Tottenham Hotspur couldn’t overcome another abject start as an inspired comeback came up short in a 4-3 loss to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Diogo Jota scored in stoppage time to deliver the three points to the Reds after they tossed away a 3-0 lead; Liverpool saves faces and pulls ahead of Tottenham for fifth on the Premier League table. The Reds have 56 points to Spurs’ 54.
Spurs interim boss Ryan Mason watched as his side conceded goals to Curtis Jones and Luis Diaz in the first five minutes and went down on a Mohamed Salah penalty in the 15th minute, only to rally back to tie the match at three in stoppage time.
STREAM LIVE LIVERPOOL v TOTTENHAM
Harry Kane scored before halftime, his 25th of the Premier League season, and Heung-min Son pulled Spurs within one in the 77th but another thrilling comeback completed by Richarlison in stoppage time.
Spurs fought back superbly from 2-0 down at home against Manchester United on Thursday, as they drew 2-2 and could have easily won the game. That was a step in the right direction after their embarrassing defeat at Newcastle last weekend but it was bad out of the gate again on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have won four in a row and are unbeaten in six heading into this game. Are Liverpool back? The attack certainly is, and the Reds look a lot more like their old selves.
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Here’s everything you need for Liverpool vs Tottenham.
Defiant Reds more defiant than defiant Spurs (or something)
This game wanted to give you storylines. Once it ended, we’re not sure what we learned other than both sides have a lot of work to do this summer.
Liverpool’s attack is still on fire, but blowing a three-goal lead at home to a Spurs team struggling to perform anywhere near normal levels is quite an accomplishment.
But hold on: While you can credit Spurs for fighting back from 3-nil, you saw a little bit of the “switched-off” mentality right after Richarlison’s stoppage time equalizer.
The game wasn’t over, and Liverpool again pulled itself up by the bootstraps to find a winner. The Reds might be a messy unit right now, but they still have the mentality to attack, attack, attack.
All told, Liverpool probably deserved the win and Jurgen Klopp will have appreciated the spectacle. And if we know him, he’ll be digesting this as another sign that things can be fixed faster than many expect from the Anfield set.
Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings: Stars of the Show
Ivan Perisic
Cody Gakpo
Heung-min Son
Luis Diaz
Diogo Jota
What’s next?
Spurs hosts Crystal Palace in a London derby at 10am ET Saturday.
Liverpool hosts Fulham on Wednesday before welcoming Brentford to Anfield at 12:30pm ET Saturday.
Curtis Jones goal video: ‘Here we go again,’ say Spurs
Diogo Jota goal video: Clever finish makes it 2-0
Mohamed Salah goal video: Make it three!
Harry Kane goal video: Spurs handed a little hope
Heung-min Son goal video: Maybe a lot of hope?
Richarlison goal video: Yes! Comeback complete
Diogo Jota goal video: Well, define complete
How to watch Liverpool vs Tottenham live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 11:30am ET, SundayTV Channel: USA NetworkOnline: Stream via NBCSports.com
Key storylines & in-form players to watch
Liverpool are still struggling defensively but the big story has been their attack regaining form. They have scored 13 goals across their last four games and Cody Gakpo is really settling in nicely, while Mohamed Salah is regaining his best form. There is now a much better balance about this Liverpool side.
Tottenham are all over the place off the pitch but on it Harry Kane and Heung-min Son are doing their best to keep their top four hopes alive. The spirited home draw against Man United was much more like it and if Spurs can grab a big win at Liverpool, they may just edge out Manchester United for fourth.
Liverpool team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Roberto Firmino (undisclosed), Stefan Bajcetic (undisclosed), Calvin Ramsay (knee), Naby Keita (undisclosed)
Team news is IN 📋🔴
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 30, 2023
This is how we line up for #LIVTOT 👊
Tottenham team news, injuries, lineup options
OUT: Rodrigo Bentancur (torn ACL - out for season), Hugo Lloris (hip), Yves Bissouma (foot), Emerson Royal (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh)
Two changes ahead of #LIVTOT as Deki and Ben Davies come into the starting XI 👊 pic.twitter.com/1NFESwVxQl
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 30, 2023