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Alexander Isak is facing the prospect of a long spell on the sidelines with scans expected to confirm he has a broken leg, but should Spurs defender Mick van de Ven have been punished for the challenge that seriously injured the Liverpool striker?
Liverpool and Isak are still awaiting results of an MRI scan on the injury that was suffered when he was caught late by a sliding challenge from Van de Ven after scoring the opener in his side's 2-1 win at Tottenham.
A stretcher was brought onto the pitch but Isak eventually left the field with the help of Liverpool's medical staff.
But how bad was the challenge from Van de Ven, who was trying to stop Isak from scoring? Former Premier League striker Jay Bothroyd explained on Ref Watch why he thought Van de Ven's challenge was worthy of a red card.
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'He's out of control'
"Van de Ven has not intentionally tried to hurt Isak. Obviously he is desperate to stop a goal and he's coming across to block the shot, not hit the player.
"But this is an example that, yes, Isak has scored, but it should still be a red card.
"He's lunging, he's going into him. Every explanation that you want to give for a red card challenge is there, but because he's scored, they've let it go.
"He's lunged into his leg. He's out of control. He's trying to make a block but he's never going to get there. The shot has gone before Van de Ven has even arrived with the challenge. If that's in the middle of the park, that's a red card.
"He's lunged out of control. He's broken his leg. Surely that tells you there's force there.
"It's a dangerous challenge and because of it, a player has broken his leg."
'Astonished if that is given as a red card'
In response to Bothroyd's views on the red card, former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher disagreed, suggesting Van de Ven did what any other footballer would have done in the heat of the moment in a game trying to stop a goal.
"I'm staggered," Gallagher said in response to Bothroyd.
"I can't see that he's done anything that a footballer wouldn't. I would be astonished if that was given as a red card anywhere on the field.
"Players mistime challenges all the time.
"He's slightly late...it's not a red card. Whether it be in the penalty area, in the D, the centre circle or the other half."
Report and highlights: Spurs 1-2 Liverpool
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Analysis: Slot's attacking options dwindling
Sky Sports' Rich Morgan:
Isak missed four matches at the end of October and start of November with a groin injury which forced him off at half-time of the Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
He has started five out of nine since returning but any absence now, however lengthy, will be a blow with Mohamed Salah at the Africa Cup of Nations and Cody Gakpo not ready to return from a muscle injury until early in the new year.
It leaves Slot with just Hugo Ekitike, who has five goals in his last four games, and the little-used Federico Chiesa as his only senior forwards.
Unlike Isak, Ekitike has hit the ground running since moving to Anfield from Frankfurt for £79m last summer, scoring 11 times in 24 games in all competitions so far this season, including eight in the Premier League.
And now in Isak's injury-enforced absence, the 23-year-old has the opportunity to stake his claim as the champions' first-choice No 9 during a crucial run of fixtures.
Liverpool face Wolves, Leeds, Fulham and leaders Arsenal over the next two-and-a-half weeks that will shape their bid to finish in the top four.
Meanwhile, the Reds also begin their FA Cup campaign at home to Barnsley on January 12, while next month also brings two pivotal Champions League contests in Marseille [January 21] and at home to Qarabag [January 28].
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There are concerns that Alexander Isak suffered a significant lower-leg injury during Liverpool's 2-1 win at Tottenham on Saturday, Sky Sports News understands.
Liverpool and Isak are still awaiting an MRI scan on the injury that was suffered when Isak scored the opener at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Micky van de Ven slid into Isak as he attempted to prevent the striker from scoring, leaving Isak unable to celebrate as he immediately signalled for medical attention.
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A stretcher was brought onto the pitch but Isak eventually left the field with the help of Liverpool's medical staff.
The Sweden international was sidelined for five games from October to November with a groin injury and the latest setback will only compound his disjointed start to life in Liverpool since completing his record-breaking £125m move from Newcastle this summer.
Isak has scored just three goals across 16 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool.
Speaking immediately after the game, head coach Arne Slot told Sky Sports: "It's difficult to know what he exactly has.
"But it's never a nice thing that after the goal he collided with their defender.
"Hopefully he's fine, but we have to wait and see."
Report and highlights: Spurs 1-2 Liverpool
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Slot encouraged by Liverpool performance at Spurs
Despite Isak's injury and hanging onto a narrow victory against their nine-men hosts, Liverpool boss Slot was encouraged by the performance his side put in in north London to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to five games.
"The thing in football, you always remember the last few minutes the most," he said. "And they were the worst minutes of our total game. If I can calm down a little bit and erase that from my memory, I think there's a lot to like also in our performance.
"In the end, I've stood here many, many, many times that I liked our performance a lot, and we weren't able to get the three points. Now, for a large part, I like the performance, and we have the three points, so I have to tell myself that anyway."
Liverpool's next five fixtures
Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank said the officials made a "huge mistake" in allowing Hugo Ekitike's goal for Liverpool to stand in Spurs' 2-1 defeat.
Ekitike doubled Liverpool's lead midway through the second half with a header after he towered above Tottenham captain Cristian Romero, but Frank said the striker put both hands into the back of the defender.
Sky Sports' Gary Neville said "it is not a foul" on co-commentary, but Frank felt it was the worst decision made by the officials in a game that saw Spurs finish with nine men.
"That's unbelievable, it's a huge mistake," Frank told Sky Sports. "I think there's something about the red you can discuss and the two yellows that you can discuss in a lot of ways, but the second one is a huge mistake."
Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool - Match report and highlights
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Ekitike's header proved to be the winner after Alexander Isak had put Liverpool ahead before Richarlison pulled one back late on to set up a grandstand finish.
Frank added: "It's two hands in the back from Ekitike. I don't understand how he (referee John Brooks) can't see it.
