Diogo Jota scores a dramatic winner as Liverpool beat Spurs 4-3 at Anfield
Diogo Jota scored a stunning victory on Sunday as Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 in a Premier League thriller.
Curtis Jones and Luis Diaz – making their first starts for the Reds in over six months – scored within the first five minutes at lively Anfield.
That quick lead was extended by Mohamed Salah’s penalty in the 15th minute, though the Londoners rallied and parried through Harry Kane before the break.
Son Heung-min reduced the deficit and Richarlison then equalized in stoppage time, but substitute Jota produced a sublime low finish for the Kop to reclaim victory and lift Liverpool to fifth in the table.
Team news
Jürgen Klopp made three changes from West Ham United’s midweek win, with Diaz, Harvey Elliott and Ibrahima Konate placed in the XI. Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Fabinho, Elliott (Henderson, 62), Jones (Milner, 86), Diaz (Jota, 63), Salah, Gakpo (Nunez, 73).
Unused subtitles: Kelleher, Gomez, Tsimikas, Carvalho, Matip.
First half
Looking for a fourth successive Premier League win, the Reds got off to a blistering start that gave them a two-goal lead within five minutes.
First they worked to the right channel and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who spotted a free Jones lurking at the back post with a cross that sent the No. 17 low off his left foot.
Salah then passed a slanted pass to Cody Gakpo’s sprint to the touchline on the right and the Dutchman pulled the ball back perfectly to allow Diaz to meet a clinical, first thump past Fraser Forster that delighted goal scorer and stadium. Liverpool had pushed their opponents back and had a chance to extend their lead again when Romero brought down Gakpo in the penalty area.
Salah moved into the penalty area and deftly lifted him high into the centre, his conversion moving him to sixth overall on the club’s all-time top goalscorers list.
The Egyptian wasn’t too far off with a curling strike from the edge of the Spurs box which shortly afterwards cleared off the left post as the Reds reached.
But the visitors turned the tide in the closing stages of a frenetic half, with Virgil van Dijk making a brilliant last-ditch effort to deny Son’s goal.
However, Kane cut their deficit to 40 minutes. Ivan Perisic escaped down the left flank, getting past a sliding Van Dijk and swinging a cross into the box for the Tottenham captain to volley.
Alisson Becker then had to pull out a boot to slow Dejan Kulusevski as the latter stole the ball from Andy Robertson and charged forward as Son saw a curler hit the post before a late offside flag.
Second part
The XIs were unchanged when play resumed and Spurs were quick to reiterate that they had not given up trying to get back into the competition.
Son planted a low dodge 20 yards from the base of the right post and seconds later Romero acrobatically kicked the ball against the other frame of Kane’s delivery goal in the center of the box, slapping Alisson.
The Liverpool keeper then knocked down a big Pedro Porro shot from long range before Klopp mixed up his pack with the introduction of Jordan Henderson and Jota from the bench. The red obtained greater control over possession and this came the dynamic that the outside side had accumulated, and it was clear to exchange ideas at both ends of the terrain.
With 77, however, Romero’s passport played on the upper son to attack Alisson’s goal, and the Spurs forward kept his serenity to bring the niche into the net.
The Londoners finished their return three minutes after the additional hour when Richarlison looked at the free kick of his Warf-But in the moments, Jota rushed to a fault, run in the winner in the lower corner when Angield a bursts.