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Liverpool injury latest

Liverpool's injury problems have eased massively in recent weeks, with a number of players having returned since the start of December.

Alisson, Harvey Elliott, Federico Chiesa, Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas have all contended with significant spells on the treatment table this season, but all five players returned to action this month.

However, Arne Slot still does not have a completely clean bill of health, with Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate both unavailable.

See where both players are up to with their recoveries here

Neville makes Liverpool and United comparison

Gary Neville said that the current Liverpool team reminds him of how his all-conquering Manchester United sides of old used to play.

The Reds underlined their title credentials on Sunday, scoring six times against Tottenham to ensure they will spend Christmas Day with a four-point lead at the top of the table.

Arne Slot's men recorded a 6-3 win over Tottenham after a predictably frantic game in North London on Sunday, and Neville praised the Reds' game management — despite the two goals they conceded after the 70-minute mark which gave Ange Postecoglou's men a glimmer of hope heading into the closing stages of the match.

"They remind me a little bit of us (the United teams Neville played in)," Neville said on Sky Sports. "We would play high tempo for 15 minutes then we'd sit back and play deep on the counter, then sometimes we'd slow it down and try and control the game if we were one or two goals up."

See what else Neville had to say here

Slot expresses frustration despite victory at Spurs

Despite a commanding 6-3 victory over Tottenham, Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed his dissatisfaction with the team's performance.

The Reds dominated the game against Ange Postecoglou's side, and despite the scoreline suggesting a close match, Tottenham never seemed likely to win. Liverpool had a comfortable lead of 5-1 before late goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke spared Spurs further embarrassment.

However, Slot was not entirely pleased with his team's performance, criticizing some players for easing off after the hour mark. He deemed this 'not good enough', even though they secured all three points.

"For 60 minutes we did everything we had to do, we were comfortable and good with the ball. The main thing is we worked very, very hard," the Liverpool boss told Match of the Day.

"But then the same players with the same quality thought that 10 or 15 minutes of not working as hard was good enough. Tottenham have enough quality to score goals if you give them chances. You have to be on top of your game for the whole game and we didn't do that."

See what else Slot had to say here

Mohamed Salah asked about his future

Liverpool has a new fourth-top goalscorer of all-time: Mohamed Salah.

"I didn’t think about it before the game but I am glad I did it," Salah told Sky Sports after the match. "It’s something that makes me happy and proud and hopefully there is more to come."

Asked if there was an update on his future, he simply added: "No."

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Musiala claim

Liverpool is poised and ready to pounce if a transfer deal for Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala becomes a possibility, according to Rousing The Kop. The 21-year-old is under contract until 2026 but no agreement has been reached yet over an extension for the exciting young player who used to be in Chelsea's academy before he made the move to the Bundesliga giant.

It is still very much a possibility that Musiala will sign a new deal with Bayern Munich, and, of course, the Germany international has a year longer on his contract than some key men at Anfield, so all is not lost for Vincent Kompany. But Liverpool has supposedly "made contact" to express its interest should anything happen.

A gutted Son Heung-min, the skipper of Tottenham, has confessed that the 6-3 thrashing by Liverpool was "very, very painful" following the Premier League frontrunners' emphatic win at the Tottenham Stadium. Mohamed Salah led the charge with a brace, matched by Luis Diaz, while Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also found the net.

Despite efforts from James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Dominic Solanke, Spurs were left to rue an ignominious defeat on their own turf. Confronting the media in a post-match Sky Sports interview, the captain didn't mince his words, conceding that Spurs were outclassed by Arne Slot's men.

He lamented: "I'm very disappointed with the result and conceding six at home is not the idea. It's really, really painful. What can I say? As a footballer you always want to play but we've got to work hard and recover but we don't want to make any excuses."

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When quizzed about Liverpool's quality, Son acknowledged their superiority, saying: "There's no question. They are top of the league you can see. Top players, top discipline. There's a reason they are top (of the Premier League). If you make any mistake, they punish you. They are a very very good side."

