Liverpool continued their dominance over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, but it wasn’t the typical blowout we’ve seen in recent years, even after Xavi Simons was sent off in the first half.
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Alexander Isak scored the opening goal but injured himself in the process, and Hugo Ekitike scored what turned out to be in the winner, but not before Richarlison pulled a goal back for Spurs and made it very interesting late.
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Here are the Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool player ratings in full, with marks out of 10 and analysis.
Spurs player ratings
Guglielmo Vicario: 5.5 - Could he have done better on the opening goal? Maybe.
Pedro Porro: 6.5 - Got the ball into the final third consistently, but the long, splitting balls into the channel — typically his specialty — were noticeably missing.
Cristian Romero: 5.5 - Was having another fantastic, heroic night of emergency defending and surging forward in attack. And then he decided to kick out at Ibrahim Konate and get himself sent off in stoppage time, with Spurs having a real go at Liverpool as they chased an equalizer.
Micky van de Ven: 6 - If there’s any defender in the world that’s made for man-down situations, it’s Van de Ven, but it comes at great cost to his in-possession work — his ability to carry the ball forward and bypass the (problematic) midfield is a godsend for Spurs most days.
Djed Spence: 6 - Most of Liverpool’s threat came down the other side, but Spence was key to defending at the back post.
Rodrigo Bentancur: 7 - Of Spurs’ defensive midfield options, Bentancur is the best passer of the bunch and probably needs to start most games from here on out. Speaking of needs to play and start more games…
Archie Gray: 6 - On one hand, Gray and Bergvall were somewhat outmatched and couldn’t quite keep up with the pace in central midfield. On the other hand, it was still one of the best midfield showings (for 30 minutes) that Spurs have had all season.
Lucas Bergvall: 6 - See above.
Mohammed Kudus: 5.5 - Created a bit of danger early on, but a non-factor for the final 30 minutes of his shift (subbed in the 58th) as Spurs were down to 10 men and it was slim pickings at that point.
Xavi Simons: 4 - Had a nice opening half-hour on both sides of the ball, but the challenge that got him sent off (in the 33rd minute) was one of the most needless, wayward acts you’ll see all season.
Randal Kolo Muani: 5.5 - Was a decent outlet alongside Kudus after the red card, but his fluffed header in the 27th was his most important moment of the game.
Substitutes
Richarlison: 7.5 - What an impact off the bench. Not only did he score the goal that gave Spurs a hope at the end, but he had one or two more near-breakaway moments that simply weren’t there before he came on. He’s got four goals in his last seven PL games and only five players have scored more than him this season.
Liverpool player ratings
Alisson: 6 - Didn’t have to make any difficult saves and played high up the field as needed to keep Spurs pinned in at times.
Conor Bradley: 6.5 - Came off injured at halftime, but before that he made a stellar block on a cross from Bergvall that would have put Kudus in one-on-one to open the scoring.
Ibrahim Konate: 7 - Stepped forward and broke up counters when he needed to and didn’t make any disastrous mistakes in possession. That’s all you’re looking for from the guy next to VvD.
Virgil van Dijk: 7.5 - Was virtually flawless in possession and played penetrating pass after penetrating pass.
Milos Kerkez: 7 - Overlapped down the left, kept Spurs’ defense stretched wider than they’d like to be, and eventually it paid off.
Ryan Gravenberch: 7.5 - He ran the show from the moment Simons was sent off, with and without the ball, he had a hand in everything.
Curtis Jones: 7 - Precisely the type of player you want on the field with a man advantage, because he gets the ball forward with such ease. Rarely spectacular, but always functional and a pivotal piece.
Alexis Mac Allister: 6 - Couldn’t find the time or space he needed to attempt more shots, or to put the ones he did take on target.
Dominik Szoboszlai: 6.5 - A quieter game by his recent lofty standards. Mostly circulated possession and tracked back to end counter-attacks before they could start. It is undeniable that they’re a better defensive team with him in the lineup over Mohamed Salah.
Florian Wirtz: 7 - Fortunately for Wirtz, after 11 PL appearances without a goal or assist for Liverpool, Santa Claus delivered Spurs on a platter for him just in time for Christmas. It worked for Eberechi Eze right before Thanksgiving, and it worked for Wirtz today.
Hugo Ekitike: 7.5 - He just does it all as a center forward, doesn’t he? Back to goal, in the open field, in the air. What a header for the second goal, and it turned out to be the winner.
Substitutes
