The Empire of The Kop

Liverpool’s latest Premier League win has once again placed the spotlight firmly on officiating decisions, with post-match reaction ensuring the discussion will not be going away any time soon.

Arne Slot’s side left north London with a 2-1 victory, extending our strong run of results, but it was Hugo Ekitike’s decisive second-half header that dominated the narrative after the final whistle.

Speaking via Sky Sports, Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank was visibly frustrated that the goal was allowed to stand, describing the decision as a turning point in the contest.

Frank criticises officials after Liverpool winner

The Dane argued that Ekitike committed a foul in the build-up, insisting the officials failed to intervene despite VAR being available.

“That’s unbelievable, it’s a huge mistake,” Frank said. “It’s two hands in the back from Ekitike. I don’t understand how he can’t see it.”

The incident looked like a classic aerial duel, with the French forward simply wanting the ball more, and it was telling that Gary Neville stated on co-commentary that “it is not a foul”.

The referee made his call in real time and, crucially, there was not enough in the challenge for VAR to overturn it either way, making it one of those decisions that often depends entirely on the on-field view.

Frank also felt the situation contributed directly to Cristian Romero’s reaction moments later, which ultimately led to the defender receiving a first of two yellow cards, during an already volatile finale.

Frank reaction distracts from Spurs indiscipline

While the focus remained on Ekitike, Tottenham’s discipline again proved costly, with Xavi Simons earlier seeing red for his challenge on Virgil van Dijk, leaving the hosts fighting an uphill battle.

It was another night where Spurs lost control, echoing sentiments shared elsewhere after the game, including Joe Hart’s strong criticism of late incidents involving Milos Kerkez that went unmentioned by the Tottenham boss.

Ekitike himself summed up the tone of the match succinctly, describing the contest as crossing a line when he said: “That wasn’t football,” while reflecting on the physical nature of the encounter.

Joe Hart was equally blunt on Match of the Day, stating: “They just totally lost control,” when assessing Spurs’ behaviour during the closing stages.

With Liverpool now having seen opponents receive four red cards this league season, more than any other side, we’ve often been on the receiving end of some rough-hand tactics.

Frank may feel aggrieved, but this was a tough decision rather than a “huge mistake”, and one that ultimately came down to desire, timing and strength in the air rather than controversy.

Hugo Ekitike had one complaint to get off his chest despite maintaining his excellent goalscoring form for Liverpool on Saturday evening.

Having scored four goals across his previous two Premier League games, the Frenchman was on the scoresheet yet again tonight with a looping header in the 66th minute against Tottenham Hotspur, which ultimately proved to be the winner for Arne Slot’s side.

The champions had to withstand a frenzied finish after Richarlison halved the deficit late on, with flashpoints plenty and two red cards for the home team (a nasty challenge by Xavi Simons on Virgil van Dijk, and a petulant kick by Cristian Romero on Ibrahima Konate).

Ekitike: “That wasn’t football”

As he reflected on a third consecutive victory for Liverpool, Ekitike – whose neck was grabbed by Richarlison while he was face-down on the ground – seemed taken aback by the brutality of the contest in north London, which he likened to a proverbial ‘war’ at times.

The 23-year-old told Sky Sports after the game: “It was very physical today. There were a lot of duels, but sometimes, it was bad. That wasn’t football. It was a bit too much, but that’s part of football. It was a great war and we won.”

Liverpool prevail after a night of niggly brutality in north London

To say that referee John Brooks was kept busy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would be an understatement.

Even though the referee awarded just 16 free kicks across the night, he brandished no fewer than eight yellow cards in addition to the two reds he showed to Simons and Romero. One of those bookings has triggered a suspension for Dominik Szoboszlai against Wolves next weekend.

A match which was often lacking in quality (especially in the first half) was rife with niggly fouls and altercations, and Ekitike isn’t wrong in bemoaning how it unfolded as a spectacle, even if the result went Liverpool’s way.

The win has come at a cost, though, with the aforementioned ban for the Hungarian midfielder and the injury to Alexander Isak in scoring the Reds’ opener as he was caught by a lunge from Micky van de Ven, while Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz also appeared to be in discomfort prior to their substitutions.

There wasn’t much in the way of Christmas spirit in that particular area of north London tonight, but thankfully LFC have an early present to enjoy as they venture back to Merseyside.