Amidst the fallout, Tottenham's adventurous style of play has come under scrutiny, with questions aimed at manager Ange Postecoglou regarding his tactical flexibility, especially given the absence of 10 first-team players.

Son, the Tottenham Hotspur forward, expressed his thoughts: "Football is always risky. When you sit back you sometimes concede goals. this is our plan so we've got to stick together in the good times and also the difficult times. Today was very painful for the players, fans and club. But we've got to move together and bounce back stronger."

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM, NORTH LONDON // Liverpool extended its superb record away at Tottenham with a hefty win over under-pressure Ange Postecoglou. Dominik Szoboszlai, Luis Diaz and several others excelled with their side now four points clear with a game in hand at the top.

Szoboszlai added a third Liverpool goal after Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister had beaten Fraser Forster before Mohamed Salah fired home in the second half. James Maddison had earlier pulled one back but Liverpool was thoroughly deserving of its lead. When Salah made it 5-1, some in the home end headed for the exits with the home crowd left in a stunned silence.

Dejan Kulusevski got one back and Dominic Solanke a third, but the result, by that point, had long been sealed. It finished 6-3 with Diaz getting a second. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded in North London.

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Midfield decision vindicated

Liverpool boss Slot went with Mac Allister and Szoboszlai ahead of Curtis Jones in the more advanced midfield roles and that proved to be the right call. Mac Allister and Szoboszlai scored and the latter, in particular, was sensational.

As the number six, Gravenberch held things together at the base while driving forward plenty of times. And between that trio, they got a grip of the game in the main.

Spurs were always going to create chances with the number of bodies they throw forward. But Liverpool was able to cope well with that and limit and control the threat as much as realistically possible. Scoring six goals, Szoboszlai was central. It was a perfect tactic to go with him and he delivered on the trust that was instilled in him.

Arne Slot puts down latest marker

Arne Slot spoke in glowing terms about the style of play that Ange Postecoglou has installed at Spurs before this game. Within three minutes, though, Fraser Forster, who had a nightmare midweek against Manchester United, had passed the ball straight to Salah in the penalty area. Fortunately for the shot-stopper, the Egyptian hit the side-netting on that occasion, though he did net twice later on.

This was not a bad Spurs showing. It did not give up chances and goals anywhere near as it has at times under Postecoglou, but the gulf to Liverpool was clear. It was more that the Reds were good then the host was poor. Putting down a marker and largely being in control of things, Slot's men showed why they lead the standings as the halfway stage nears.

Luis Diaz puts VARce behind him

At the center of the VAR controversy in this fixture last season, Luis Diaz got one back over Spurs here. Robbed of a goal in this stadium last year, nothing could stop him powering home a header in the first half. It would have helped had one of the Tottenham defenders picked him up, but left unmarked, his finish was unerring.

Selected over Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota through the middle of Slot's attack, he justified that decision. Cody Gakpo next to him was bright too, while Salah kept Djed Spence busy. The midfield trio were the stars of the show but the forward line played its part as well. Salah and Diaz ended up scoring twice each, and they could have had even more.

Depth returns... but not required

Brennan Johnson and the inexperienced but talented Lucas Bergvall were the only really threatening options for Ange Postecoglou to bring off the bench. Slot, in contrast, could turn to numerous attacking players — with Federico Chiesa left on Merseyside and not required. None of the bench were needed to turn the game but leaving the Italian at home speaks volumes about the depth of the Liverpool roster.

With only Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley out injured for the Reds at the moment, the whole squad is looking very healthy. That can change quickly, of course, but at a busy time of year — when Liverpool will be back in North London in just a few weeks for the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final — having an many options as possible will be vital. The Reds are going places.

Premier League picture shifts

Going into the game with two Premier League matches in hand on every potential title rival, Liverpool was in a strong position on paper, but with matches against Spurs and Everton, both away from home, to play. Nothing could be taken for granted in terms of those fixtures leading to the three points being won, but the first has now been taken care of.

