Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool (2018-19)

Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool
(2018-19)

Tottenham Liverpool 1 2
Report
Event	Premier League 2018-19
Date	Saturday 15 September 2018
Venue	Wembley Stadium, London
Player of the Match	Roberto Firmino
Referee	Michael Oliver
Attendance	80,188
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Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool was a match which took place at the Wembley Stadium on Saturday 15 September 2018.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said his side deserved their "big result" as they beat Tottenham to win a fifth straight league game at the start of the season for the first time since 1990.

The Reds emerged impressively from their biggest test so far at Wembley with a victory that was far more emphatic than the final scoreline suggests and keeps them top of the Premier League table.

Georginio Wijnaldum scored his first away league goal since joining Liverpool - technology adjudging his header to have crossed the line despite the attempts of back-up Spurs keeper Michel Vorm to clear.

The visitors were dominant almost throughout and doubled their advantage after 54 minutes when Roberto Firmino scored from on the line after Jan Vertonghen turned Sadio Mane's cross on to his own post.

Andrew Robertson and Lucas Moura hit the woodwork for either side but the Reds could and should have made this a more convincing win, with Naby Keita and Mane missing chances to add to their goal tally.

Erik Lamela pulled one back for Spurs deep into stoppage time and Son Heung-min saw a late penalty claim turned down after he was brought down by Mane but it was all too late and Liverpool's triumph was fully deserved.

"What a game from my boys - that was really, really good," Klopp said. "If we win at Tottenham it's a big result.

"Tottenham are one of the best teams in world football, and to come here and perform like that after the international break... I didn't take that for granted.

"We were defensively good, offensively good, and the performance was better than the result. It was perhaps a bit nervy at the end but no problem. I have nothing to be critical about today. If you win games and you're not 100% with the performance it's still three points - I like that. It's a deserved result."

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said: "I am not disappointed - the game showed how competitive the Premier League is and we played a really good team who started very well.

"In the second half we made mistakes but we were pushing. The goals we conceded came from our own mistakes, but I am calm.

"After we beat Manchester United at Old Trafford I said we still need to improve, and I'm still saying that."

Liverpool's title ambitions have been clear since the arrival of expensive summer acquisitions such as £67m goalkeeper Alisson from Roma to top up other new signings Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri, as well as the £75m purchase of defender Virgil van Dijk in January.

The expectations have been heightened by those four straight wins but a trip to face Spurs at Wembley, where they were well beaten 4-1 last season, was regarded by many as the acid test of those aspirations.

They answered in the most positive manner possible and confirmed their growing status as the team most likely to topple reigning champions Manchester City.

True, Spurs were astonishingly lethargic but it would be unfair to remove credit from Liverpool on the basis of the home side's performance.

The Reds were more vibrant, dangerous and energetic from the first whistle and moments of discomfort when they were not in control were few and far between.

The imperious Van Dijk ruled at the back, Liverpool were dominant in midfield and the pace of Mane and the guile of Firmino were simply too much for Spurs.

Match

Details

Saturday 15 September 2018 12:30	Tottenham	1–2	Liverpool	Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 80,188 Referee: Michael Oliver
	Lamela  90+3'	Report	Wijnaldum  39' Roberto Firmino  54'

Tottenham

Liverpool

13 Michel Vorm 02 Kieran Trippier 04 Toby Alderweireld 05 Jan Vertonghen 03 Danny Rose 19 Mousa Dembélé 60' 15 Eric Dier 83' 08 Harry Winks 73' 23 Christian Eriksen 10 Harry Kane 27 Lucas Moura Substitutes: 06 Dávinson Sánchez 07 Son Heung-min 73' 11 Érik Lamela 60' 12 Victor Wanyama 83' 22 Paulo Gazzaniga 24 Serge Aurier 33 Ben Davies Manager: Mauricio Pochettino

13 Alisson 66 Trent Alexander-Arnold 90' 12 Joseph Gomez 04 Virgil van Dijk 26 Andrew Robertson 07 James Milner 05 Georginio Wijnaldum 08 Naby Keïta 83' 11 Mohamed Salah 09 Roberto Firmino 74' 10 Sadio Mané Substitutes: 03 Fabinho 14 Jordan Henderson 74' 15 Daniel Sturridge 83' 18 Alberto Moreno 22 Simon Mignolet 23 Xherdan Shaqiri 32 Joël Matip 90' Manager: Jürgen Klopp

See also

• 2018-19 Premier League: Match day 5

External links

• Match report at BBC.co.uk

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