Arne Slot provided a candid explanation for why he substituted Jeremie Frimpong in the closing minutes of Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening.

Returning to the matchday squad after two months out with a hamstring injury, the 25-year-old came on for Alexander Isak – who hobbled off with a knock of his own in scoring the Reds’ first goal of the game – just 15 minutes after the Swede had been introduced for Conor Bradley.

The bizarre link of substitutitons continued just as stoppage time began, with the Netherlands international being withdrawn for Federico Chiesa after being involved in an angry altercation with Richarlison, who’d caught him with a stray arm.

Slot explains Frimpong substitution

Speaking to reporters after the final whistle, Slot hinted that he was worried about losing Frimpong to a petulant red card, given the right-back’s visible fury after the clash with Spurs’ number 9 (whose antics after his goal were despicable).

The Liverpool head coach explained (via Sky Sports): “Jeremie has no [injury] problem. I didn’t want to go down to 10 men for 30 seconds. I adapted to that. I knew there wasn’t long to play. We are picking up points and that’s the main thing.”

Slot right to act before Frimpong did anything reckless

Slot has shown in the past that he’s not afraid to make ruthless substitutions if he senses danger, and he was right to act for fear that a riled-up Frimpong would commit a silly act which’d earn him a red card and suspension.

Spurs had Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero sent off for petulant acts of their own in a bad-tempered game which saw John Brooks issue eight yellow cards and two reds, and a needless ban is the last thing the Reds need right now.

We’ve already lost Dominik Szoboszlai for the Wolves match next Saturday due to suspension, and we face a nervous wait on the extent of Isak’s injury, on top of Cody Gakpo, Joe Gomez and Wataru Endo already being sidelined and Mo Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Speaking on co-commentary for Sky Sports, Gary Neville commended Slot’s proactivity in substituting Frimpong as he said: “His head has gone. Slot has made the right decision. There is no doubt he could do something rash.”

With so many Liverpool players already out of contention to face Rob Edwards’ side next weekend, let’s be glad that our Dutch right-back didn’t do anything stupid to get himself added to that list.

When Richarlison plays against Liverpool, you can be sure that he’ll get himself into the thick of the action somehow.

The Tottenham Hotspur forward infamously whipped out his pigeon celebration after a stoppage time equaliser at Anfield in April 2023, only for the late Diogo Jota to immediately score the winner at the other end of the pitch, earning him a cheeky social media dig from Jamie Carragher.

The ex-Everton man was summoned from the bench with Spurs trailing 2-0 to Arne Slot’s side this evening with 10 minutes of normal time remaining, and inevitably he was heavily involved.

Within three minutes of his introduction, Richarlison pounced on a loose ball in the Liverpool penalty area after the Reds failed to clear from a corner kick, with the goal setting up what might be lightly described as a grandstand finish in north London.

Richarlison antics trigger Szoboszlai suspension

In ‘celebrating’ his strike, the 28-year-old pushed Hugo Ekitike in the back of the neck with the French striker lying face-down on the ground, before then running to Dominik Szoboszlai and shouting in the Hungarian’s face.

Incredulously, our number 8 was booked by John Brooks, and it was his fifth yellow card in the Premier League this season. It means that he’ll now be suspended for our match against Wolves next Saturday, far from ideal when we’re already deprived of several other key players.

Mo Salah is away at the Africa Cup of Nations. Cody Gakpo, Wataru Endo and Joe Gomez had already been sidelined with injury. Conor Bradley appeared to take a knock shortly before half-time tonight, and Alexander Isak was forced off after being caught by Micky van de Ven in scoring our first goal.

Totally needless and shameful from Richarlison

We know that Richarlison has more than a bit of history with Liverpool – his weird comments about Virgil van Dijk and his childish social media antics after our Champions League final defeat in 2022 are evidence of that.

Even still, his actions immediately after scoring tonight were reprehensible. Why be so antagonistic towards Ekitike and Szoboszlai when you could just run straight back to the centre circle and get on with the game, at a time when the Reds were suddenly reeling?

The Brazil international still managed to get himself booked for having too much to say to Brooks at the full-time whistle (surprise, surprise…), but his provocative actions after scoring have contributed towards our number 8 being suspended next week for a nonexistent offence.

At least Liverpool had the last laugh on Richarlison after coming away with a 2-1 victory to move into the top five of the Premier League for a couple of hours at a minimum.

