Liverpool 2 Tottenham 2: Anfield uproar as hit and miss
Harry Kane saves Spurs from the spot
Harry Kane hit a hundred. And a hurricane of controversy broke out. This
was one extraordinary Premier League game. It was a whirlwind, breathless
encounter summed up by the most remarkable final 15 minutes, including five
chaotic minutes of added time.
At the final whistle the angry chant of “cheat, cheat, cheat” rang out
around Anfield, aimed at referee Jon Moss and his assistant Edward Smart, as
Tottenham Hotspur courageously salvaged a point against Liverpool.
They scored one penalty and missed another. Neither, Liverpool vehemently
argued, should have been given with Kane making a shocking hash of the first
one and then coolly despatching the second.
It marked his 100th Premier League goal. “If you have the
personality to score 100 Premier League goals then it’s because you have big,
big balls,” manager Mauricio Pochettino said. Kane has the cojones. There was
also a message from the striker himself, a player of such iron self-belief.
“You can’t give me two tries,” he said, without a hint of arrogance. Well, just
a touch.
Kane grabbed the headlines but that should not fully detract from another
dazzling display from Mohamed Salah who scored twice. His first took him to 20
Premier League goals in just 25 matches, the quickest a Liverpool player has
reach that goal mark, two games ahead of Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge.
The first goal was predatory. The second was simply brilliant, a Messi-like
effort as he danced past three Spurs defenders deep in injury-time and, in the
tightest of spaces inside the penalty area, dinked the ball past goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris.
That was a goal worthy of winning any game and it came after another
deserving of that status, by Spurs substitute Victor Wanyama. If Salah’s effort
was a thing of beauty then the midfielder’s was a beast: a strike of ferocity
from fully 25 yards that ripped into the net to stun everyone.
What a game. What an ending. There were two goals of the season, two Kane
penalties and two points won, lost, won, lost for Liverpool who led after three
minutes, and after 94 minutes, but failed to win.
There were even more talking points: another deserved yellow card for Dele
Alli for diving and an imperious performance from Liverpool’s record signing
Virgil van Dijk - until he fouled another Spurs substitute, Erik Lamela, for
that second penalty concession.
And there was more. Goalkeeper has been a problem area for Liverpool,
whatever Klopp says, and having given Loris Karius a run of games to stake his
claim, he was rewarded with a quixotic performance: a questionable punch for
Spurs' equaliser, a penalty conceded – and then saved.
Pochettino was not exempt. Fresh from the impressive win at home to
Manchester United, he initially got his tactics wrong here as he set Spurs in a
diamond midfield which was over-run, with Alli deep and Kane isolated. Until
changes were made it was only Moussa Dembele holding it together.
Having scored so early against United, Spurs were quickly behind and it was
a dire concession. Or, rather, an Eric Dier concession – although Davinson
Sanchez did not cover himself in glory either as he contested the ball with
Roberto Firmino. It broke to Dier who, facing his own goal, scuffed a back-pass
allowing Salah a clear run. Sanchez tried to get back but Salah’s first touch
allowed him time to tuck the ball low across Lloris. The clock read just
two minutes and 50 seconds.
As poor as Dejan Lovren was when Spurs mauled Liverpool earlier this
season, then so was Sanchez who lasted until 70 minutes before being hooked by
Pochettino as he scented a way back into this. In fact the substitutions from
both managers were interesting as Klopp reacted defensively and even ended up
with five at the back after bringing on Joel Matip.
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