Already confirmed as being top of the table at Christmas with Everton having held Chelsea to a goalless draw at Goodison Park earlier in the afternoon, Liverpool was one ahead of the Stamford Bridge outfit and three above Arsenal having played two games fewer. That gap is now four points and six points respectively with one more game in hand to be played.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STADIUM, NORTH LONDON // Liverpool extended its lead at the summit of the Premier League table with Dominik Szoboszlai starring for the Reds and Luis Diaz and Ryan Gravenberch excelling too.

In a nine-goal thriller, Diaz opened the scoring after a brilliant cross into the box from Trent Alexander-Arnold teed him up. Alexis Mac Allister and Szoboszlai both then scored before the interval with James Maddison pulling one back in between.

It was always going to be a game filled with goals and it took only nine minutes of the second half for Mohamed Salah to add his name to the scoresheet. Seven minutes later, he had his second and Liverpool's fifth before Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke made it 5-3.

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With the scoring still not done, Diaz got his second and Liverpool's sixth, by which time it is a good job there was a screen inside the stadium to remind those watching of the score. It was 6-3 to the visitor in an early Christmas cracker.

Winners

Szoboszlai was central to pretty much everything that Liverpool did on the day, all while working his socks off without the ball too. This is what the Hungarian captain is capable of when he ties all the best elements of his match together. He was superb here, as were the other midfielders. Mac Allister popped up with a header while Gravenberch ate up the ground.

Losers

Missing out on this game completely, Federico Chiesa wasn't even named among the substitutes. Darwin Nunez, meanwhile, found himself on the bench even though Diogo Jota was involved from the off. With Jota, who is still coming back from injury, it makes sense; for the Uruguayan striker, it is not a good sign that this is happening regularly and in big games.

Player ratings

Alisson Becker (7). Untested during the first half when he barely touched the ball. He could do nothing with the Maddison shot that beat him, nor the other two goals. He made a good save low to his right near the end of the second half.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (7). Produced a wonderful cross to assist the opener from Diaz and sprayed some really nice passes. Did a good job up against Son Heung-min defensively too. Better in the first half and faded in the second.

Joe Gomez (7). Covered the ground really well at the back when Alexander-Arnold was pushing forward to attack. A tricky task with Son playing down that flank. Defended well and put in some great blocks but turned a bit easily on the Kulusevski goal.

Virgil van Dijk (8). Strong and composed up against Dominic Solanke. He confidently set the high defensive line and played some switches across to Salah's path too.

Andy Robertson (7). Back in the team with something of a point to prove after he was sent off early on against Fulham last weekend, he did well against Dejan Kulusevski, who is an excellent player at his best. Composed on the ball and well-positioned defensively. Probably beaten a bit easily in the air by Brennan Johnson for the third Spurs goal.

Ryan Gravenberch (8). Away from home against a team as expansive and attack-minded as Spurs, this was likely to be one of the biggest tests of how good Gravenberch can play his holding role in a defensive sense. It would be fair to say he passed that with flying colors. He covered kilometer after kilometer and was excellent at winning the ball back and then driving forward with it.

Alexis Mac Allister (8). Refreshed from a couple of matches sidelined through a suspension, the Argentine kept things ticking over in the middle and also found the time to break forward and score a header when the ball broke free in the box. Curtis Jones was unlucky to be benched, but the starting trio bossed things here. Mac Allister was very much a part of that.

Dominik Szoboszlai (9). Chosen ahead of Jones for his running power and physicality in the number 10 role, Szoboszlai was sensational. He was instrumental to everything Liverpool did, particularly first half, including the brilliant move that he finished coolly just before half-time. The Hungarian tied everything together in the middle and had the required quality in front of goal too. Booked, but superb in and out of possession.

Mohamed Salah (8). Could perhaps have done better with the early gift from Fraser Forster. Hit the bar in the first half and looked very sharp up against Djed Spence. It took less than 10 minutes of the second half for him to add his name to the scoresheet having reached double figures for assists in the first. Seven more minutes passed before he got his second.

