A terrible performance from referee Paul Tierney soured an otherwise enthralling game of football in Tottenham, as 10-man Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw.
Tottenham 2-2 Liverpool
Premier League (17), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
December 19, 2021
Goals
Kane 13′
Jota 35′ (assist – Robertson)
Robertson 69′ (assist – Alexander-Arnold)
Son 74′
Despite another COVID-19 absence in the shape of Thiago, the Reds were able to play on in only the fourth Premier League fixture of the weekend, and it was a pulsating tie in north London.
Liverpool’s full-backs were, as is often the case, the main attraction, with Andy Robertson going close with an early header while Trent Alexander-Arnold tested Hugo Lloris with a left-footed drive.
At the other end, Tottenham were a constant threat on the break, and minutes after Ibrahima Konate denied Harry Kane with a huge block, the striker was able to break the deadlock with a low shot that eluded Alisson.
Kane was lucky not to see a red card soon after, for a dangerous lunge on Robertson, while Jurgen Klopp received a booking for his protests after an inept Tierney then waved off a clear penalty for Liverpool.
The Reds levelled the scores in the 35th minute, however, with Robertson lifting a beautiful cross for Diogo Jota to head home, while Alisson denied Dele Alli with a brilliant save to ensure a 1-1 scoreline at half-time.
HT: Tottenham 1-1 Liverpool
The complexion of the game barely changed after the break, and Spurs still enjoyed plenty of space on the counter, which led to Kane being snuffed out by another moment of magic from Alisson early on.
Klopp looked to address that as he withdrew the full Premier League debutant Tyler Morton, who struggled throughout, and sent on Roberto Firmino, shifting to a 4-2-3-1 with a quiet Mohamed Salah pushed up front.
Despite four attackers being on the pitch, though, it was the full-backs who got Liverpool ahead, with Alexander-Arnold drilling a cross in for Robertson to head home, cutting apart a melee in the box.
But a sloppy slide from an otherwise phenomenal Alisson opened Spurs up for an equaliser, with Son Heung-min running in behind Joel Matip, rounding the goalkeeper through a slice of fortune and converting.
Liverpool then went down to 10 men at the worst possible time, with Robertson dismissed after a VAR review – yes, there was VAR available in the first half – having swiped through the legs of Emerson Royal.
It clearly impacted the quality of the game, and Liverpool were left to hold on for a point, rightly aggrieved at a shocking display from the man in black.
TIA Man of the Match: Ibrahima Konate
Referee: Paul Tierney
Tottenham: Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Royal, Winks, Ndombele (Skipp 64′), Sessegnon (Reguilon 86′); Alli, Son, Kane
Subs not used: Austin, Rodon, Tanganga, Doherty, Lo Celso, Bergwijn, Lucas
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Konate, Robertson; Morton (Firmino 60′), Milner, Keita; Salah, Mane (Tsimikas 82′), Jota (Gomez 90+2′)
Subs not used: Kelleher, Quansah, Williams, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino, Gordon
Next match: Leicester (H) – League Cup Quarter-Final – Wednesday, December 22, 7.45pm (GMT)
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