Liverpool embarrassed Tottenham by beating their Premier League rivals 6-3 in north London to move four points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table. Luis Diaz opened the scoring with a fine header midway through the first half before Alexis Mac Allister headed in a moment for the visitors.
James Maddison pulled one back for Spurs when he sent the ball past Alisson from the edge of the box, before Dominik Szoboszlai restored the Reds’ two-goal lead in the first half.
The goals continued after the break as Mohamed Salah came through with moves either side of the hour mark to put Liverpool ahead 5-1. Dejan Kulusevski got his call on the Spurs scoresheet with 18 minutes remaining, and Dominic Solanke added a third for his side. But Díaz closed out the hosts’ victory with a sixth just before full time.
And Express Sport provides the Tottenham and Liverpool player ratings after an enthralling Premier League encounter.
Fraser Forster: 2
Almost gifted Liverpool an opening goal minutes into the match as he passed the ball straight to Salah. Was beaten to the ball in the air in his own six-yard box by 5ft 9in Mac Allister for the Reds’ second and was caught in no man’s land when rushing out to close down Diaz late on. Couldn’t stop the goals going in and can’t be trusted by Postecoglou.
Pedro Porro: 2
He followed Diaz’s run for the first goal, allowing the Colombian foreigner to borrow and direct the ball into the back of the net. Diaz continued to get the best out of him and allowed too many crosses into the box. He got balls through the Liverpool backline when in possession, but was terrible in defence.
Radu Dragușin: 2
He was out of rhythm when he was dragged from pillar to pillar through Liverpool’s attacking trio. He let the ball go over his head during the first game when he was dragged too far to the left. Bad defense of Szoboszlai’s goal and I had something else. Late to forget.
Archie Gray: 4
Had the unenviable task of dealing with the Liverpool forwards at the tender age of 18. Started well but was no match for Salah and co as the visitors looked like scoring every time they went forward.
Djed Spence: 4
He started well and seemed comfortable with the ball. He purposely blocked a couple of attempts midway through the first half but was beaten with a header by Szoboszlai before Mac Allister’s goal and his afternoon temporarily headed south as Liverpool raged.
Role Kill Sarr: 4
He struggled to get to the Spurs backline and lacked ambition on the ball. He failed to move his team forward as Tottenham were outplayed in midfield.
Yves Bissouma: 4
He tried to assert his authority early on, but was transient for most of the game as Liverpool broke through the Spurs team’s midfield.
Read more. . . Sean Dyche asks Everton players to keep their jobs as new owners
We use your registration to provide content in the way you have consented to and as we perceive you. This would possibly include advertising from us and third parties, as we perceive it to be. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy
Dejan Kulusevski: 7
Barely got a sniff of the ball in the first half but was Spurs’ brightest player after the interval. Produced a subline finish for Tottenham’s second.
James Maddison: 6
He has been Tottenham’s most effective attacking player this season along with Kulusevski and uncovered his back for the eighth time this season with a sumptuous curling effort.
Son Heung-min: 3
Was flat throughout the match and struggled to find an end product. Wasn’t anywhere near the standards he found last weekend against Southampton where he bagged a goal and two assists in 45 minutes.
Substitutes
Brennan Johnson: 5
Lucas Bergvall: 6
Timo Werner: 6
Don’t miss… Ruben Amorim appears to point finger at Man Utd fans after players booed off [QUOTES] Mikel Arteta gets up and leaves Arsenal press conference after unusual question [DETAILS] Man Utd player ratings as two flops get 2/10 in dismal Bournemouth defeat [RATINGS]
Alison: 6
Was rooted to his spot move for Maddison’s goal and will be disappointed to concede three goals.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 8
Produced another tantalising cross into the box to tee up Diaz’s opener as he illustrated his prodigious ability on the ball. Has so much talent, Liverpool need to keep him.
Joe Gomez: 6
Had to be on his toes when Tottenham did get the ball. Stood up well to most things thrown at him but was still part of a leaky defence.
Virgil van Dijk: 6
Was never able to relax with Kulusevski, Maddison and Son to consider. Led from the back but the Reds were exposed at times.
Andy Robertson: 6
He struck with a lovely cross to set up Liverpool’s second goal as they looked to advance. He will have a run of decent performances to show that he is still an elite left-back.
Alexis MacAllister: 7
He headed to double his team’s lead but lost control before Maddison’s goal to allow the hosts back into the game.
Ryan Gravenberg: 7
Was calm and composed during the showdown. His attacking team-mates will take the plaudits but he made sure he could be counted on throughout.
Dominik Szoboszlai: 9
He dictated the play and relied on ownership as he moved his team forward on the field. He took advantage of his goal well and created Salah’s moment. It was one of his most productive performances in a Liverpool shirt, but he missed a few chances in the second half.
Mohamed Salah: 10
Danced his way through the Tottenham defence before crashing an effort against the crossbar in the first half. Showed good vision to tee up Szoboszlai and bagged another two goals to take his tally for the season to 18 in all competitions, also assisting Diaz’s late goal. Unplayable at times.
Cody Gakpo: 7
Was full of running but wasn’t ruthless enough in front of goal. Will be disappointed not to get his name on the scoresheet.
Luis Díaz: 9
He waited for the attack from the beginning because it caused all kinds of disorders to Pedro Porro. He took off his socks and got his goals right as he moved into the top positions. He deserved to have scored some other delay earlier, despite everything adding his second.
Substitutes
Curtis Jones: 7
Diogo Jota: 6
Darwin Núñez: 7
Harvey Elliott: 6
SEARCH
CONNECT WITH US
DOCUMENT OF THE DAY
View today’s front and back pages, download the newspaper, request past issues and use the old Daily Express newspaper archive.
EXPRESS. CO. UK
Would you like to receive news notifications from Daily Express?