Rousing The Kop

Alexander Isak scored his second Premier League goal of the season when Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur last time out.

Fans were unhappy that Isak did not start against Spurs, but after a poor first half, some of which was against 10 men, he was brought on at the break by Arne Slot.

The Dutchman’s change was rewarded as Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz played a key role in the Swede netting just over 10 minutes into the second half.

FILL IN THE BLANK: Arne Slot MUST start — vs Wolves! 🙏

However, Isak suffered an injury right after scoring following a collision with centre-back Micky van de Ven.

When will Alexander Isak return for Liverpool?

It has since been confirmed by Liverpool that Isak has undergone surgery.

The Reds have not put an exact timeframe on when their record signing could be back in action.

However, it is expected to be at some point in 2026, and an injury expert has now shared their insight on the situation.

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Taking to X/Twitter ‘Physio Scout‘, who specialises in football injuries, said they expect Isak to be back in around two to three months.

They wrote: “Alexander Isak now confirmed to have surgery on his ankle/lower leg. Included a fractured fibula. Timeline is uncertain, but reports are stating he’ll be out for a ‘few months’. More likely in the 2-3 month range I’d say, as opposed to anything more than that.

“Fractured fibulas tend to take 6-10 weeks with surgery, but any major syndesmosis damage would complicate recovery to 10-12 weeks after surgery.

“Unlikely tibia was involved, but as mentioned in the attached tweet, that would extend recovery time.”

Liverpool’s attacking options without Alexander Isak

With Isak out and Mohamed Salah competing at AFCON, the Reds’ attacking options are pretty limited right now.

Cody Gakpo is injured, and though the Dutchman is not expected to be out for much longer, it’s not yet known if he can feature against Wolves this week.

As a result, Ekitike and Wirtz seem to be nailed-on starters for the clash.

That will leave the right-wing position as the only potential problem area for Slot.

Federico Chiesa could come into the team and allow Dominik Szoboszlai to revert to his preferred midfield role.

Who should replace Alexander Isak in Liverpool’s starting XI?

Arne Slot is running out of options…

Liverpool’s attacking options heading into the Christmas period:

Jeremie Frimpong is an option on the right as well, following his brief cameo against Tottenham, which led to Hugo Ekitike’s goal.

But it would not be surprising if Szoboszlai started on the right and Conor Bradley or Frimpong were deployed at right-back.

There have been some rumours online that Bradley has picked up a knock, though that’s yet to be confirmed by the club.

Alexander Isak is likely to miss the next months of Liverpool’s season after fracturing his leg against Tottenham.

The British record transfer signing has had a rough time since joining the Reds last summer and saw his move hit a new low while scoring on Saturday.

It rather summed up the run of luck Isak is having that in the act of sweeping in an excellent finish at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he also put the nail in the coffin of a dreadful first season.

Who should replace Alexander Isak in Liverpool’s starting XI?

Arne Slot is running out of options…

Liverpool’s attacking options heading into the Christmas period:

Beyond Isak’s own personal misfortune, though, it is terrible luck for Liverpool, whose decision to sign the No. 9 for £120m looks worse by the day.

The injury has also left Arne Slot’s Liverpool squad decidedly light in attack. With Mohamed Salah away on international duty and Cody Gakpo also injured, Micah Richards has named which player is likely to benefit from Isak’s absence.

Hugo Ekitike set to become the main man at Liverpool

Clearly, Isak being missing for so long is not good news in any capacity for Liverpool. His finish against Spurs sent a reminder of just what a weapon he can be for the Reds.

But if there’s something fans can cling onto, it’s that in Hugo Ekitike, they have a more than able replacement.

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Ekitike has scored five goals in his last five Premier League appearances, and according to Richards, he is the player who will now get an uninterrupted run in the Liverpool team.

“I wanted to see them both play together at some stage,” the former Man City defender said on The Rest Is Football.

“It was the time to see it, especially with Spurs having 10 men at the time. I was like, ‘come on, show us what you’ve got, show us your movement, show us your chemistry or try to build that chemistry,’ and then Isak goes off.”

What ONE word sums up Liverpool’s signing of Alexander Isak?

“Forget the injury, for Ekitike it’s good now because he’ll probably get a run in the team. But I wanted to see them both together, get that partnership, especially with Salah going to AFCON.”

