Alisson, defensive heroics snag Liverpool a point at Tottenham

Liverpool and Tottenham engage in a rollercoaster-like 2-2 draw.

Liverpool FC headed to north London on Sunday to face Tottenham in one of only four fixtures that made it onto the pitch this weekend with a chance to remain within one point of the top of the Premier League table.

Six-weekend matches were postponed due to COVID-19 outbreaks that continue to rip through the league. However, the club announced before Sunday’s game that Thiago Alcantara registered a positive. Captain Jordan Henderson also missed the trip to London, but for a non-COVID-related illness.

It was a rough one for the Reds, one they should be grateful to have snagged a point.

With a completely new midfield than the one that started versus Newcastle, the Reds endured a rough start against the Hotspurs. Tottenham got off to a quick start to take a 1-0 lead in just 13 minutes by way of Harry Kane, and it almost got much worse. With the help of Allison, the Hotspurs failed to cash in on two sitters within the following minutes. The Reds showed a bit of life with a brilliant header from Diogo Jota off a chip pass from Andy Robertson to equalize before halftime.

The second half saw a continuation of a disturbing trend from the first: Tottenham getting brilliant chances one-on-one, and even a two-on-one, against just Allison. Luckily for the Reds, Alisson was a wall on Sunday, finishing the game with three critical saves to keep the match close.

The Reds briefly held a 2-1 lead off an Andy Robertson header before Son equalized for Tottenham just minutes later.

Officiating became a headline in the second half, with Andy Robertson shown a straight red for a foul that many argue was the same level of infraction that Kane was shown just a yellow for in the first half. Nevertheless, the Reds persisted with ten men to hold on to the 2-2 draw and are three points behind Manchester City headed into Christmas.

GK/Defensemen

Alisson – 9 (Man of the Match)

In this match, Allison had several heroic saves and was the only reason it didn’t get out of hand early in the first half, denying both Heung-Min Son and Dele Alli of absolute sitters. In the second half, he stopped a two-on-one with Kane knocking on the door of a go-ahead goal. An unfortunate error marred his performance on a whiffed challenge on Son’s second-half equalizer, but he was vital in the Reds taking even one point from Sunday’s match.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8

Alexander-Arnold continued to thrive on both sides of the ball for the Reds. He managed a few blistering shots onto Lloris himself in the first half before connecting with fellow fullback Andy Robertson to give Liverpool a brief lead in the second, recording his 40th Premier League assist.

Joel Matip – 6

Matip was outpaced by Son chasing down long balls on more than a few occasions throughout the match. He did not have any significant personal errors throughout but also failed to make any personal impact for the Reds.

Ibrahima Konaté – 8

Konaté did exceptionally well in one-on-one battles against Kane and Son and was monumental in stopping the onslaught of quick Tottenham counterattacks throughout the match. He finished the game with three clearances and two superb blocks to help the Reds snag a point Sunday.

Andy Robertson –8

Where Robertson may have struggled a bit defensively today, he made up for the offensive side of the ball, finishing with a brilliant 91% pass accuracy, a goal, and an assist. The Scotsman managed a beautiful chip pass cross off a weak clearance from Tottenham to assist on Jota’s equalizing goal in the first half. In the second, Robertson managed a header of his own by a cross from fellow fullback Alexander-Arnold. He was shown a straight red in the 77th minute but still had a fantastic game during his time on the pitch.