Sword of Damocles anyone?
Liverpool 4 Tottenham Hotspur 3, 30th April 2023.
Liverpool 4 Tottenham Hotspur 3, 30th April 2023.
LIVERPOOL 4 (Jones 3, Díaz 5, Salah 15, Jota 90+4)
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 3 (Kane 39, Heung-min 77, Richarlison 90+3)
If ever my long self-proclaimed “Sword of Damocles Season” needed further and final definitive proof, this was it. 3–0 up and cruising after just 15 minutes allowing the wags on The Kop to serenade their visitors with the beautifully cutting “Show Them The Way To Go Home” and to the point whereby the Reds simply stopped playing against a woeful, disorganised Tottenham, to a 3–1 half-time advantage that came perilously close to being level at 3–3. Then came an insipid and dreadful second half that allowed simple straight balls into the penalty area to finally level the scores at 3–3 in injury time, to Diogo Jota’s winning goal mere seconds after being pegged back. In his celebration of the winning goal, Reds boss Jürgen Klopp both pulled his hamstring and was yellow carded and as Anfield reverberated to the sound of the song of acclaim afforded their winning goal scorer, there was palpable relief at the shrill of the referee’s final whistle.
But that’s getting ahead of ourselves.
Sword of Damocles anyone?
For 15 minutes, Liverpool were incredible and Tottenham as horribly dreadful as they were shipping 6 goals last Sunday to Newcastle United. The Reds exploited the disorganised mess of their visitors with a brilliant team move on 3 minutes that eventually found its way to goal assist extraordinaire Trent Alexander-Arnold whose delicious cross into the penalty area left 6 retreating white shirted Tottenham players completely out of the game for fellow Liverpudlian Curtis Jones to expertly drive a left footed volley past Fraser Forster in the visitors goal.
From a 24 year old Scouser to a 22 year old Scouser.
A goal entirely made in Liverpool.
Worse was to follow for the visitors from London just 3 minutes later as they simply didn’t deal with a bouncing ball on the edge of their penalty area. Mo Salah released Cody Gakpo who with mere inches to spare on the by-line brilliantly reversed a fizzing pass into the run of a marauding Luis Díaz. The ball was slightly behind the Colombian wizard but he managed to hook his right footed volley, and with power, into the near post side of the visitors net, leaving Forster no chance and his team already 2 goals adrift and still only 5 minutes on the game clock. Worse still would follow 10 minutes later as a rash challenge from Cristian Romero brought down Gakpo, Mo Salah scooped his penalty into the top of the Tottenham goal, and after just 15 minutes of play, the Reds were 3–0 up and so far out of sight, The Kop End began showing their London visitors the way to go home.
Then the Reds simply stopped playing.
Tottenham grew into the game, but only marginally and only because Liverpool allowed them. Dare I say it was all too easy? The game descended into a one paced stroll of walking football at times and with the pressure off and nothing left to lose, the visitors could, and should, have been level at half-time. Yes level! The first half’s litany of errors began to creep into the Reds play now with Alexander-Arnold caught up field and Virgil van Dijk’s slip allowing Ivan Perišić to cross for Harry Kane to score between Alisson Becker’s legs on 39 minutes to reduce the deficit, or the Reds lead, to 3–1. Andy Robertson’s error allowed Dejan Kulusevski to run clear on the Reds goal 2 minutes later and only a sharp save from Becker and a hacked clearance from Ibrahima Konaté prevented the score becoming 3–2 and even then, and although adjudged offside, Son Heung-min crashed a drive on the cusp of half-time against the Reds post with Becker beaten.
From 3–0 up and cruising to a nervy 3–1 half-time lead, Tottenham continued in the same attacking vein in the second half and arguably again, could have been level way before the odious ex Everton striker Richarlison actually levelled the scores in injury time. The visitors rounded off a completely dominating 20 minute spell either side of half-time by hitting both Reds posts, and in the very same minute! 53 minutes to be precise as first a sweeping move from Dejan Kulusevski to Son Heung-min saw the South Korean international curl a beautiful shot past a despairing dive from Alisson Becker but against the foot of his post and in the same phase of play and with the Reds unable to clear their defensive lines, Harry Kane’s simple cross into the penalty area was met by a flying volley from Cristian Romero who left Becker beaten again, but agonisingly saw his shot bounce off the foot of the Reds other post.
The ugly truth is Liverpool simply didn’t play or pose an attacking threat after they cruised into their early 3–0 lead, and certainly not in a tired looking second half display that saw two simple straight balls into their penalty area or defensive third result in first Son Heung-min finally hit the back of the net to reduce the score line to a more realistic 3–2 before Richarlison glanced home in injury time to seemingly grab them a now thoroughly deserved point. Pressing now for a remarkable winning goal, the Brazilian striker forced his countryman Alisson Becker to kick long upfield, Lucas Moura made a hash of a back pass to his goalkeeper leaving his defenders stranded, and Diogo Jota accepted the gift with grace before drilling home the winning goal into the far corner of the Tottenham net.
Cue a wall of sound at Anfield.
Cue the Boss Jürgen Klopp pulling his hamstring as he sprinted in ecstatic celebration!
Sword of Damocles season anyone?
Thanks for reading. There is a wealth of past and present articles on Liverpool FC within my library here or alternatively, here are my three most recently published articles from this season:
Los Blancos Reds with vital comeback win in the Capital
West Ham United 1 Liverpool 2, 26th April 2023.medium.com
Salah and Jota cut down Forest
Liverpool 3 Nottingham Forest 2, 22nd April 2023.medium.com
Gifts galore at Elland Road as Reds hit Leeds for six
Leeds United 1 Liverpool 6, 17th April 2023.medium.com