Tottenham Hotspur threw Liverpool into a unique spiral of chaos in north London on Sunday afternoon, but came out on the wrong side after a 6-3 defeat.
There were nine goals, seven different scorers and one clear winner from the opening whistle. After Luis Diaz's opener, Tottenham were always chasing, but were never in danger of picking up any points.
Winning for Liverpool Chelsea falters against Everton Earlier today it gave Arne Slott's side a four-point lead at the top of the Premier League as they sat down to Christmas dinner. The Spurs will get the turkey from the relative depths of 11th place.
How the game unfolded
Ange Postecoglou, the much-criticised Tottenham manager, spent much of his time on press duty before the match He hit his critics. In between the side kicks to Jamie Carragher, the unflinching Aussie admitted: “A big part of our game is entertainment.” More importantly, Postecoglou never made it clear which group of fans would enjoy watching.
Watch as Tottenham Hotspur Stadium becomes increasingly angry in horror Liverpool It quickly established its dominance over the competition. The Reds had eight shots (to Tottenham's one) before Diaz opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. Taking advantage of a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross, Diaz headed in unmarked, six yards from goal.
Tottenham had a box full of white shirts when Andy Robertson fired another pass towards goal, but none of the hosts were able to impose any control on the situation. Alexis McAllister took advantage of that hesitation and doubled Liverpool's lead with a header from close range, leaving Postecoglou shaking his head on the touchline.
Deyan Kulusevski emerged as one of TottenhamFew consistent performers this season. The tireless Swede troubled McAllister in the 41st minute, setting up James Maddison for a goal that came just as any hope of a Spurs comeback was beginning to fade.
Liverpool quickly extinguished the faint embers of optimism. Dominik Szoboszlai threaded a simple kick forward which completely derailed Spurs' rearguard action. Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin were left behind two sets of red shirts when Mohamed Salah crossed the ball to Szoboszlai to make it 3-1 on the cusp of half-time.
Arne Slott's visitors were not in a forgiving mood, but Spurs did not have to be so cooperative. Rarely reticent are the hosts, they were bolder as they continued to search for their way back into Sunday's game. Liverpool scored two goals in quick succession on the counter-attack, unleashing a pair of powerful attacking drives – both finished off by Salah to make it 5-1 with 30 minutes remaining.
Kulusevski continued his impressive individual form by combining with Dominic Solanke on the edge of Liverpool's penalty area, to score Tottenham's second goal in a typically chaotic match in north London. Solanke himself scored in the 83rd minute to put Tottenham just two goals away from an unimaginable turnaround.
Diaz concluded his celebrations with the ninth and final goal five minutes before the end, after he shot the ball into the bottom corner.
Check out the player ratings for Tottenham vs Liverpool here.
In a game that has been mentioned once or twice in the build-up to Sunday's game, Luis Diaz has unhappy memories at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Colombia international was at the center of the biggest VAR controversy in Premier League history when he was… Strike against Tottenham In September 2023 he was wrongly ruled out for offside.
No amount of misunderstanding could hold Diaz back this weekend – although the Liverpool forward took advantage of the lack of dialogue between Pedro Porro and Dragosin, slipping between the defenders to head home a well-deserved opener.
There was so much confidence in Diaz, who proved a wonderful nuisance across the pitch from a roving centre-forward role, that he attempted a rabona fake, sending Boro sprawling across the turf with a devilish doll in the second half.
The in-form Royals striker booked the big winner of the evening, but could have finished off the game with a brilliant goal. Diaz had five shots on target, the same tally as the entire Spurs squad combined.
Directing midfielders to the halfway line is very good and good when The fastest player in the league And the World Cup winners are your defenders. However, this dangerous act quickly turns into self-sacrifice when lined up with a defensive partnership between an 18-year-old midfielder and Radu Dragocin.
Archie Gray did his best to stem the flow of red shirts, but could only drag his angular frame in front of so many shots. Dragusin spent most of the match helplessly running towards his goal, constantly chasing a fleet of red buses that he was never able to catch.
Postecoglou's spirited style earned Tottenham their three goals, but he also contributed to the six goals they conceded. If Liverpool had been a bit more ruthless, the result could have moved beyond the world of tennis to cricket.
Arne Slott came dangerously close to taking charge of Tottenham in the summer of 2023. Ultimately, the former Feyenoord boss opted to stay in the Netherlands, while Tottenham opted to sign Postecoglou.
Both clearly aspire to an attractive style of football, but Slott has proven to be a deceptively hands-on manager. Unlike his counterpart, the Dutch coach has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to turn games around with in-game tactical adjustments – however, Slott set him up straight from the first whistle on Sunday.
Dropping Cody Jacobo from the attacking line and pushing Diaz into a more hybrid role in Liverpool's press has left Spurs completely baffled. The Colombia international kept hounding Yves Bissouma, choking off Tottenham's lead and forcing the hosts to score pointless kicks forward.
Despite scoring three goals, Spurs were limited to just nine shots – only once all season has Postecoglou's attacking side scored fewer attempts in a Premier League match.
