Liverpool hosted Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Saturday in a do-or-die match in the Premier League title race…
The hosts, expectedly started the game well, dominating possession and keeping Spurs chasing the ball.
However, while Liverpool created an abundance of chances in the first half, with 11 attempts on goal, they managed only two on target, courtesy of stubborn defending by Spurs. New signing Luis Diaz looked the most likely to break the deadlock.
Liverpool’s Virgil Van Dijk came close in the 39th minute, meeting a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner and heading the ball into the crossbar.
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Minutes later, Spurs’ Pierre-Emile Højbjerg hit ran into space during a counter-attack and hit the Liverpool post from distance, keeping the tie finely balanced as the half ended 0-0.
Liverpool came out attacking the Kop end of Anfield in the second half and started the stronger side, but Spurs, deadly on the counter, managed to opening the scoring against the run of play after Ryan Sessegnon found Heung-min Son in space in the penalty area and the South Korean converted calmly.
Spurs came close to extending their lead to 2-0 minutes later but Son, this time, hit the side netting.
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Liverpool made changes after conceding, bringing on the likes of Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas to try and turn the game around.
However, the Reds found it difficult to break down the Spurs defence, and as the clock ticked on, frustration grew among the Liverpool players as they scurried to try and level the match.
Inevitably, perhaps, an equaliser did come in the form of a Luis Diaz, whose deflected shot from range made it past a helpless Hugo Lloris to make it 1-1 with a quarter of match remaining.
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As the clock ticked past 85 minutes, Liverpool ramped up the pressure on the away side, but it was Spurs who got a golden opportunity in the dying minutes of the game.
Neither side, however, managed to find a winner and the game ended 1-1.
The draw did send Liverpool top of the Premier League on goal difference, but Manchester City are in the driving seat now, with a chance to open a three point gap with a win over Newcastle on Sunday.
Spurs, who brought Liverpool’s 12-game win streak at Anfield to a halt, are now fifth in the table with 62 points, one point behind fourth-placed Arsenal who have a game in hand.