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Mohamed Salah struck twice in the first half as Liverpool secured their first away win in the Premier League this season with victory at Tottenham.
Liverpool had lost their two previous league games to struggling Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, so manager Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with this win at Spurs, who are shaping up as rivals for a place in the top four.
Salah was the inspiration, sweeping home a sharp left-foot finish from Darwin Nunez’s pass after 11 minutes, then cashing in on Eric Dier’s misplaced headed back-pass to double Liverpool’s advantage with great composure five minutes before the break.
Spurs, without the injured Son Heung-min, were never out of the game as Ivan Perisic hit the woodwork either side of half-time before Harry Kane pulled one back with 20 minutes remaining. But they failed to complete one of the comebacks that have become their trademark this season.
Liverpool dig deep for victory
Liverpool got their stuttering season back in some sort of shape with the Champions League win against Napoli in midweek to reach the last 16 once again, although in reality the match was little more than a dead rubber.
This victory carried greater significance because of the opposition and also the need to get their Premier League show back on the road after two damaging losses.
Salah showed he is right back to his best after a slow start to the campaign. Both goals featured different elements of a goalscoring masterclass, the first with one touch and an instant finish, the second showing coolness and technique to make Dier pay for his error.
Liverpool also rode their luck as those Perisic efforts hit the woodwork, and Trent Alexander-Arnold was fortunate to escape when Spurs appeals for a penalty were waved away after he appeared to push Ryan Sessegnon to the ground. They are still conceding too many chances.
Nunez was a tireless, constant threat, while Ibrahima Konate’s return has added steel to a Liverpool defence that has been vulnerable at times this season. Goalkeeper Alisson was, as usual, reliability and excellence personified, and the reaction at the final whistle demonstrated just how important this win might be for Liverpool.
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Line-ups
Tottenham
Formation 5-3-2
- 1Lloris
- 12Emerson RoyalSubstituted forDohertyat 68′minutes
- 15Dier
- 34Lenglet
- 33Davies
- 19R SessegnonSubstituted forKulusevskiat 68′minutes
- 30Bentancur
- 38BissoumaSubstituted forLucas Mouraat 88′minutes
- 5Højbjerg
- 10Kane
- 14Perisic
Substitutes
- 2Doherty
- 4Skipp
- 6D Sánchez
- 11Gil
- 20Forster
- 21Kulusevski
- 25Tanganga
- 27Lucas Moura
- 29Sarr
Liverpool
Formation 4-1-2-1-2
- 1Alisson
- 66Alexander-Arnold
- 5Konaté
- 4van Dijk
- 26Robertson
- 3Fabinho
- 19ElliottSubstituted forHendersonat 74′minutes
- 6Thiago Alcántara
- 9FirminoSubstituted forJonesat 74′minutes
- 27NúñezSubstituted forGomezat 87′minutes
- 11SalahSubstituted forOxlade-Chamberlainat 90+2′minutes
Substitutes
- 2Gomez
- 14Henderson
- 15Oxlade-Chamberlain
- 17Jones
- 21Tsimikas
- 22Ramsay
- 28Carvalho
- 43Bajcetic
- 62Kelleher
- Referee:
- Andy Madley
- Attendance:
- 62,008
Live Text
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Match ends, Tottenham Hotspur 1, Liverpool 2.
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Second Half ends, Tottenham Hotspur 1, Liverpool 2.
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Clément Lenglet (Tottenham Hotspur).
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Attempt missed. Ivan Perisic (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high.
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Substitution, Liverpool. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Mohamed Salah.
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Foul by Fabinho (Liverpool).
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Clément Lenglet (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Ibrahima Konaté.
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Attempt missed. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Ivan Perisic with a cross.
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Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Lucas Moura replaces Yves Bissouma.
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Foul by Jordan Henderson (Liverpool).
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Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Substitution, Liverpool. Joe Gomez replaces Darwin Núñez.
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Attempt saved. Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Eric Dier with a cross.
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Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) hits the bar with a left footed shot from the centre of the box. Assisted by Thiago with a through ball.
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Attempt blocked. Yves Bissouma (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
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Attempt missed. Clément Lenglet (Tottenham Hotspur) header from very close range is just a bit too high. Assisted by Ivan Perisic with a cross following a corner.
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Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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Substitution, Liverpool. Jordan Henderson replaces Harvey Elliott.
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