Liverpool scored an early and withstood a furious Tottenham Hotspur charge to pick up a 1-0 win in North London on Saturday.
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Roberto Firmino was the goal scorer as Liverpool improved to 20W-1D, becoming the first club in Europe’s Top Five leagues to take 61 of 63 points to start a season.
Tottenham is now nine points back of the Top Four.
Key numbers
14: Spurs out-attempted Liverpool 14-13.
68: Liverpool carried nearly 70 percent of the ball.
39: Spurs hoofed almost 40 clearances compared to Liverpool’s nine.
1: Japhet Tanganga made his first Premier League start for the Spurs.
Man of the Match: Firmino.
Premier League debutant Japhet Tanganga was baptized by fire, blocking a would-be Roberto Firmino goal in the second minute.
Lucas Moura worked past Joe Gomez to drill a shot wide of the near post in the fifth. Heung-min Son drove 50 yards to miss with an 8th minute effort.
Dele Alli saw a lash deflected over the bar in the 13th minute as Spurs countered well again.
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Christian Eriksen rolled a tame shot to Alisson Becker in the 22nd.
Liverpool found danger through Salah a minute later, the Egyptian chipping to the back post where Virgil van Dijk was denied by Paulo Gazzaniga.
The Reds went in front through Firmino, who turned past Tanganga and fired past the outstretched arms of Gazzaniga.
Virgil van Dijk slid to block a Dele Alli shot, and Serge Aurier ripped the chance into the arms of Alisson Becker. At the other end, Firmino stung Gazzaniga’s palms.
Heung-min Son saw deflected shot earn Spurs a corner in the 60th, but it came to nothing.
Gazzaniga then made a tight reaction save on Mane to keep it 1-0.
Spurs then took hold of the match, though they coudn’t find an equalizer. Serge Aurier picked out Giovani Lo Celso at the back for a sliding effort that somehow missed the frame.
Erik Lamela bounded a shot to Alisson in the 89th as Spurs kept pushing for an equalizer.