Alan Shearer reiterates Ekitike praise

Ekitike did not take long to underline why he can be the star striker for Liverpool. He headed home the winning goal only 10 minutes after Isak had left the pitch against Tottenham.

The 23-year-old has impressed just about everybody since arriving from Eintracht Frankfurt, with Premier League all-time top scorer Alan Shearer a certified fan.

“I just think the way he’s settled into life at Liverpool under difficult circumstances, great credit to him,” Shearer said.

“For his mentality, his attitude and obviously his ability. He’s had a great start to his Liverpool career. He’s a really, really good player.”

Ekitike did not need any more help in establishing himself as a key player at Liverpool. But with Isak now out indeterminably, he has just been given it anyway.

Thomas Frank’s spell at Tottenham had been going badly long before Liverpool inflicted another defeat on Saturday night.

The former Brentford manager started well in North London and had initially looked like a smart choice to replace Ange Postecoglou.

However, the wheels have fallen off somewhat, with supporters growing in their belief that Frank is not the right man.

Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?

Whatever his abilities as a coach, though, the Dane has always come across as a thoroughly decent human being.

Frank may have underlined that for Liverpool fans on Saturday as he praised the quality of Arne Slot and the job he has done at Anfield.

Thomas Frank in awe of Arne Slot and Liverpool

When Jurgen Klopp announced that he was stepping away in January 2024, reports at the time suggested that Liverpool had Frank on their shortlist.

The 52-year-old was even reportedly interviewed by the Reds as a back-up in case something went wrong with Slot’s appointment.

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After watching Slot win them the Premier League last season, Liverpool absolutely made the right choice. And according to Frank himself, his opposite number on Saturday is a truly ‘excellent’ coach.

“Of course the current champions and an excellent team, an, excellent coach, Arne Slot,” the Spurs boss told Sky Sports. “I think he’s done a top job there in every aspect and I think they as you say they they’re finding form again.

“And they have some excellent players. I think they said before I think the their midfield three they had last year and Mac Allister Gravenberch and Szoboszlai were maybe the best in the league. Adding Wirtz, Ekitike, Isak, it is top team.”

What was Liverpool’s best goal of 2025?

Is Frank heading for the sack at Spurs?

Despite things taking a turn for the worse under his leadership at Tottenham, there is no denying that Frank is a very good Premier League coach.

Nevertheless, Spurs would hope to be far higher than 13th in the table at Christmas, and just like at Liverpool, there have been times when it has felt as though the wheels are truly coming off.

On Saturday, Tottenham did not look like a team who had given up on the manager, though. Although they were poor with 11 men, they rallied with 10 and could have taken something from the game.

That may not be enough to save Frank his job, but it feels likely that he will be given a little more time to turn things around.

Liverpool made it back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since September with victory over Tottenham on Saturday.

The Reds have steadily been improving results over the past month, and are now unbeaten in five league matches.

With Christmas just around the corner, you would imagine the turnaround in fortunes would have led to a positive atmosphere among Liverpool supporters.

Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?

However, while Saturday’s win was obviously a welcome one, fans are arguably more unhappy than ever following the victory.

Liverpool were terrible at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and had the game lasted much longer, they would surely have conceded an equaliser against nine-man Spurs. Things may be heading in the right direction on paper, but on the pitch, fans are still far from happy with Arne Slot.

Liverpool look no better despite getting wins on the board

In ordinary circumstances, Slot would have every right to be pleased with his team’s win against Spurs.

Although the Reds have an excellent record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it is a tricky place to go for any side. With home games to come against Wolves and Leeds, this was a tough one to get out of the way. Liverpool have done that with a win.

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But in reality Liverpool deserve little praise for seeing off Tottenham. While the teams were both at full complement, the Reds did not look anything like scoring.

Slot set his team up far too passively, with Liverpool taking an age to release the ball on the attack.

Despite the more defensive-minded set-up, Liverpool also looked easy to play through, and had Spurs’ final pass been better they could have scored more than once in the first-half.

Which has been your favourite Ekitike goal for Liverpool so far? ⚽

Last night's header has got to be up there!

Liverpool ended up clinging on desperately in a game which should have been comfortably put to bed at 2-0. Despite the two-man advantage, Slot’s team displayed a complete lack of control.

