Liverpool, April 30
In a nail-biting finish, Liverpool emerged winners with a 4-3 result to strengthen their position for European competition next season as Tottenham Hotspur too, despite the defeat, remain in place for the Europa League.
Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, after his exuberant celebration at the winning goal (running to the fourth official and taunting, in the process he injured a hamstring!!) found himself in trouble with a yellow card and the FA are looking at his post-match comments about the referee, Paul Tierney. Klopp said: “We have history with Mr Tierney, I really don’t know what this man has against us. He always will say there’s nothing and it’s not true. It cannot be.”
He added: “I’m really not sure if it’s me, how he looks at me. I don’t understand it. I have pain for a few days, Mr Tierney not. In the next game I’ll do what I always do and the celebrations – if we have something to celebrate I will be much calmer.”
Tottenham found themselves 3-0 down in the first 15 minutes. They seemed to make a somewhat lethargic start. They conceded the first goal after three minutes when Curtis Jones volleyed home a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Two minutes later, an excellent passing movement between, Cody Gakpo, Mohammad Salah and Harvey Elliott ended with Gakpo crossing to Luis Diaz from the byline for Diaz to find the net. Just 10 minutes had been played after the second goal when Christian Romero brought down Gakpo in the box and Salah slotted the ball in from the resulting penalty.
Tottenham seemed to up their game with the shock of the three goals and managed to pull one back six minutes before half-time with Ivan Perisic crossing for Harry Kane to score his 25th league goal of the season.
Spurs were unlucky in the second half when Romero and Heung-Min Son hit the woodwork in a space of a minute. Liverpool were fortunate that Diogo Jota was not sent off when his dangerously raised foot caught Oliver Skipp on the head leaving him bleeding and needing stitches.
Spurs cut the deficit to just one goal in the 77th minute when Son ran well, advancing up-field, and scored from a long pass from Romero. Liverpool were suddenly very nervy as Tottenham applied pressure for the equaliser. It came in the third minute of injury-time when Richarlson headed in from a free kick.
Just as Spurs thought they had managed to salvage a point they were stunned when 60 seconds later, Jota picked up a poor back-pass from Lucas Moura and scored to the utter disbelief of Tottenham.
A shocked Spurs interim-manager, Ryan Mason said about the foul of Jota on Skipp: “It’s probably the clearest red card you will see. I have to be careful what I say but that’s an impossible one to miss.”
He added: “When you talk about endangering an opponent to draw blood from a stud when his head is five-and-a-half feet in the air baffles me. That type of decision is the difference between winning the game or not.”
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