Digging Deeper Into Liverpool’s Chaotic 2-1 Victory Over Tottenham Hotspur

On the strength of a solid week where Liverpool found themselves winners of back-to-back matches, the Reds would have wanted to keep the good times rolling by taking all three points against a Tottenham Hotspur team that is still trying to find its feet under new coach Thomas Frank. If one were simply to look at the result, most might expect the fanbase to be pretty satisfied. But Saturday’s 2-1 win was complex and wild. Let’s take a closer look at why some fans might be feeling mixed emotions about the happenings in London.

Dissecting the Narrative

Liverpool’s big summer signings of Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and to a lesser extent Jeremie Frimpong have all been under the microscope since their moves to Merseyside. Ekitike has essentially bedded himself in, with 8 Premier League goals on the season, 5 of which have come over the last three matches. And Wirtz, who notched his first assist of the campaign today, has also been showing signs of consistent improvement.

But with Isak scoring and Frimpong providing an assist today – and, if we want to be truly inclusive, Milos Kerkez having another solid day – the result was built on the backs of the new personnel brought in this summer. It should have been a triumphant moment for Arne Slot and, perhaps more importantly, Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards.

I think that, at least as far as the new signings are concerned, fans might be allowed to breathe a bit looser after today. Yes, it was disjointed, but the players look to have finally turned a corner and are capable of putting together enough in terms of control, creativity, and cut-throat finishing to earn results even in difficult circumstances. If fans needed evidence as to the why of the splurge over the summer, the first 20 minutes of the second half were a prime example of the value in having both Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike as strikers in the squad – as well as reminders for why Wirtz and Frimpong were seen as such shrewd moves.

If I could leave it simply at that, I would be quite happy. But and aspect of the narrative discussion surrounding Liverpool’s uneven title-defense was also on display today, as injuries once more took center stage to the point that, at least from my vantage point, they make a case for this match being a bit of a pyrrhic victory.

Many by now will have had to sit with cruelness of Alexander Isak coming on at the half, scoring his first Premier League goal, and incurring an injury that required him to come off as a result of scoring that goal. What is a bit lost in that is that Isak came on for Conor Bradley who it seems was taken off not just as a desire to push for a winner, but due to injury. Piling on, Jeremie Frimpong was pulled as a pre-cautionary measure due to potential concussion protocols.

Perhaps pulling the trigger on Frimpong was a bit rash, but the disjointed nature of the match – especially after Isak went off – can be chalked up in no small measure to the fact that two LFC players went off with injuries that wouldn’t allow them to continue. That one of those players was the sub for the other is, truly, a thing I couldn’t imagine writing if I were to script this match out myself.

How The Fans Reacted

I don’t normally like to critique fan reaction to Liverpool-related things because I usually tend to think that fans should have the space to engage with their passions in whatever way they see fit – provided, of course, it isn’t spreading harm to others. And when I do weigh in, it’s usually only to asset that point. But I will take a minute today to note that I was rather surprised to see some fans express some pretty fiery takes aimed squarely at Arne Slot.

This isn’t me saying that the way Liverpool saw out the end of the match is acceptable, but I think given the rather unique circumstances that the team were facing – two of their players have had to go off due to injury and a third being yanked quickly by the manager due to potentially being ruled out via concussion protocols – I presumed fans would have been slightly more forgiving of that performance on the whole. The Reds took home all three points, the new boys look to finally be finding their way in the squad, and even as Tottenham mounted a desperate launch at stealing points, Liverpool managed to look, if not resolute, competent enough to earn the result.

I found the reactions so jarring because I didn’t see anyone seem to think that we didn’t deserve the win based on the balance of play, but rather that it was the seeming return of shakiness and mental fragility that played into the comments. Which, to me, would be a bit of a shame.

Liverpool closed this match out with Trey Nyoni on the pitch due to the lack of available first-team players. And if folks want to use the 2-man advantage as an issue, I’d remind them that it took a stoppage time goal by Tottenham in this same fixture two seasons ago to seal a victory over 9-man Liverpool. It’s possible to look better with a man-down, but the results almost always end with the team holding the numerical advantage taking the points.

All of this to say: Liverpool deserved the win and got the win. No, it wasn’t pretty, but the context of the match tells me why. And because of that, I’m not really concerned with anything besides the three points and the health of Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak.

Giving Credit to the Opposition

A thing I’d like to credit Spurs with is nearly getting away with one of the most blatantly obvious attempts to use poor but impassioned tackling to injure an opponent into submission. If it wasn’t for the fact that they cut away so often to shots of Thomas Frank on the touchline, one might be forgiven for thinking that we were playing a Tony Pulis side.

I had long admired what Frank had accomplished with a smaller budget at Brentford. I didn’t enjoy those matches – they were gritty and uncomfortable. But I don’t recall other Frank sides – and certainly not one with this level of skill and individual quality – be this combination of clumsy, thuggish, and outright dangerous.

Xavi Simons’ red card was, to my mind, soft even if the attempt was both reckless and mildly mindless from the midfielder. But some of the tackles in this match looked absolutely horrendous.

Glad we got the win if only to ensure that this brand of football wouldn’t be rewarded.

What Happens Next

Liverpool head back home to host Wolverhampton at Anfield next week. If Liverpool are able to make it 7 unbeaten and 4 wins in a row, it will bring much needed joy to the fanbase. It will be a tall order, though, with an already light first team are likely to be that much lighter with concerns around Conor Bradley and Alexander Isak’s fitness.