Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Talking points as Reds furious response against Spurs clinches Premier League title

Liverpool are the 2024/25 Premier League champions. Their comprehensive victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday secured their 20th league title in England.Needing only a point to get over the finish line, Liverpool were widely expected to get it done, but they were in for an early shock as their former striker Dominic Solanke struck first for Spurs in the 12th minute, hitting a fine header to beat Alisson Becker after a well-taken corner. But the hosts provided a quick response, with Luis Diaz equalizing just four minutes later. A rocket from Alexis Mac Allister turned the scoreline completely around in the 24th minute, and 10 minutes later, Cody Gakpo made it 3-1. Mohamed Salah scored his 28th Premier League goal of the season in the 63rd, and forced Spurs defender Destiny Udogie to guide the ball into his own net to set the final score in the 69th.

Teams

Liverpool boss Arne Slot was still without defender Joe Gomez and midfielder Tyler Morton through injury.With Alisson in goal, centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate had Andy Robertson on the left and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right. The usual trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai covered the middle of the park, and Diaz attacked through the middle, with Gakpo on the left and Salah on the right.As for Spurs, they were without the services of captain Son Heung-min in attack, and defender Radu Dragusin.Head coach Ange Postecoglou also deployed his team in a 4-3-3 shape, with Guglielmo Vicario between the posts, and the back line consisting of Ben Davies and Kevin Danso as the centre-backs, Udogie on the left and Djed Spence on the right. Archie Gray was tasked with anchoring the midfield, joined there by Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison. In attack, Mathys Tel and Brennan Johnson flanked Solanke.

Match recap

Pushed on by a passionate crowd, Liverpool made a lively start, with Gakpo nearly opening the scoring with an early overhead kick.However, they suffered a setback in the 12th minute when Solanke rose highest to head a Maddison corner past Alisson, threatening to spoil the day for the expectant home supporters.Fortunately for the hosts, they calmed the nerves just four minutes later, with Diaz tapping in from a Szoboszlai square pass, a goal initially disallowed but then given after a VAR check showed the Hungarian was onside in the build-up.Embed from Getty ImagesMac Allister soon added to the excitement, firing a superb left-footed shot from the edge of the area after the ball broke loose from a challenge, before Gakpo had Anfield rocking by coolly slotting into the bottom corner after a corner clearance.The half-time interval helped Liverpool regain control, as they adopted a more cautious attacking approach while entirely neutralising Spurs’ threat in the second half.Nonetheless, they still posed danger and grabbed a fourth when Szoboszlai led a break that ended with Salah cutting inside and drilling a low shot past Guglielmo Vicario.Salah was later denied a second goal when Udogie got to a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross just ahead of him, but the home fans had little concern as they celebrated a fifth strike.

Strong Mac Allister impact, Salah still the best

With Salah getting incredible attacking numbers – 28 goals and 18 assists in 34 league matches – it seems unlikely that Mac Allister will claim Liverpool’s ‘Player of the Season’ award.However, there is no one in the Anfield dressing room who would deny that the Argentine World Cup winner is the heartbeat of this title-winning side.Outstanding off the ball – winning more tackles (four) and duels (seven) than any other player – and just as impressive on it, as demonstrated by his brilliant goal, Mac Allister is truly an exceptional all-rounder.It was only fitting that he enjoyed a big moment in this crucial match, receiving rapturous applause as he made way for Darwin Nunez.But in that race, there can only be one winner. Salah has already broken the record for the most goals and assists combined ever in a 38-game Premier League season, and he needs to add just two to the tally of 46 to break the overall record in the English top flight.At the age of 32, the Egyptian is showing no signs of slowing down, and his recently signed contract extension has brought understandable joy to everyone linked with the club.On the other hand, the thought of Liverpool needing to plan for a future without Salah, as hard to process as it is at the moment, will undoubtedly be in the minds of the club hierarchy, as well as Slot, while Mac Allister, 26, is surely a player set to perform at the highest level for years to come.Embed from Getty Images

Klopp’s legacy lives on at Liverpool

It’s very hard to believe at this point in time that when Jurgen Klopp took charge at Liverpool almost 10 years ago, they were at a place where they had to fight hard to qualify for any European competition. The Premier League title was nothing but a dream, as rival fans often reminded the Reds with vile chants from the stands.It was the charismatic German who turned that around, leading the team to Champions League glory in 2019 and finally the league title the following year. It was he who gradually built a squad worthy of the club’s historic status, the large majority of which Slot inherited when he came in last year.It was therefore only fitting for Slot to show Klopp great affection and respect after the game, giving him the same tribute Klopp gave him after the last match of 2023/24, and nobody connected with Liverpool in any way will ever forget what the former Mainz 05 and Borussia Dortmund boss gave them.

Spurs’ last chance to save the season

Following the weekend fixtures, Spurs sit in 16th place in the Premier League table with just 37 points from 34 matches, and had it not been for the woeful return of Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton to the English top flight, they might’ve well been struggling to secure survival.It’s worth pointing out that the North Londoners endured extremely bad luck with injuries throughout, but it still doesn’t provide an excuse for their current position.Though Postecoglou’s men showed some level of resilience in the first half at Anfield, their drop after the break can surely be put down to the lack of motivation on the domestic scene as they prepare to face Bodo/Glimt in the semifinals of the Europa League. It is their last chance to save the season – if they win the trophy, they’ll book a place in next season’s Champions League. Whether Postecoglou will still be there to lead them, remains to be seen.Embed from Getty Images