The Reds still look like a team who have no idea what they want to be and that all comes from the manager. Though results are picking up, the performances continue to cause alarm and concern.

Liverpool cannot falter again vs Wolves and Leeds

Whatever supporters think about Liverpool’s display in North London, the fact of the matter is that the Reds have put themselves into a good position heading towards Christmas.

With two home games to come against relegation candidates, there is no excuse for them not to kick on.

A more defensive approach away at Spurs can be excused – even if the performance itself cannot – but Slot must not set his team up in the same way against Wolves and Leeds.

Liverpool must remember who they are and go for the throat of both teams. Two better displays – and two more victories – would cement them within the top four and would lead to hope for the rest of the season.

But if Liverpool continue to look wishy-washy, the writing may be on the wall for Slot, even if his team secure two wins. Fans will put up with plenty if they are winning, but if they are still frustrated even with points being put on the board, it does not bode well for the manager.

Liverpool scraped past Spurs on Saturday evening, with some individual performances better than others.

For the umpteenth time this season, the Reds came away with a result despite being largely underwhelming, although on this occasion they got all three points.

Liverpool took a two-goal lead and looked fairly comfortable until the closing stages of the game, with Arne Slot’s side really holding on by the end of the match.

Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?

Some stars did not cover themselves in glory either, but there was one in particular who certainly stood out among a poor showing from his teammates, even if he did make one big mistake.

Virgil van Dijk looked closer to his best against Tottenham

Liverpool might have failed to keep a clean sheet, but their defence certainly looked fairly solid for the majority of the game, and Virgil van Dijk was a key reason for this.

He has been ‘amazing’ at points this season, but nowhere near his best, although his dominance against Spurs suggests he is getting back on track.

Granted, he did fail to clear the ball for Richarlison’s goal, meaning that he almost caused a complete collapse, but throughout the game, he was impenetrable.

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The Dutchman won 100% of his tackles, won both his ground duels and nine of his 11 aerial duels, as per sofascore.

He also made six clearances, three recoveries and was not dribbled past once, a stat that he was synonymous with in the past.

As always, he was also excellent on the ball and completed 94% of his 79 passes, with his calmness on the ball one of the reasons Xavi Simons got himself sent off.

Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are forming a good partnership again

How concerned are you about Alexander Isak’s injury?

If it was not for a big mistake, Liverpool would have kept another clean sheet, which would have been their third in a row.

Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate certainly appear to have found their understanding again, with both being way off the pace at the start of the season.

But now, they look like their old selves and know how to complement each other nicely, something Reds fans will be hoping they can keep up if they are to win anything this season.

Konate’s contract situation remains a big worry, though, with Liverpool needing to do all they can to keep these two together.

Liverpool edged past Tottenham with a 2-1 win, but it certainly was not the most convincing performance.

The Reds never make things easy and they proved that yet again against Spurs, although they managed to get all three points.

They are now unbeaten in six games, showing how Arne Slot is slowly turning things around, something that did not look possible several weeks ago.

Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?

However, they were perhaps lucky to get the win in this one, with Jamie Redknapp believing they got away with something that could have swung the pendulum.

Jamie Redknapp believes Hugo Ekitike’s goal should not have counted

Every game has its controversies, but Spurs vs Liverpool had multiple, including some of the goals and red cards.

The Hugo Ekitike goal in particular is causing a debate, however, with many believing that his effort, which proved to be the winner, should not have counted.

Redknapp is one of those who believes he fouled Cristian Romero in the build-up, with the former Reds captain believing Liverpool got lucky.

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“I think it’s a foul [in the build-up], I really do. I can’t believe Romero hasn’t got a free kick,” he said on Sky Sports.

“The consequence of that is because he’s furious because it’s not been given as a foul, he runs after the referee and you can’t bump into the referee like that and gets himself a yellow card.

“It has a huge consequence later in the match.”

Liverpool’s strikers proved how clinical they were

Whether it was a foul or not, there is no denying that Ekitike took his goal brilliantly, like he has done so often this season.

He has shown it with his feet and against Spurs, he proved it with his head, making him a manager’s dream.

However, Alexander Isak also showed his clinical nature before he got injured, showing the talents Liverpool have on their hands.

Reds fans will be praying that they can see these two up top together very soon, but based on how the Swede exited the field, they might be waiting a while.

