PLAYER RATINGS: LIVERPOOL 4-3 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Liverpool won a seven goal thriller at Anfield this afternoon after Spurs handed them an almighty scare. The Reds went 3-0 up after 15 minutes but were clawed back to 3-3 in stoppage time, before Jota slotted home in the 95th minute to seal all three points. Here are player ratings from the match.

Alisson – 5.5

Good save to deny Kulusevski after Robertson’s error. Tipped over Porto’s rasping drive. Beaten a number of times today, with the post coming to his rescue on multiple occasions. Unlucky with the third, as the bounce of the ball just eluded his despairing dive.

Alexander-Arnold – 8

What a ball to Jones at the backpost for the opener! That’s another assist in this hybrid role. He ran the show first half. His vision to spot runs and the quality to execute it was eye-catching. Not as involved second half and Spurs grew into it. Played as an out and out right back in the last ten or so.

Konaté – 6

Crunching tackle on Skipp in the box was timed to perfection. Allowed Son get a few shots off however, instead of getting tight. Held onto the winger to halt one counter attack and was duly booked. Calmly brought down one long ball on his thigh, before passing to a teammate to try and get the side on the ball again in the face of Spurs pressure.

Van Dijk – 5

Blocked one on the line and then got absolute rinsed by Perisic who set up their first goal. Struggled again, as he has been recently. The aura he commanded at his best has been slowly chipped away. When the side were under the cosh, he couldn’t organise his defence to repel the wave of attacks.

Robertson – 4

Error-strewn performance. One heavy touch gifted Spurs possession in a dangerous area first half. He repeated the same error and had Alisson to thank for saving the shot. Charged out of position to press high in the second half and got nowhere near the ball. Two passes later, Son was clean through and hitting the post.

For their second goal, he did well to recover but inexplicably run past Kane into no man’s land, allowing Perisic to find the Englishman with a simple cross. One tackle on Son in stoppage time got the home fans cheering wildly but this was a poor display.

Fabinho – 7

Looked mobile first half hour with energetic legs around him helping him cover the middle of the pitch. Was assured in possession pretty much and kept the ball moving well. When Spurs got on top he was overrun as he had too many fires to put out. Covered Trent well late on when Perisic nutmegged him to get in behind. He got across the Croat and shepherded the ball out of play.

Elliott – 6

Was in a running battle with Hojbjerg today. Looked tidy on the ball and more comfortable in tight areas, but in the end, there wasn’t enough substance to his game. Took a heavy touch and got dispossessed first half, with Spurs almost profiting off his error. This position is tailor made for him, he needs to do more to take the shirt.

Jones – 8

Started the scoring off with a lovely cushioned finish at the backpost. Combined really well with Diaz throughout. Ran his socks off yet again, with the Kop appreciating his closing down on multiple occasions.

Salah – 6.5

Sublime ball in behind for Gakpo in the build-up to the second goal. Tucked away the penalty with aplomb, putting behind him two consecutive misses from the spot. Started taking liberties after that I felt. Tried to take on too many men on his own and lost the ball almost everytime. It doesn’t help that defenders can put him in a chokehold and the referees will rather award them the foul.

Gakpo – 7.5

Showed deceptive pace to get on the end of Salah’s pass in behind to hook it back to Diaz for the second goal. Won a penalty after a delicious touch saw him clattered by Romero for a stonewall penalty. His influence waned second half and he was replaced but his work rate stood out again.

Diaz – 7

Sublime volleyed finish to slam home Gakpo’s cutback. Welcome back. Got absolutely taken out by Skipp and Anfield held it’s breath whilst he received treatment. Thankfully he got back up and continued. Wasn’t as influential second half.

Substitutes

Henderson – 5

On to help control the game. Did anything but. Clueless on the ball and not aggressive or quick enough to close down and win the ball back. That substitution made the side weaker.

Jota – 8

Could have been sent off for a high boot that caught Skipp on the forehead. Stayed on the pitch and won the game with a composed finish in the 95th minute after collecting Lucas Moura’s poor backpass.

Darwin – 5

Played Richarlison onside for his goal. Charged around closing down and geed the crowd up when he made a tackle. Clobbered Son on the touchline deep into stoppage time but somehow got away with it. Didn’t win enough headers for a man of his stature.

Milner – N/A

Gave away a needless foul with his first involvement, bringing Kane down when the England skipper was surrounded by two red shirts. Son took the free kick and Richarlison nodded home.

Jürgen Klopp

Saw his side blitz Spurs in the opening quarter of an hour. They then took their foot off the gas and allowed their opponents back into it. The manager’s substitutions could have been swifter, but then again the side got worse following the alterations. Credit to Jota for keeping his calm in the end. The manager pulled his hamstring celebrating that goal. Hilarious!

It’s six unbeaten and four victories in a row now for the very first time this season. This fantastic run has seen the side climb up into 5th. Top four is probably just beyond Klopp’s men but a good end to the campaign can be the foundation for a strong start next season.