Rousing The Kop

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.

Hugo Ekitike was Liverpool’s match-winner once again on Saturday after leaping high above Cristian Romero to score against Tottenham.

It was another brilliant moment for the Frenchman, who made it five goals in his last three Premier League appearances.

There was some controversy surrounding the header, with Romero strongly arguing that he was fouled by Ekitike.

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

Referee John Brooks disagreed, as did the VAR, and Ekitike celebrated his eighth Premier League goal of the season.

The incident appeared to trigger an anger in the already combustible Romero, who was later sent off for a needless kick on Ibrahima Konate. Quizzed about whether he felt his goal should have stood after the game, Liverpool‘s No. 22 argued that he simply dealt with the ball in better than the Spurs captain.

Hugo Ekitike shows no sympathy for Cristian Romero

There will be split opinions on whether Ekitike’s goal should have stood. If you’re a Spurs fan, it was probably a robbery. Liverpool supporters will see it differently.

As for Ekitike himself, he admitted that he had been a little lucky with the goal, but also insisted there was no foul to speak of.

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“It’s part for the game. he is a defender, I’m a striker,” the 23-year-old told BBC Sport.

“I judged the cross better than he did and I took the ball. That is why I scored. That is his opinion, my opinion is that it was a great cross, a lucky header, but I did the right thing.”

Romero clearly felt differently, and this will likely not be the last we’ve heard of this in the coming days.

Phew! Three points, but a really, really poor display. What are your takeaways?

Ekitike shows his relief at full-time

Despite a big win in North London, Liverpool clearly have some serious issues still to contend with.

One of the biggest problems has been a lack of spine within the team when things start going against them.

However, in Ekitike, Liverpool have a player who does stand up to be counted when the going gets tough.

The France international is no soft touch, and showed plenty of character in his celebration both after his goal and on the pitch at full-time.

While some of his teammates looked shellshocked at the final whistle, Ekitike looked overjoyed, celebrating with the Liverpool supporters and lapping in the adulation coming his way. He is some player, and after scoring headers in consecutive games, it is great to see him putting his big frame to good use.

Alexander Isak scored as Liverpool beat Tottenham in the Premier League during the latest gameweek.

It was a poor opening to the game, even when Spurs were forced down to 10 men.

Responding to what was a lacklustre showing from his side, Arne Slot took off Conor Bradley for Alexander Isak at the break.

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

Fans were unhappy about Isak starting on the bench on Saturday, and their concerns were swiftly justified.

Florian Wirtz assisted the Swede for what was his second Premier League goal this term.

Alexander Isak question after Tottenham

However, right after getting his shot off, Mick van de Ven collided with the striker, and he immediately went down injured, unable to celebrate.

The ex-Newcastle United man has had a tricky start to life at Anfield after missing pre-season and then suffering an injury early in his Reds career.

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Another long-term absence would be a big blow for Isak, who looked sharp during his very brief time on the pitch.

Now, speaking shortly after the match, Slot was asked about the forward, as per the BBC.

However, he was unable to provide any sort of meaningful update. He said: “We’ll have to wait and see. It is too short after the game to speak about it but it is never good when a player[Isak] has to come off.

“I took Frimpong off because I did not want to be with ten men, so that injury is fine. The other two [Isak and Bradley] we’ll have to wait and see. The good thing is that we have a week to go so hopefully we have enough players available to play next week again.”

Liverpool attacking options vs Wolves depleted

Liverpool are now back in action on December 27, taking on a struggling Wolves team.

Isak could well miss the game, while we already know Salah is away at the AFCON.

Elsewhere, Szoboszlai will be absent from the fixture after picking up another yellow card against Spurs.

Cody Gakpo is injured as well, leaving Ekitike and Wirtz as the only available regular starters.

Federico Chiesa may finally get a chance in turn, though Jeremie Frimpong, who came on in the right-wing role on Saturday, could be an option.

Liverpool served up some truly turgid football despite beating Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening.

The Reds headed to North London in better form having managed to go unbeaten in four Premier League matches.

But if supporters thought this might mean Liverpool playing with some confidence against Spurs, they were in for a disappointing surprise.

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

Arne Slot chose to go a little more defensive than many would have liked to see, deciding to leave Alexander Isak out and play with a packed midfield instead.

This led to an uninspiring and one-paced first-half, with Liverpool ultimately extending an awful goal-scoring record which will do nothing to get fans on Slot’s side in the long run.