Arne Slot would have been right to breathe an almighty sigh of relief as the full-time whistle sounded on Liverpool’s win over Tottenham Hotspur.

The Reds have thrown two-goal leads away on four previous occasions this season, and it looked for all the world like they would do it again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Slot deserves little praise from the match despite the win. The Liverpool head coach set his team up in the most uninspiring way possible, and had Xavi Simons not been sent off in the first-half, the Reds would surely not have won this game.

Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?

Some of Slot‘s decision-making before and during the 90 minutes left a lot to be desired, with fans left genuinely scratching their heads at times.

The Dutchman left perhaps the most baffling of these choices until the 96th minute, when he bizarrely made up his mind that this was the moment to give Trey Nyoni his Premier League debut.

Trey Nyoni makes Premier League debut in strange circumstances

It has only been a matter of time before Nyoni tasted first team action in the Premier League. The 18-year-old has been in and around the squad for a long time.

With Wataru Endo currently injured, Nyoni is Slot’s only real midfield option from the bench just now.

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Nevertheless, did his debut really need to come with Liverpool struggling to cling on against nine men in such an intense atmosphere?

There were certainly some tired legs out there for the Reds, and with Florian Wirtz cramping up, Slot knew he had to do something.

But why not stick Rio Ngumoha on for an out-ball, or bring the older, more experienced Calvin Ramsay on for a little more solidity at the back?

How concerned are you about Alexander Isak’s injury?

No, instead, Slot chose to throw in a completely untested young player and left him to find his way amid the chaos. We all want to see the Dutchman trust the Liverpool academy more, but this was not the time to do that.

Nyoni could play against Wolves

Along with missing Endo, Liverpool are now certain to be without Dominik Szoboszlai for next week’s clash with Wolves after the Hungarian picked up a booking on Saturday.

Szoboszlai will be suspended for the match at Anfield, leaving Slot with a dilemma in his midfield.

If they are all fit, Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister will all play, while Florian Wirtz is an option as well.

Given that Alexander Isak is likely to be out injured, Cody Gakpo definitely will be and Mohamed Salah is away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Slot may decide to use Wirtz in the forward line instead.

This could leave the door open for Nyoni, who is next in line. Maybe Slot was simply preparing the former Leicester prospect for a first start and wanted to give him a quick taste of the action, but even if that was the case, his introduction against Spurs made little sense. Thankfully, Slot got away with it, but it does not make the decision any less strange.

Liverpool played out a nervy clash with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening, just about coming away with the win.

Alexander Isak scored the opener when Liverpool already had a man advantage before Hugo Ekitike made it 2-0 shortly after the hour mark.

However, the Merseyside outfit struggled to see out the fixture, and we nearly saw a repeat of the 3-3 draw at Elland Road earlier this month.

Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?

Thankfully, that didn’t come to pass, and Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 to move within touching distance of the Champions League places.

But it was still an underwhelming performance, and Jamie Redknapp has commented on the decline of two players in the aftermath of the tie.

Jamie Redknapp bemoans the decline of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate

Virgil van Dijk has been questioned by fans already this season, and his attempted block for the Richarlison goal in the 83rd minute on December 20 was poor.

Now, speaking live on Sky Sports after the tie, Redknapp has claimed that the Brazilian’s goal sums up the form of Van Dijk and his centre-back counterpart, Ibrahima Konate, this season.

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He said: “The Spurs goal sums up the two of them [Konate and Van Dijk].

“They’re not playing with the class we usually see.”

Van Dijk hasn’t been terrible in 2025/26, though it’s fair to say he’s nowhere close to his best right now.

Meanwhile, Konate’s performances have been slammed this term, including by Jamie Carragher, who said after the 4-1 defeat to PSV last month: “I mean Konate. Listen, it gets to the stage now where you actually feel you shouldn’t criticise him.

“Because you feel, you’re watching something that’s not nice to watch when a player is going through something like this. I never thought he was top class, but he’s going through a nightmare.”

How concerned are you about Alexander Isak’s injury?

Centre-backs linked to Liverpool

Liverpool have now conceded 25 goals in 17 Premier League matches, at least eight more than every team currently in the top four.

However, with Joe Gomez out of action and largely covering at right-back when he is fit, there’s not a lot Slot can currently change personnel-wise.