Luis Diaz (8). Playing through the middle, he tended to drift into wide areas rather than occupy the slightly makeshift center-back pairing of Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray. One of the few times he was in the middle, he powered home the opening goal (with no VRR controversy to get in the way this time...). Tied everything together and looked a natural in the number nine berth.

Cody Gakpo (7). The Dutch winger has been in good goalscoring form this season, netting nine so far in all competitions. He is well on track to beat last season's total of 16. He was bright here, even though he didn't find the back of the net. Gakpo played a role in the fourth goal and was often an out ball where he can hold things up because of his height and strength.

Substitutes

Diogo Jota (7). Like against Fulham, he looked so sharp when he came on. The Portugal striker buzzed around and caused problems, all while pressing relentlessly. He will be eyeing a start on Boxing Day against Leicester City, for sure.

Curtis Jones (7). Entered the match when the game was already long won, but kept things ticking over. Considering how well the starting trio did, he would have wanted to leave a positive impression. He did that.

Liverpool returns to Premier League action today after the midweek win over Southampton in the Carabao Cup, with Arne Slot naming his starting XI for the away game at Tottenham.

Alisson Becker is restored in goal, with a back four of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson. The Scotland left-back is available again after his one-match ban was served at St Mary's.

In midfield, Slot has gone with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai on either side of Ryan Gravenberch. That means that Curtis Jones is on the bench, alongside the likes of Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo.

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In attack, Slot has picked Luis Diaz through the center. Cody Gakpo will play on the left with Mohamed Salah on the right and Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota as options in reserve. Federico Chiesa is not with the squad.

Only Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate are out injured for Liverpool at the moment. Gravenberch and Nunez, though, are only one booking away from a suspension. If the Dutchman or the Uruguayan are yellow-carded today, they will sit out the Boxing Day clash against Leicester City at Anfield.

"They are consistent in their playing style and what they want," Slot said about Spurs during his pre-match press conference. "For me, they are sometimes a bit unlucky as well because what happened yesterday [against Manchester United], they dominated the game.

"They always like to attack. Sometimes they play with three attackers, then with two attacking midfielders [and] the full-backs join so much. For me, they were so unlucky.

"People say "Why do you bring the ball out from the back?", because they lost the ball. And then the second one the goalkeeper wanted to kick it away, which is what everyone wants then, but it's still a goal.

"So, 4-3 [against Manchester United], I don't think there are many season ticket holders in the country that can say they watch so many great games. Maybe the ones at Liverpool!

"I think it is a privilege to be a season ticket holder at Tottenham. It's a privilege to be a fan of them at the moment because they play such a great style, and it's not like since Ange arrived, they don't win anything anymore.

"Before that, they were not a club that won many things, but they always won the sympathy of the fans in Europe, maybe also in England as well, I don't know, but definitely in Europe because of the style of play they had. That is something which you cannot underestimate."

Tottenham starting team: Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence; Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke. Subs: Austin, Reguilon, Udogie, Dorrington, Bergvall, Olusesi, Werner, Johnson, Lankshear.

Dominic Solanke has admitted he may have been ‘too young’ to flourish during his Liverpool days and revealed it ‘always means a little bit more’ to face the Reds.

The now Tottenham Hotspur striker joined Liverpool in 2017 for a fee of around $3.8m (£3m/€3.6m), a price that was determined by an independent tribunal given Solanke was a teenager when he left Chelsea. But he failed to have a real impact at Anfield - perhaps unsurprisingly given the plethora of attacking talent Jurgen Klopp had at his disposal.

Solanke scored just one goal in 27 senior appearances and departed in 2019, joining Bournemouth. But in five-and-a-half years on the south coast the forward established himself as one of the most reliable English goalscorers, and has earned a second chance with a top club following his $81.7m (£65m/€78.3m) switch to Spurs in the summer.

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This time around he’s excelling, and Solanke’s time at Liverpool has helped him adjust to the pressure of representing one of the country’s most storied clubs.