Liverpool continue slow Premier League starts

There have been so many problems at Liverpool this season, and it may feel wrong to point another one out after a decent win away at Tottenham.

But the truth is that after another dismal first 45 minutes, Liverpool are now without a goal in four of their past five Premier League first-halves.

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When the Reds hit poor patches of form under Jurgen Klopp, they could at least count on the football being enjoyable to watch.

There is still some of that under Slot, but far too often things have been ponderous.

The Dutch coach has so much credit in the bank at Anfield after winning the Premier League last year. As a result, many have forgiven him the team’s bad form this term.

But if they continue to start matches slowly, fans’ patience will become severely tested. Wins of course help, and Liverpool have been better in second periods, but this cannot continue.

Phew! Three points, but a really, really poor display. What are your takeaways?

Liverpool must remember who they are

While it is clearly much better to be reflecting on this disappointing statistic on the back of a big three points on the road, it should not stop the microscope being pulled out on Liverpool and Slot.

After such a punishing season, it is completely fine that the Reds’ boss wants to set his team up with a much more solid base. That was missing in the early parts of the campaign.

However, that does not have to come at the expense of Liverpool playing their football. The Reds have to remember that they are champions after all. They have nothing to fear.

There were plenty of chances to move the ball quickly and really get at a fragile Tottenham while Saturday’s match was 11vs11. Time after time they chose the easy option.

At no point until Xavi Simons’ silly sending off did Liverpool look like scoring. Had that continued into the second-half, supporters may have started to get on Slot’s back just a little. As it happened, the Reds’ chief may need to send his countryman a Christmas card when he gets home to Merseyside.

Liverpool were looking to continue their upturn in form when they clashed with Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

The Reds beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 in their last Premier League outing, which left them just two points outside the top four going into this gameweek.

Spurs may be struggling, having won just one in five, but Liverpool were unbeaten in five before December 20.

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

Ahead of the fixture, the Merseyside outfit were boosted by the return of Dominik Szoboszlai, who has recovered quickly following an issue picked up against Brighton.

It was a strong eleven from Arne Slot, but Liverpool started the tie poorly and lacked intensity.

Yet, they were helped out by a rash decision from Xavi Simons shortly after the half-hour mark that got the Dutchman sent off following a VAR review.

Liverpool eventually took the lead in the 56th minute when Florian Wirtz slipped in Alexander Isak, who scored his seventh career goal vs Spurs.

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Hugo Ekitike then added his fifth goal in three matches before Richarlsion scored a late goal from the bench to make it a nervy end to the tie.

Florian Wirtz’s impact on Alexander Isak

Liverpool have changed formations in recent weeks, and to Slot’s credit, it has been working very well.

However, one man who hasn’t set the world alight even after the Reds’ resurgence has been Alexander Isak.

Isak is struggling for form, and Hugo Ekitike has now stepped up to become the main man through the middle.

On the left, meanwhile, Slot recently said that Florian Wirtz is getting better and better with each passing week, which is bad news for Isak.

A report from Germany claimed earlier this month that Mohamed Salah was left in a rage by Wirtz leading the attack at Anfield. Let’s hope he doesn’t have the same impact on Isak, given he’s currently the man keeping him out of the eleven.

His goal off the bench should do his confidence a world of good, and Wirtz’s link-up proved Slot is right about him.

But again, how do they all fit into the same team when Mohamed Salah is fit?

The problem with Cody Gakpo’s return

Similarly, Isak, Ekitike and more could struggle to start regularly once Cody Gakpo is back from injury.

The Dutchman is a favourite of Slot’s despite Gakpo’s playstyle being predictable and often leading to attacks easily being shut down.

Wirtz’s recent upturn should mean that the former PSV man has a slightly reduced role in the coming months.

However, it’s become clear that if Gakpo comes straight back into the eleven when fit, it will upset the balance of the team, especially on the left-hand side.

Conor Bradley substitution was harsh

There is no denying Liverpool were poor in the first half, even after gaining a man advantage.

So, Slot making a change at half-time to add some extra firepower was a wise move.

However, taking off Bradley seemed a bit harsh, given that he was probably the most active player during the first half.

Granted, that’s not saying much, but he made some crucial blocks to stop Spurs countering and was lively when he got into the final third.

What this game did highlight, though, was that Slot is still a long way off knowing exactly how he’s supposed to fit all his superstar names into the same team.