goal too with a perfectly-weighted pass from the left, with the German starting to find his feet in the Premier League.
Substitutes
Alexander Isak: 6 – Came on at half time and scored the opener, and just his second league goal of the season, in less than 15 minutes with a clinical finish. However, he picked up an injury mid-shot, which meant he had to be taken off. Nightmare for the Swede.
Jeremie Frimpong: 6 – Brought a lot of pace to the right and played as a winger, but could tell he had spent a little while out as a few of his touches were poor. Played a big part in Liverpool’s second, though so there are some promising signs.
Federico Chiesa: N/A
Andy Robertson: N/A