Liverpool 4-3 Tottenham Hotspur: Player ratings as Jota snatches dramatic winner
Diogo Jota was the hero as his stoppage-time strike saw Liverpool snatch all three points against a spirited Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.
The damage appeared to be done inside the opening quarter of an hour, with goals from Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah putting the Reds 3-0 to the good.
However, Spurs rallied with Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min on target, before Richarlison’s stoppage-time header seemed to have rescued a point for the visitors.
But there was to be one final twist as less than 60 seconds later, Jota capitalised on Lucas Moura’s mistake to break Tottenham hearts.
Here is how the players rated at Anfield:
Liverpool
Alisson – 6 – Made a smart reflex save to deny Kulusevski during the first half, but was fairly helpless for the goals he conceded.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8 – Looking back to his best, the England defender continued his recent resurgence with another brilliant performance. He demonstrated great awareness with his assist for Jones’ goal – becoming the first player to assist in five successive Premier League games on two separate occasions.
Ibrahima Konate – 6 – Though disappointed to have been breached three times, no Liverpool player made more tackles than the central defender (four).
Virgil van Dijk – 6 – Made an important goal-line clearance to deny Son in the first half, but lost Richarlison too easily for the dramatic equaliser.
Andrew Robertson – 5 – Endured a couple of sloppy moments that went unpunished during the first half. He then played Son onside and gave Spurs hope later on.
Harvey Elliott – 6 – Neatly kept possession for Liverpool, completing 34 of his 37 attempted passes before being replaced by Henderson.
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Fabinho – 7 – Completed 96.2 per cent of his passes, the best rate of any starting player at Anfield.
Curtis Jones – 8 – Made a great run to the far post to meet Alexander-Arnold’s cross and provided a lovely finish to open the scoring at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah – 8 – Very calmly slotted the penalty away on his 300th Premier League appearance for Liverpool. It is the seventh successive match at Anfield in which he has found the net.
Luis Diaz – 8 – Was in the right place at the right time with a brilliant run to the near post to turn in Gakpo’s cross for Liverpool’s second goal.
Cody Gakpo – 8 – Worked unselfishly again for the team. Made a great run and cutback for Diaz’s goal, while he was fouled for the penalty that Salah converted.
Substitutes:
Jordan Henderson (for Elliott, 63′) – 6 – Kept things ticking over in midfield upon his introduction.
Diogo Jota (for Diaz, 63′) – 8 – Fairly quiet after entering the action, he grasped his moment to shine with a wonderful finish to earn his side all three points.
Darwin Nunez (for Gakpo, 73′) – N/A – Came on as a late substitute and desperately tried to deny Richarlison’s equaliser, but to no avail.
James Milner (for Jones, 86′) – N/A – Replaced Jones for the final few minutes and was booked for a rash challenge.
Tottenham Hotspur
Fraser Forster – 6 – Filling in for Hugo Lloris once again, Forster fared little better than his French counterpart at Newcastle last week – conceding three times in the opening 15 minutes.
Cristian Romero – 7 – Needlessly slid in to concede the penalty, but made amends with a brilliant throughball for Son to run onto and score.
Eric Dier – 5 – Endured another torrid day at the back, but made a couple of important interventions to prevent the scoreline deteriorating further in the first half.
Ben Davies – 5 – Generally helpless and not really helped by his team-mates for the four conceded goals.
Pedro Porro – 5 – The wing-back was caught napping for Liverpool’s goal, but almost made amends with a thumping long-range strike that Alisson was forced to tip over.
Oliver Skipp – 7 – Made a good block to deny Gakpo during the first half, and generally held his own in the middle of the park before a whack in the face forced him off later on.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – 6 – Quiet on the whole, but tried to make things happen for Spurs – attempting the most passes inside Liverpool’s half (18).
Ivan Perisic – 7 – Didn’t stop running all game and embarked on a great run before providing a lovely assist for Kane to begin the revival.
Dejan Kulusevski – 5 – Drew a smart save from Alisson after a strong run, but generally quiet otherwise.
Son Heung-Min – 8 – Denied by Van Dijk on the line earlier on and hitting the post, he kept plugging away and took his goal well before providing a delicious cross for Richarlison to head home.
Harry Kane – 7 – Provided a great ball for Son during the first half, and was on the spot with a brilliant volley to give Tottenham hope.
Substitutes:
Pape Sarr (for Kulusevski, 66′) – 6 – Introduced for the final quarter of the game.
Richarlison (for Skipp, 84′) – 7 – Looked lively after coming on, and showed great anticipation and execution with his header.
Arnaut Danjuma (for Perisic, 90′) – N/A – Replaced Perisic just before stoppage time.
Lucas Moura (for Porro, 90′) – N/A – Entering for the dying moments, it was his mistake that Jota pounced on and subsequently tucked away.