You can view Richarlison’s antics after his goal below, via @SkySportsPL on X:

Alexander Isak must be beginning to think that if he didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all.

The Liverpool striker came off the bench at half-time against Tottenham Hotspur in place of Conor Bradley, with Arne Slot partnering him and Hugo Ekitike as he sought to take advantage of Xavi Simons’ earlier red card.

The £125m signing opened the scoring in north London 10 minutes into the second half as he latched onto a Florian Wirtz and emphatically dispatched the ball beyond Guglielmo Vicario for just his third goal of the season.

Unfortunately, as he went to shoot, Isak was caught by a late challenge from Micky van de Ven and needed treatment on the pitch before hobbling off to be replaced by Jeremie Frimpong, with the Swedish striker’s involvement curtailed at fewer than 15 minutes.

Neville sympathises with Isak after cruel injury blow

Speaking on co-commentary for Sky Sports, Gary Neville felt considerably sympathy for Liverpool’s number 9, who’s already had injury and fitness issues since his transfer from Newcastle at the end of the summer.

The ex-Manchester United player lamented: “That is a sad sight for Isak. The could have been his lift-off moment, but he has picked up an injury.”

Isak injury comes at a rotten time for Liverpool

The body blow for the Sweden international could hardly have come at a worse time, with the Reds’ attack already depleted with Cody Gakpo sidelined and Mo Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The festive period was shaping up to be fertile ground for Isak to get plenty of minutes on the pitch, which is just what he needs in order to repay his substantial transfer fee, but the luckless 26-year-old wasn’t even able to celebrate his crucial opener against Spurs tonight.

Once this game is over, thoughts will immediately turn to the severity of the striker’s injury and how many games he might miss for Liverpool during the winter.

It’s just as well that the Reds have Ekitike in such prolific form, with the Frenchman doubling our lead 10 minutes after his teammate broke the deadlock, and we better pray that he doesn’t suffer any setbacks of his own, considering how few forwards we could have available in upcoming matches.

Fingers crossed that Isak hasn’t suffered a lengthy injury – he could really do with Lady Luck smiling on him for once after a hugely character-testing few months.

You can view Isak’s goal against Spurs below, via @SkySportsPL on X:

Liverpool were handed a huge incentive just after the half-hour mark of their clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday after a red card for Xavi Simons.

The Netherlands international was initially booked for catching compatriot Virgil van Dijk on the back of the calf with studs showing, but after being summoned to the pitchside VAR monitor, John Brooks changed the colour of the card and Spurs were duly left with 10 players.

It was a nasty foul by the 22-year-old, who could have few complaints about the decision, although plenty of the home fans in north London aired their grievances as he made his way off the pitch.

What did Gravenberch do to Simons after red card?

In providing updates for Sky Sports‘ live web commentary on the match, Peter Smith noticed the immediate reaction of Ryan Gravenberch towards Simons after the red card incident.

The reporter noted: “Spurs fans are fuming as a replay of the incident goes out on the big screen, but it’s a clear red card. Meanwhile, Simons gets a high five off his compatriot Gravenberch as he walks off… he should be apologising to his teammates instead.”

Simons only has himself to blame

While the Liverpool midfielder may have tried to be somewhat supportive to his Netherlands international colleague after the dismissal, he won’t have been thanking Simons for the crude challenge on the Reds captain, which could’ve done serious damage to the 34-year-old.

Those are the kind of challenges that footballers hate – off the ground, from behind and with studs showing. Thomas Frank may have been fuming on the touchline, but when he watches it back later, he’ll realise that Spurs’ number 7 can have nobody to blame but himself.

It was the major talking point of a first half which was largely devoid of quality or goalmouth incident, in stark contrast to the two league meetings between the teams last season (6-3 and 5-1 wins for Liverpool).

Arne Slot won’t have been overly impressed with his side’s performance before half-time, but with Simons rightly banished to the dressing room, the Premier League champions have a real opportunity to make their numerical advantage count and leave north London with all three points at the time of writing.

You can view the red card incident below, via @SkySportsPL on X:

Liverpool have the opportunity to go level on points with fourth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday evening if they can secure victory away to Tottenham Hotspur.

It’s a first meeting of the two teams since the glorious afternoon at Anfield eight months ago when the Reds secured their 20th top-flight title, and to say that plenty has changed since then would be an understatement.