"But luckily, we have VAR so they will bail you out when you need it - but they didn't and that was the second mistake."
Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp agreed that it was a foul on Romero. He said: "I can't believe Romero hasn't got a free-kick.
"The consequence of that is that 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."
Romero was shown a second yellow in the 93rd minute for kicking out at Ibrahima Konate, who had fouled the centre-back in an aerial duel.
"I don't know what happened with the first [yellow], I'll ask the ref," said Frank. "But with the second one, you understand the feeling in the game of two big boys competing, Konate going through Cuti. His foot is landing on Cuti's head, but that's not a yellow.
"There's a little movement and you feel it in the sense that it's very heated. That's where you take a good decision."
Tottenham were already a man down after Xavi Simons was shown a straight red card following a VAR check for his foul on Virgil van Dijk.
"I don't like this as a red card," said Frank. "It's not reckless, it's not that it's coming with exceptional force, he's chasing Van Dijk, he's trying to put pressure and then he changes direction.
"Unfortunately, his foot is on his Achilles, and you would say, you need to be smarter, don't do it and all that, so we're not allowed to have physical contact anymore?
"The next thing on that, is you get three games [ban], which I don't understand. How can you get three games on something that's not reckless? That's absolutely wrong. We probably can't appeal that."
Liverpool boss Arne Slot said: "I don't think he had any intention to do it. But where he touches him from behind, the height, I think on the calf. Already a few times in games when other teams made fouls like it against us, it didn't lead to a red card. But this time it did.
"So you always rely a little bit on who is the VAR and which decision makes a red card."
Liverpool scrambled to a 2-1 win at nine-man Tottenham, somehow surviving a chaotic finale which saw Richarlison pull one back and Cristian Romero shown a red for kicking out at Ibrahima Konate as Spurs chased a last-gasp leveller.
It had looked routine for Liverpool, with Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike goals putting them in control, following Xavi Simons' first-half sending off for putting his studs into Virgil van Dijk's calf.
But with memories of Liverpool's recent collapse at Leeds from 2-0 to draw 3-3 fresh in the memory, there was late drama as Richarlison added to his impressive tally against the Reds and then saw Ibrahima Konate block to prevent him converting a quickfire double to rescue a point for Spurs.
With the home crowd - incensed by referee John Brooks throughout the evening - roaring their side forwards, Romero kicked out at Konate as they tangled on the floor. The Spurs centre-back had been booked earlier in the game for bumping into the referee as he protested Liverpool's second goal - a goal Spurs boss Thomas Frank was adamant should have been ruled out.
But even missing two players, Spurs threatened, with Wilson Odobert drawing Alisson into a full-stretch save with the last kick of the game.
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Liverpool nerves had been jangling but the full-time whistle brought relief and fifth place in the Premier League. Injury to Isak in the process of scoring from a first Premier League assist from Florian Wirtz will be a concern but not as much as their inability to shut down games when they have the advantage.
Isak had to hobble off after Micky van de Ven appeared to catch his ankle as he slid in to block the shot. Isak himself had been a half-time sub for injured right-back Conor Bradley.
Spurs had come close to levelling in between Isak's slammed finish and Ekitike's towering header, with Randal Kolo Muani's shot deflecting up off Milos Kerkez, over Alisson and onto the face of the Liverpool bar.
But sub Richarlison set up a thrilling finish to the game with his sharp finish after Van Dijk had missed an attempted clearance. It was his eighth goal involvement against Liverpool, the Brazilian's favourite Premier League opponent.
After a bad display at Nottingham Forest last weekend, their supporters appreciated the fight on Saturday night. Ultimately, though, it was another home defeat for Spurs. It was their 11th in the league of 2025 - a new, unwanted club record. They are down in 13th.
Frank proud of battling Spurs
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank:
"Very proud of the players, proud of the team. The players worked very hard on how to respond to setbacks and there were plenty of them today. I saw a team of strong personalities and great characters.
"This mentality, this effort, this energy, I said to the players after the game we need to bottle it and use it because it's the way forward in every minute and every game, and the team has a great future.
"The crowd were amazing. They almost sucked the ball into the goal for a second. If you look at all the shots, it's crazy what we created from 10 men. I'm very happy with the team."
On the second goal: "That's unbelievable, it's a huge mistake. I think there's something about the red you can discuss and the two yellows that you can discuss in a lot of ways, but the second one is a huge mistake."
Slot encouraged by performance amid the chaos
Liverpool boss Arne Slot:
"The thing in football, you always remember the last few minutes the most. And they were the worst minutes of our total game. If I can calm down a little bit and erase that from my memory, I think there's a lot to like also in our performance.
"In the end, I've stood here many, many, many times that I liked our performance a lot, and we weren't able to get the three points. Now, for a large part, I like the performance, and we have the three points, so I have to tell myself that anyway.
"We didn't keep the ball when we had the ball. We kicked it away, throw it away. And they went for the duels, they got a few free kicks, got a few throw-ins. It became very hectic and chaotic in the end. And the moments when we had the ball, instead of just keeping it and making it big and play the ball from foot to foot, I think we lost every single second ball."
Controversy and chaos: Gary Neville's verdicts on key moments
Xavi Simons' red card:
"Virgil van Dijk is six foot four and 15 stone. If it is the other way around, it's a leg breaker.
"Thomas Frank is having a whinge about it, but none of the Tottenham players are complaining. The ones who have seen it are going 'what are you doing?'"
Whether Hugo Ekitike fouled Cristian Romero for Liverpool's second:
"I love that goal. It is brilliant.
"It is not a foul. He has just got up early. It is a great header."
Romero's red card:
"What is Romero doing?! Who is he shouting at now? Get in the dressing room!
"It is absolute madness from him."
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