Liverpool picked up a 4-2 win at home to Tottenham on Sunday afternoon, with Harvey Elliott scoring a screamer and excelling overall.
Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham
Premier League (36), Anfield
May 5, 2024
Goals: Salah 16′, Robertson 45′, Gakpo 50′, Elliott 59′; Richarlison 72′, Son 77′
Alisson (out of 10) – 7
It’s been a while since Alisson enjoyed a nice quiet afternoon, but this was a stroll in the sunshine for much of the game.
The Brazilian was able to watch on as Liverpool dominated, displaying good awareness at one point after coming out of his box and showing calmness.
Made one good save to deny Brennan Johnson down low and was furious that the Reds conceded twice, as his day suddenly became busier.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8
Alexander-Arnold has been one of Liverpool’s better players in recent weeks and his quality was out in force on Sunday.
The 25-year-old whipped in some lovely crosses, picking out team-mates in inch-perfect fashion, and he also defended solidly.
Never stopped running and almost scored a ludicrous goal from near the halfway line.
Jarell Quansah – 7
Quansah was preferred to Ibrahima Konate – rightly so – and he was a class act for the most part.
On the ball, the youngster was composed as ever, and he went about his defensive work in unruffled fashion, despite the two goals going in after the break.
Not great for Richarlison’s goal, though, switching off – which loses him a mark.
Virgil van Dijk – 8
Van Dijk was in second gear all afternoon and still managed to be excellent, cruising through proceedings.
He did everything that was asked of him when called into action, which admittedly wasn’t too often, and his range of passing was impressive.
Did arguably get slightly lackadaisical at 4-0, but that’s being picky.
Andy Robertson – 8
Two goals in a week for Robertson – what is this sorcery?!
The Scot was a bundle of energy down the left-hand side against Spurs, producing forceful runs, and he tapped home to put Liverpool 2-0 up.
A long-term replacement will need to be found, but he is still a force to be reckoned with.
Wataru Endo – 6
There is no doubt that Endo’s season has tailed off after a fantastic spell at one point, but he did solidly here.
The 31-year-old was neat and tidy in possession, if a little limited, and he bit into tackles and ensured the Reds won the midfield battle.
Harvey Elliott – 9 (Man of the Match)
Elliott hasn’t always done as well from the start as he has off the bench this season, but he was magnificent at Anfield.
One outrageous first touch to take down a high ball outlined his technical ability, and he was always looking to provide guile.
Made it 4-0 with an outrageous strike – arguably his best goal for Liverpool to date.
Alexis Mac Allister – 6
Mac Allister’s form hasn’t quite been what it was a month or so ago, and while he did perfectly well against Spurs, it wasn’t a vintage showing.
The Argentine was guilty of losing the ball a few times early on, but he grew into the game and kept things ticking over.
Solid over spectacular.
Mohamed Salah – 8
All eyes were on Salah after his spat with Jurgen Klopp at West Ham and he produced a great response after a poor run of form.
The Liverpool legend was a constant threat in the first half, running at players and linking with team-mates, and he headed home the opener after hitting the crossbar shortly before.
Much more like it from Mo.
Luis Diaz – 7
Diaz deserves credit for some good performances during a terrible run for the Reds, and he again showed his endurance and trickery.
One acrobatic effort would have taken the imaginary roof off Anfield if it had gone in, and he dribbled at Spurs defenders and attempted to wreak havoc.
Got quieter as the game went on, though.
Cody Gakpo – 8
Gakpo deservedly kept his place after doing fairly well recently, starting in place of Darwin Nunez again.
The Dutchman did very well overall, holding the ball up better than Nunez and providing the assist for Salah’s goal, finding him with a lovely dinked cross.
He then made it 3-0 with a brilliant header, completing an eye-catching day.
Substitutes
Joe Gomez (on for Robertson, 64′) – 6
Made a vital goal-line clearance to keep the score at 4-2, but fell asleep for Richarlison’s goal.
Stefan Bajcetic (on for Endo, 64′) – 5
Great to see him back, but was far from sharpness. Looked a long way off the pace and shouldn’t have been brought on for half an hour.
Ryan Gravenberch (on for Mac Allister, 74′) – 5
A lazy cameo played a part in Spurs giving themselves hope. Needs to be far better off the ball.
Darwin Nunez (on for Diaz, 74′) – 5
A trademark Nunez hat-trick in stoppage time; three breakaways – failed the cross on one, offside on the next, missed the chance on the third. Awful.
Dominik Szoboszlai (on for Elliott, 83′) – 6
Fired wide, but not on the pitch for long.
Subs not used: Kelleher, Konate, Bradley, Jones
Jurgen Klopp – 8
In his penultimate home game in charge, Klopp knew that a big performance was needed after such a flat run of form.
It was hard to have too many qualms with the manager’s starting lineup, with Quansah and Gakpo among those who merited starts, and Liverpool’s display was excellent – for 70 minutes anyway.
This may not have been the huge game we thought it would be a month or so ago, but this was much more like the Reds of earlier in the season, barring the mini second-half collapse.
Just one more Anfield match for Klopp – it feels surreal saying that!
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