Aspirations of retaining their crown seem a long way off for LFC, but a five-match unbeaten run has at least seen a much-needed improvement in the lead-up to Christmas, and they travel to face a Spurs side who’ve lost half of their home matches in the league this term.

Liverpool will be without Mo Salah (AFCON), Joe Gomez, Cody Gakpo and Wataru Endo (all injured) for this evening’s clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, although there had been increasing hope that Dominik Szoboszlai would be passed fit to take on Thomas Frank’s side.

Liverpool starting XI to face Spurs

Slot makes X changes from the Liverpool side which began the victory against Brighton.

Alisson Becker is between the sticks once again, with the familiar centre-back pairing of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate in front of him. There’s one enforced change to the defence as the injured Gomez is replaced by Conor Bradley, who’s available again after suspension.

The midfield is unchanged, with Ryan Gravenberch, Curtis Jones and Alexis Mac Allister all starting, and Szoboszlai is fit enough to keep his place in the side as well. He’ll likely start on the right flank, with Florian Wirtz on the left, while Hugo Ekitike is the sole centre-forward.

Alexander Isak and Federico Chiesa are available from the substitutes’ bench if needed, while Jeremie Frimpong returns to the matchday squad after a two-month absence through injury.

You can view the Liverpool starting XI and substitutes below, via @LFC on X:

Paul Merson believes there’s one player who Arne Slot simply can’t omit from the Liverpool starting XI to face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening.

The Reds will be without Mo Salah due to his involvement at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), but they can call upon the in-form Hugo Ekitike as their goalscorer-in-chief, with the Frenchman netting doubles in his last two Premier League games.

Such has been the 23-year-old’s form this season that Olivier Giroud has talked up his chances of being selected for the France squad for next summer’s World Cup, even with Didier Deschamps having an outrageous wealth of attacking talent from which to choose.

Merson insists Ekitike must start against Spurs

Ekitike’s two goals against Brighton last weekend are as many as Alexander Isak has managed in total across his first 15 games for Liverpool, and Merson believes that starting the ex-Eintracht Frankfurt marksman is a no-brainer.

In his weekly Premier League predictions column for Sportskeeda, the Sky Sports pundit wrote: ‘Hugo Ekitike has to start ahead of Alexander Isak in this game. When we look at Isak’s struggles, it just reminds us how important it is to have a proper pre-season.

‘Liverpool could be in the top four or top five if they win, so they should play Ekitike.’

Ekitike certain to start – but will it be instead of or next to Isak?

It’d be a shock if Merson doesn’t get his wish of seeing our number 22 in the starting line-up against Spurs, having netted four times across his last two Premier League matches, and with the Reds having the rarity of a full week to prepare for this fixture (and also for next Saturday’s game against Wolves).

The bigger question will likely be whether the Frenchman starts as the lone striker or as part of a double act alongside Isak, with Slot recently selecting the two of them together in the Champions League victory away to Inter Milan as part of a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond.

The Liverpool head coach has insisted that the two centre-forwards ‘can play together’, although the Swede’s fitness issues have lessened the window of opportunity for him to be partnered with Ekitike.

The Reds go to north London short on first-team wingers, with Salah away at AFCON and Cody Gakpo still sidelined with injury, so it’s plausible that Slot might go with a two-man striking partnership like he did at the San Siro 11 days ago.

All will be revealed when the team news is announced 75 minutes before kick-off, but it seems almost guaranteed that the in-form Ekitike will be included in the starting XI.

James Pearce has provided Liverpool fans with some very welcome news in the lead-up to their Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

The immense satisfaction of a hard-earned win over Brighton last weekend was slightly tempered by the sight of Dominik Szoboszlai being forced off with an ankle injury in the final quarter-hour of the match, having taken a heavy landing after jumping to evade a slide tackle from Kaoru Mitoma.

There were encouraging reports from his native Hungary earlier this week as initial scans on the 25-year-old didn’t reveal any major problem, and the outlook for the fixture in north London now looks even brighter.

James Pearce provides injury updates on Liverpool trio

On Wednesday afternoon, The Athletic reported that Liverpool’s number 8 is hopeful of being passed fit to play against Spurs, having responded well to treatment since last Saturday, with Pearce sharing a link to the article via X along with describing it as ‘positive news’.