“I was still very young and it might have been a bit too young for me going there, but I learned a lot and I was thankful for my time there,” Solanke said in a recent interview with PA, when asked about his stint on Merseyside.

“Every game you want to win and do well. Obviously when it’s an old club, it always means a little bit more because you see familiar faces and want to get the better of them. It will be another tough game but we’ll take that challenge.”

After a slow start in north London, Solanke has now netted nine in 22 appearances - including a brace in the midweek Carabao Cup win against Manchester United, which set up a double-legged semi-final clash with Liverpool. He’s targeting more in the coming weeks and wants to win a first trophy since leaving the Reds.

“I always want more goals no matter how many I score,” Solanke explained. “I would have liked to have a few more by now, but that’s always the mindset, you always want more. I think the main point is trying to get the consistency in the team right now and working towards some trophies.”

“I feel like I am where I wanted to be but I feel like I have still got a lot more to give though, so I will keep working and improving. And our main goal here is to win something now. The manager speaks about it all the time, we all obviously want to win something as well and that’s the dream of the football club.”

Solanke has never scored against Liverpool in eight previous appearances, a record Arne Slot will hope continues at Anfield on Sunday.

Liverpool will be taking on a depleted Tottenham side later today - although Ange Postecoglou’s team will pose a big threat to the Reds’ title hopes.

Arne Slot takes his side to north London later as they look to return to winning ways in the Premier League after back-to-back draws with Newcastle and Fulham. With Chelsea facing Everton beforehand, the Reds could kick-off in second place, having had their advantage cut down to just two points in recent games.

Liverpool is set to be without two players, with Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley still out injured, while Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa and Tyler Morton could be doubts after not being spotted in training on Friday. Slot though will be glad not to have Tottenham’s injury problems.

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Spurs will be without at least seven players later, but it could be as many as nine. Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Richarlison, Mikey Moore and Wilson Odobert are missing through injury, while Timo Werner and Destiny Udogie are doubts after missing Thursday’s win over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup.

With Vicario out, Fraser Forster is set to continue in goal, while 18-year-old Archie Gray looks set for his biggest test at center-back. He starts alongside Radu Dragusin, while Pedro Porro lines up at right-back and Udogie should return on the left.

Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr line up in midfield, with Dejan Kulusevski operating in the more advanced role after playing on the right in recent outings. Captain Son Heung-min takes his usual spot on the left as Dominic Solanke starts up front against his former side, leaving just two more positions to be decided upon.

One of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski or Brennan Johnson will have to miss out. Having scored twice at Southampton last weekend, we’d expect Maddison to get the nod again in the advanced midfield role, while Kulusevski has been one of Spurs’ better players this season, so he starts out on the right.

Liverpool goes in search of a first league win in three games today as it aims to lay some ghosts to rest at Tottenham.

Reds fans will need no reminding of what happened last time out in north London after last season’s VAR controversy, and Arne Slot’s side will be looking to make amends this time around as they aim to secure top spot in the Premier League at Christmas.

They could drop down to second ahead of kick-off, with Chelsea taking on Everton earlier in the day, although Liverpool will need to stay focused on their own job as they look to further their title credentials - although they look to have a new concern ahead of kick-off.

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Cody Gakpo could be a doubt after not being spotted in training on Friday. The Netherlands international looked to be missing alongside Federico Chiesa, Tyler Morton and the injured Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley.

Hopefully that was just a precaution after Gakpo played in the Carabao Cup win at Southampton, although his absence was enough to suggest he might not start today. Slot will therefore have a big decision to make in attack.

If Gakpo is indeed out, then Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah should start on either flank, leaving Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota to fight it out for the No.9 spot. Whether it’s too early to throw the latter in so soon after his return from the injury is an obvious concern, but he does look to be Slot’s first-choice up front, so he gets the nod from us.

