Despite playing bravely with reduced numbers, Tottenham lost at home to Liverpool. The north Londoners were let down by a moment of madness from Xavi Simmons, who was sent off for a senseless foul on Virgil van Dijk after just 33 minutes. He was initially shown a yellow card, but it was correctly upgraded to a red card after VAR intervention.
Tottenham were left with a mountain to climb, but they dug deeper and perhaps looked better with one less player on the pitch. Unfortunately for the hosts, it was Liverpool who struck the first blow, with Alexander Isak scoring and suffering an injury in the process. With 25 minutes remaining, Hugo Ekitike doubled the lead and Cristian Romero scored twice.
Richarlison gave Tottenham a glimmer of hope with a late strike and appeared to spark the hosts’ progress. But a moment of stupidity from Romero all but ended any hopes of scoring a dramatic equalizer. He was sent off for using abusive language just before the end of the match, and the angry referee had no choice but to show him a red card.
Express Sport rates and predicts Tottenham players following today’s defeat…
Tottenham player rating against Liverpool
Guglielmo Vicario – 6
He made some smart saves to keep the score level until the opener, but perhaps he could have done more to stop it.
Pedro Polo – 7
He placed himself in the right position to thwart counter-attacking moves. He also posed a threat with forward crosses. Decent display.
Cristian Romero – 3
We didn’t have enough defense. The first goal was unsuccessful, but the second goal was too weak and was subsequently challenged. I lost my temper in stoppage time with another stupid moment and got a second yellow.
Mickey Van de Ven – 6
He produced several important interceptions and kept the ball moving with simple passes to nearby teammates. He excelled in Tottenham’s central defence.
Jed Spence – 7
He caused problems with his stray runs down the left flank and was Tottenham’s biggest threat for the most part. It was unfortunate that we were on the wrong side of some questionable refereeing decisions.
Archie Gray – 6
We made it in the middle of the park without setting the world on fire. The job has become even more difficult as Spurs have reduced their numbers.
Rodrigo Bentancur – 5
He ran around a lot, but other than blocking Florian Wirths, there wasn’t much to write home about. It doesn’t seem to be offered much these days. I received a late reservation.
Lukas Bergvall – 5
Although he looked lively at first, his influence diminished as the match progressed. After the red card, he faded into the background.
Mohamed Kudus – 5
They had chances to break through from the right, but they often delayed play and robbed them of momentum, much to the frustration of the home crowd. But he made some great passes.
Xavi Simmons – 3
Things were going well until he was sent off for hitting Van Dijk with a stud on the sole of his foot. There were no chances to win the ball, leaving the team disappointed in the momentary confusion.
Randall Kolo Muani – 6
He attempted several shots on goal, but missed a big chance from close range and hit the crossbar in the second half. He looked dangerous but lacked the clinical edge needed to score.
substitute
Brennan Johnson – 6
He came on for the final 30 minutes in place of Kudus. I looked for it, but I couldn’t put myself on the scoresheet.
Joan Parinha – 6
Although he looked energetic, he became frustrated with his teammates when he tried to lead the press and no one followed.
Wilson Odbert – 5
He was introduced in the final 20 minutes to replace Bergvall. To be honest, I wasn’t offered anything very good.
Richarlison – 7
He was immediately a nuisance in the box and scored within seconds of coming off the bench. It was a great cameo.