LFC medical staff will continue to monitor him closely before deciding on Friday whether he’ll get the green light to face Thomas Frank’s side. If that game comes too soon for him, he should almost certainly be back for Wolves’ visit to Anfield two days after Christmas.

Elsewhere, Joe Gomez is set to miss the fixture on Saturday with a hamstring injury, but the damage is understood to be ‘relatively minor’, while Jeremie Frimpong is on the verge of being cleared for a return to full team training after being sidelined for the past two months.

Szoboszlai being cleared to play would be huge for Liverpool

There’s no guarantee yet that Szoboszlai will be passed fit for the Spurs game, but Pearce’s update suggests that there’s a strong likelihood of the Hungarian being given the green light.

His availability on Saturday could be all the more vital with Mo Salah having departed for the Africa Cup of Nations, and Gomez and Frimpong set to be ruled out (thus increasing the possibility that our number 8 may need to play some minutes at right-back, although Conor Bradley is back from a ban).

On that note, there’s a possibility that Liverpool will soon have to do without the 25-year-old for an upcoming fixture, as he’s currently just one yellow card away from reaching the threshold of five to trigger a suspension.

If Szoboszlai can get through our next three Premier League games without a booking, though, the bar for incurring a one-match ban will then increase to 10 yellow cards across the campaign. It means that, if his fifth caution doesn’t come until the Fulham match on 4 January, he won’t be suspended for the visit to Arsenal four days later.

In the more immediate term, keep those fingers crossed that he’ll be cleared for action against Spurs on Saturday and can repeat his goalscoring feat from the corresponding fixture just under a year ago, when we won 6-3 in north London.

Liverpool appear to have been dealt a blow to their chances of recruiting a Premier League centre-back in whom they’re reportedly interested.

Towards the end of October, Fichajes claimed that Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven had been attracting the Reds’ attention due to his ‘physique, speed and defensive awareness’, although the Europa League holders are understood to value him at €100m (£87.9m).

The Dutchman had actually been linked with a move to Anfield in the summer of 2023 before ultimately joining Spurs that year, despite the best efforts of compatriot Virgil van Dijk to persuade the then-Wolfsburg player to come to Merseyside.

Van de Ven unlikely to join Liverpool any time soon

Liverpool’s hopes of landing the 24-year-old in the near future appear to be slim, with the defender expected to extend his contract in north London.

Transfer insider Graeme Bailey has told TBR Football (via CaughtOffside): “A new deal for Van de Ven is emerging as one of Tottenham’s priorities under Vinai Venkatesham’s reign, and talks have already been taking place since the summer.

“This is both ways. Van de Ven is very happy at Tottenham. He has settled in brilliantly since he arrived, having now emerged as one of the Premier League’s best, and his partnership with Cristian Romero is on par with anything in the game.

“Romero plays a part here; his decision not to seek a move in the summer has an impact on Van de Ven, who is ready to follow in his steps and sign, and he will be rewarded with similar terms to those of his Argentine colleague.

“Both Spurs and Van de Ven are aware of interest; there is no denying that. Spurs believe he is one of the best anywhere in Europe, and they are recognising this with this prospective new deal. Talks are set to accelerate this month.”

Liverpool will need to look elsewhere for centre-back recruitment

Van de Ven has been in the headlines for both good and bad reasons in recent days, having appeared to snub his manager Thomas Frank after Spurs’ defeat to Chelsea last weekend before soon scoring an exceptional solo goal in the 4-0 Champions League thrashing of FC Copenhagen.

The 24-year-old is remarkably prolific for a defender (he has six goals in 16 games already this season) and has recorded the fastest sprint speed in Premier League history, clocking a remarkable 37.38 km per hour against Brentford in January 2024.

He’s made his initial £43m transfer fee for him look like a bargain, and it’s easy to see why Liverpool have reportedly been interested in trying to entice him from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but such a raid now seems highly unlikely to materialise.

Thankfully, the centre-back pairing of Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have looked more assured in recent games after being subjected to fierce criticism for their performances during the Reds’ dreadful run of results throughout October.

We could still do with reinforcements in that area of the pitch, though, given the Frenchman’s precarious contract situation and the long-term injury to Giovanni Leoni.

Now that Van de Ven seems unattainable, don’t expect the links with Marc Guehi to disappear any time soon. If anything, they’re set to ramp up as the January transfer window draws nearer.