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9/10 Alexander-Arnold, 8/10 Mane inspire Liverpool

Liverpool snapped their 482-minute league goal drought and moved up to fourth in the Premier League table after beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 away from home.

Jurgen Klopp’s men took the lead on the stroke of half-time via a Roberto Firmino tap-in after an accurate Sadio Mane cross that wasn’t dealt with. Full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold struck the visitors’ second on a rebound before Sadio Mane grabbed a third. Spurs, who had a goal ruled out in the opening minutes for offsides, got a goal from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to give them a glimmer of hope at 2-1 down before Liverpool quickly re-established their two-goal advantage.

There will be concern for Joel Matip who was taken off at half-time, though. Liverpool are back in action in the capital on Sunday against West Ham.

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Positives

Excellent in possession and grew in confidence as the game developed amid Spurs’ plan to keep as many men behind the ball and hit on the counter. The link-up play between Mohamed Salah, Firmino and Mane was too much for the hosts at times and this was complemented by the inspired Alexander-Arnold, whose passing was noticeably improved this evening.

Negatives

Struggled to move the ball around quickly enough to penetrate Tottenham’s defensive line in large parts of the first half. During this period, there was little movement and the lack of attacking runs through the hosts’ defence was noticeable. It was in this period where Alexander-Arnold and Robertson should have pressed forward more.

Manager rating out of 10

8 — Conceding just one goal against a team that is hopeful of securing European football next season, and with Liverpool’s long list of injuries in defence, must be deemed a success. This issue was only added to when Matip had to be taken off at half-time. But Jurgen Klopp’s men displayed great character to register a first Premier League win since Dec. 19.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Allison Becker, 6 — Was caught out at his near post when Son Heung-min struck in the opening minutes — a goal that was later disallowed after a VAR review. Could do nothing about Hojbjerg’s magnificent strike from outside the area, and otherwise handled the ball well.

DF Trent Alexander-Arnold, 9 — His passing was always going to be scrutinised this evening after being a victim to fans’ criticism following a handful of sub-standard performances of late. But he responded admirably hitting accurate diagonals in the first half before notching a goal and assist in the second half.

DF Joel Matip, 7 — Only managed 45 minutes and was subbed for Nathaniel Phillips at half-time. Presumably picked up a knock that Klopp was not willing to risk him over with games against West Ham and Brighton within the week. Recovered play excellently and made a couple of tackles to stem Spurs’ attacking movement.

DF Jordan Henderson, 7 — Started as an emergency centre-back amid Liverpool’s injury woes in defence. Possessed a great range of passing and played a fine ball to ignite the attack that led to the visitors’ opening goal which came just seconds before the break.

DF Andrew Robertson, 6 — Didn’t get forward as much as fans are perhaps accustomed to, and this meant Spurs could execute their defensive strategy with effect and get men behind the ball. More relaxed in the second, though his involvement in key moments was minimal.

MF Georginio Wijnaldum, 7 — Broke up play well in the heart of midfield and pressed forward too to initiate attacks. Worked particularly well with Thiago playing a more attacking role while Wijnaldum sat in the No.6 position – a good performance and has established a position where there is scope for improvement.

MF Thiago, 7 — Had to be patched up in the dressing room after a clash of heads with Joe Rodon at the start of the second half. Pressed forward well and seemed to click with Georginio Wijnaldum who adopted a holding role. Responded professionally to the incident before being substituted in the game’s closing minutes with the game all wrapped up.

MF James Milner, 7 — Though Tottenham played their best football in the opening minutes, Milner also started the game brightly. But loose touches crept into his game as the evening progressed which dropped his rating a touch or two.

FW Sadio Mane 8 — Proved himself to be a real nuisance for Tottenham in both halves. Could have been more effective in the first half by staying wide to allow Alexander-Arnold and Robertson to run on the overlap and stretch Spurs’ back five. That’s the only fault though, as his passing and vision was excellent and he also bagged a goal for his efforts.

FW Mohammed Salah, 8 — Adopted a more central role in Liverpool’s frontline towards the end of the first half to mix the visitors’ attacking threat up, a move that appeared to work. Unlucky not to have a goal of his own when his emphatic strike shortly before the hour mark was ruled out for a handball on Firmino in the build-up by VAR.

FW Roberto Firmino, 8 — Has scored the winning goal in Liverpool’s last two matches against Tottenham, and he looked set to continue that trend when tapping in from a yard out at the conclusion of the first half. Solid performance before being subbed in the closing minutes.

Substitutes

DF Nathaniel Phillips, 7 — A solid performance from Phillips who bagged more minutes than he would’ve bargained for when arriving in the capital.

MF Curtis Jones, N/R — The Liverpool native proved he can hold his own against the division’s top teams.

FW Divock Origi, N/R — Brought on with minutes remaining and the game already wrapped up.

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