Alisson Becker returns in goal after Caoimhin Kelleher deputized in midweek, while Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk continue in defense, where the big question is who starts at left-back? Andy Robertson is back from suspension, while Kostas Tsimikas returned from injury during the week - considering the Greek international only came off the bench at Southampton, it might be too early for him to start just yet, so Robertson returns to the side.

There’s another big decision to make in midfield. Ryan Gravenberch surely starts, but alongside who?

With Alexis Mac Allister back after his recent suspensions, you’d expect him to line up in the engine room, leaving Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai to fight it out for the advanced role. The latter just edges it here, although we wouldn’t be at all surprised if Jones gets the nod.

Liverpool will be looking to secure top spot in the Premier League at Christmas as it heads to Tottenham later today.

The Reds will be looking for a first league win in three games after back-to-back draws against Newcastle and Fulham, which have seen their lead at the top of the table cut to just two points by Chelsea. In fact, the Blues could claim top spot ahead of kick-off in north London as they head to Everton.

Tottenham will pose another tough test for Arne Slot's side, with Ange Postecoglou's team proving to be an unknown quantity this season with their up and down form. Liverpool though will be looking for some revenge after the VAR controversy that took place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season.

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Here, Liverpool.com has picked out all of the information that you need to know, including the kick-off time, TV details, highlights and early team news. We'll start with kick-off details for the UK and US.

What time is kick-off?

The match kicks off at 4:30pm in the UK, which is 8:30am Pacific Time and 11:30am Eastern Time in the US. It is set to be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Liverpool fans won't need reminding what happened there last time, when Luis Diaz's goal was wrongfully disallowed by VAR as Joel Matip's late own goal saw the nine-man Reds fall to a 2-1 defeat.

Sam Barrott is the referee, while Paul Tierney is on VAR duty this time.

Is the match on TV?

Yes. Viewers in the UK can watch the game on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage following straight after Fulham's game against Southampton at 2pm. Streaming-wise, the game will be available on SKY GO.

In the US, the game can be watched live on the USA Network and streamed via NBC.com.

Want to watch more live sports? Peacock has your favorite sports, shows, and more all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 so you can stream live sports like NFL, Premier League, and Big Ten Football.

Where can I catch the highlights?

Liverpool will make highlights available on LFCTV GO as well as its other official club channels. The goals will also be shared online alongside key moments in the match.

You can follow all the updates and read the analysis on Liverpool.com and you can also follow along live on our social channels including on Twitter and Facebook, and catch the post-match press conferences on the Blood Red YouTube channel.

Early team news

Liverpool remains without Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley through injury, while there are doubts over Cody Gakpo after he wasn't seen in training on Friday. Federico Chiesa and Tyler Morton also missed that session.

Alexis Mac Allister is available again after missing last weekend's draw with Fulham through suspension, while Andy Robertson is back after missing the Carabao Cup tie against Southampton following his red card. Kostas Tsimikas is back from injury after making his return on Wednesday.

As for Tottenham, Ange Postecoglou will be hoping Timo Werner is back from illness after missing the win over Manchester United on Thursday, while Destiny Udogie could return after being forced off 30 minutes into the win over Southampton last weekend.

Spurs though will be without Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Richarlison, Mikey Moore and Wilson Odobert through injury.

September 30, 2023. It’s approximately 6:04pm at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Liverpool is about to suffer from the most infamous VAR mistake there has ever been.

Less than 10 minutes after going down to 10 men, Luis Diaz has the ball in the back of the net, but the offside flag is up. After a quick check, the game continues and remains goalless - no-one quite knew at that moment the drama that would unfold.

Liverpool returns to the scene of that VAR debacle for the first time later today, with Arne Slot now in charge and hoping to gain some revenge for the controversy that surrounded the Reds’ 2-1 defeat last season.

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More than a year has now passed since then, but Diaz’s wrongly disallowed goal proved to be a huge moment for the Premier League and VAR.

What happened?

Liverpool was already down to 10 men after Curtis Jones was controversially sent off for a challenge on Yves Bissouma - Gary Neville was among those adamant the midfielder should have stayed on the pitch - by the time Mohamed Salah slid the ball through to Diaz, with the Colombian firing the ball beyond Guglielmo Vicario.

