Early in this match, Liverpool looked tidy in possession with their central focus, although with some pressing weaknesses. Things got easier for them when Spurs needlessly went down to ten men, and they were able to score twice. They managed the game poorly late on though, allowing a Spurs resurgence that resulted in a chaotic ending to the game.
Tactical analysis and match report by Josh Manley.
Spurs came into this game on the back of a heavy 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest, having won just one Premier League game since October. Liverpool meanwhile had been showing signs of recovery from their poor run of form, although still with tactical vulnerabilities present.
Thomas Frank's side lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with a back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Djed Spence. Rodrigo Bentancur and Archie Gray played in central midfield, with Xavi Simons in an advanced role. Lucas Bergvall and Mohammed Kudus started wide, with Randal Kolo-Muani up front.
Arne Slot meanwhile proceeded with the midfield-heavy system used against Brighton last time out. Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk, and Milos Kerkez made up the back four, with Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones as the deepest midfielders. There was then an attacking midfield trio of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, and Florian Wirtz supporting striker Hugo Ekitike.
Liverpool pressing still imperfect
Despite the improved results that Liverpool have seen in recent matches, they still face issues in their game against the ball. Although they dominated possession throughout most of this match, there was still chance . . .