But the Reds have been linked with a few centre-backs as we head towards January.

It has been reported that Liverpool could try to sign Marc Guehi this winter despite the stopper’s deal at Selhurst Park running out at the end of June.

Nico Schlotterbeck will not sign a new contract at Borussia Dortmund amid interest from the Premier League champions.

Hugo Ekitike continued his brilliant form as Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1.

Ekitike has been impressing in the last couple of matches and is now firmly seated as the Reds’ top goalscorer.

The Frenchman netted a brace against Brighton last weekend and was once again heavily involved on December 20.

Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?

Ekitke made it 2-0 in the 66th minute, his eighth league goal of the season.

But it was something else that Daniel Sturridge was quick to praise the striker for in his post-match analysis.

Daniel Sturridge praises Hugo Ekitike involvement in Alexander Isak’s goal

Fans wanted Isak and Ekitike to play together against Spurs, and got their wish after 45 minutes.

Arne Slot took off Conor Bradley for the Swede, moving Dominik Szoboszlai into the right-back role and Ekitike onto the right wing.

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And while they were not all on the same pitch together for that long, we got a small glimpse of how Liverpool’s most expensive summer signings could work together in the 56th minute.

Capitalising on a poor pass from Tottenham centre-back Cristian Romero, Ekitike slipped a lovely ball across to Wirtz, who then assisted Isak for his second Premier League goal of 2025/26.

Now, speaking live as a pundit on Sky Sports right after the fixture, ex-Liverpool man Sturridge has broken down the goal, and was quick to highlight the role of Ekitike.

He said: “For me, it’s this pass here, the weight of it, the direction of it from Ekitike, the run’s fantastic and the finish, wow.

“But you’re thinking here you’ve [Romero], got time on the ball, but it’s a lacklustre pass, and it goes into him [Ekitike].

“But it’s this pass for me that sets them off on their way, the weight of this pass, then it’s a brilliant pass and finish.”

Hugo Ekitike stats vs Tottenham

We are now very nearly at the halfway point of the season, and that brief moment against Spurs showed Liverpool’s summer signings may finally be getting up to speed.

It’s a real shame Isak could now be forced to endure another spell on the sidelines, but the Reds should be able to cope with an in-form Ekitike leading the line.

The striker won three duels against the Lillywhites and found the back of the net once with an xG of 0.86.

He completed 79% of his passes on the day, had 37 touches, and drew one foul from Tottenham.

Jeremie Frimpong had a pretty eventful cameo against Tottenham during Liverpool’s win.

The Reds got over the line against Spurs in pretty chaotic fashion, although they will not mind too much as they got the three points.

One downside is that they picked up a few injuries during the game, although Frimpong’s return will be a slight positive after a long spell out.

Who was your Man of the Match during the tight win over Spurs?

The Dutchman was taken off after coming on, though, due to losing his head after taking a whack to the face, although his small cameo was fairly impressive.

There was another interesting thing about his game too that shows how Slot might plan on using him in the future, and Liverpool fans could see more of this in the coming games.

Jeremie Frimpong played at right wing against Spurs

Frimpong is known to be a very attacking right-back, with some even considering him more as a winger.

It looks like Slot might be thinking the same too as despite having to play Dominik Szoboszlai as a full-back due to Conor Bradley’s injury, he decided to keep him there and play Frimpong as a winger instead.

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This suggests he sees the Dutchman as a lot better going forward, and he is probably correct, with his defensive frailties indicating that he will not be their long-term replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Instead, especially while Mohamed Salah is away, Frimpong could be their option on the wing, especially now that Slot has shown he prefers him going forward.

The 25-year-old did well during his short cameo too after playing a key part in Hugo Ekitike’s goal, with there certainly being good signs heading into the new year.

Fans will be a little annoyed at his reaction after being hit in the face, however, with Slot taking him off shortly after, although focusing on the positive is certainly what they should be looking at instead.

Liverpool need to learn how to see games out

Frimpong was one of many players who lost their head towards the end, with Liverpool almost collapsing yet again.

With the game looking in the bag, sloppy errors almost cost them, just like it did against Leeds not too long ago.

On another day, they would not have come away with three points, with this surely a time where Arne Slot needs to instil better game management.

For now, fans will not mind too much, but if it becomes a recurring theme, then there could be problems.