The Colombian’s celebrations were quickly cut short by the offside flag, with a quick VAR check confirming the onfield decision - or so it seemed.

TV viewers were only given a quick glimpse of the replay, which appeared to show Diaz in an onside position. Questions quickly began to circulate, but what fans didn’t know was that the officials in the VAR room in Stockley Park actually knew Diaz was indeed onside.

A colossal mistake had just been made. Believing that a goal had been given on the field, VAR official Darren England issued the message “check complete” to Simon Hooper, only for the replay operator to question the decision.

Once it dawned on England and his assistant Daniel Cook that the wrong decision had been relayed, panic ensued as fourth official Michael Oliver tried to delay the game. With play having resumed though, there was nothing the VAR officials could do but let out a few choice words, with the full story only emerging after the game.

How was the mistake made public?

Shortly after full-time, the PGMOL released a statement admitting to a “significant human error”.

"This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention,” the statement added. “However, the VAR failed to intervene. PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error."

The statement was read out live during Sky Sports’ coverage, with Neville heard exclaiming ‘oh no’ as host Kelly Cates relayed it.

What was the response?

Liverpool was, understandably, angered by the mistake. Then-manager Jurgen Klopp couldn’t hide his frustration straight after the confirmation from the PGMOL.

“Who does that help now? We won’t get points for it, it won’t help,” Klopp said. “Nobody expects 100 per cent right decisions but we thought when VAR came in it might make things easier.”

Liverpool would go on to release a statement the following evening. “We fully accept the pressures that match officials work under but these pressures are supposed to be alleviated, not exacerbated, by the existence and implementation of VAR,” the club said.

“It is therefore unsatisfactory that sufficient time was not afforded to allow the correct decision to be made and that there was no subsequent intervention. That such failings have already been categorised as ‘significant human error’ is also unacceptable.

“Any and all outcomes should be established only by the review and with full transparency. This is vital for the reliability of future decision making as it applies to all clubs with learnings being used to make improvements to processes in order to ensure this kind of situation cannot occur again.

“In the meantime, we will explore the range of options available, given the clear need for escalation and resolution.”

It was uncertain what those options would entail, although Klopp would later suggest that the game should have been replayed. It’s a view that has been ridiculed by plenty of rivals fans, although there was no doubt that the PGMOL was in uncharted territory.

England and Cook were stood down for their following games, while the decision was made that England would not officiate another Liverpool fixture during the remainder of the season. He would have to wait for three weeks before returning as a fourth official in the Premier League, while he was appointed to a Liverpool game for the first time since the controversy just a few months ago for the Reds’ trip to Wolves.

What has changed since then?

The PGMOL introduced a new ‘VAR communication protocol’ the following week, requiring VAR officials to confirm the outcome of any check process with the assistant VAR before notifying the on-field officials of the final decision.

Rather than simply saying ‘check complete’, officials now also have to relay what decision has been reached in order to make sure both the VAR and on-field referee are on the same page.

The biggest change though has still not been implemented. The debacle raised the question of why semi-automated offside technology - already a feature in the Champions League at that point - was not used in the Premier League.

Clubs had opted against the system ahead of the 2023/24 season, but that viewpoint soon changed, and it was subsequently scheduled to be introduced during the current campaign.

That change though has still not arrived. It was due to be introduced after one of the autumn international breaks, but has now been delayed until 2025, with no date for its introduction having yet been given.

Of course, the biggest question that Liverpool was left with was what would have happened had the mistake not happened? It arrived just moments before Son Heung-min opened the scoring for Spurs, and although Cody Gakpo leveled things before the break, Diogo Jota’s second-half sending-off left them playing on with just nine men, with Joel Matip’s late, late own goal eventually securing Tottenham’s victory.

Diaz’s goal may well have changed the course of that game, and quite what bearing that would have had on the title race will never be known.