Saturday 21 / December / 2024
London: Tottenham Hotspur brutally exposed Liverpool's defensive frailties as Harry Kane plundered two more goals in his side's 4-1 Premier League romp at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
In front of 80,000 fans, the biggest ever Premier League attendance, Kane took his league tally to eight for the season with the first and fourth goals in a clinical Spurs display.
Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli were also on target for an impressive Spurs side, who led 3-1 at the break after a breathless first half, while Mohamed Salah's reply had briefly given Juergen Klopp's side hope.
Tottenham's fourth consecutive victory, and first in the Premier League against Liverpool for five years, put them level on 20 points with second-placed Manchester United and five behind rampant leaders Manchester City.
Liverpool dropped to ninth place on 13 points.
Both sides were buoyed by superb midweek results in the Champions League with Tottenham fresh from a 1-1 draw away to Real Madrid and Liverpool having scored seven in Maribor.
It was the hosts who began in razor-sharp fashion though, albeit aided by an AWOL Liverpool rearguard.
In the fourth minute, Kieran Trippier played Kane into acres of space and he cleverly dinked the ball around Simon Mignolet with his right foot before guiding a shot home with his left.
Tottenham were two up inside 12 minutes, this time Dejan Lovren inexplicably failing to cut out Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris's long throw to allow Kane to advance and calmly square for Son to stroke home left-footed.
Liverpool's defence parted again to allow Son in on goal soon afterwards but his ferocious effort struck the underside of the crossbar.
Tottenham's defence dozed off in the 24th minute, allowing Salah to get between them and latch on to Jordan Henderson's pass. With Lloris slow to narrow the angle, the Egyptian scuffed his shot in off the post.
The visitors then began to enjoy the lion's share of possession but their defence continued to creak and Lovren was hauled off to be replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
In first half stoppage time, Spurs took advantage of more woeful defending. Christian Eriksen floated in a free-kick which Joel Matip could only head straight to Alli who volleyed past Mignolet from inside the area.
In the 56th minute, Mignolet flapped at Trippier's inswinging free kick, Jan Vertonghen's shot was cleared off the line by Roberto Firmino but it fell to the lurking Kane who steadied himself before drilling into the corner.
There was no way back for Liverpool although Lloris did have to pull off an incredible one-handed save to push Philippe Coutinho's powerful effort against the crossbar and later blocked a Salah shot with his legs.
