The volume increased from the group of Liverpool supporters shortly after Diogo Jota’s broadcast, as if they were expecting something special, something extraordinary that they could retell for years to come. You know, that trip to Tottenham when we had to repel Ange Postecoglou’s attack with nine men.
Dominic Szoboszlai was the first to notice. He was a new arrival who already looked like a Liverpudlian at heart, he stopped in front of them and gestured frantically. They responded and turned up the volume. Trent Alexander Arnold was next. He is Liverpool through and through and now, as the clock ticked down to 90 minutes, he begged the fans to give even more.
The timed clock had moved up to 95 minutes. Only a few seconds remained to achieve something momentous. With ten men it’s one thing to keep it going. To do that with nine for over 20 minutes against this Spurs side might be worth the achievement of the season.
And so, amid the joy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it was hard not to feel overwhelmed with empathy for Joel Matip, chief among the heroes here. A last chance for Tottenham, a last attack. Cristian Romero pushed the ball wide to Pedro Porro. He shot his cross so fiercely that Matip reacted instinctively, stuck out a foot and shot past his own goalkeeper.
A game of this quality, with its glorious ebb and flow, deserved a dramatic finale. It was the Premier League at its best, the pressure was furious, the technique superb and the tactical responses to setbacks excellent. At the end, all the Tottenhams were joint top and Big Ange acknowledged a euphoric stadium in a glorious rendition of Robbie William’s Angel.
Joel Matip scored a late own goal as Tottenham came up late to beat Liverpool on Saturday evening
The goal caused manic scenes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until late in injury time
Curtis Jones was sent off for the Reds against Tottenham after a high challenge on Yves Bissouma in the first half
Who had this on their bingo card when Harry Kane left in August? This is more than a feeling. Tottenham is made up of something more than that. And Liverpool, even in defeat, showed extraordinary resilience. With City losing, a title race may be possible.
So to the turning point: Curtis Jones wasn’t malicious when he came on for Yves Bissouma after 28 minutes. But he slightly misjudged his challenge, slipped over the ball and finished high, with studs on his shin. That will always be a red card in the VAR era. When they showed it again to the crowd, which was admittedly biased and wanted to be shocked, there was a deep breath. If you freeze the frame it will look even worse. Normally it just seemed like an honest mistake.
But VAR Darren England referees based on that freeze frame and when he called his colleague Simon Hooper to the screen, Klopp was already reorganizing his team into a 4-4-1, so inevitable were the conclusions. For the plethora of professionals who say it was harsh, there are no softenings in the rules. And yet it equally seems like a disproportionate intrusion into the game for what amounts to a marginal error.
Spurs looked to seize the moment of vulnerability, but when they worked the ball to Richarlison on the left of the goal, he looked woefully short of confidence in the 33rd minute. He chose to keep the ball under control, position himself and then shoot high. His doubts overcame his instincts. And a few minutes later, Luis Diaz had the ball in the net but was ruled out for marginal offside. It seemed that despite the numerical imbalance, this was still simmering along nicely.
Diogo Jota was given his marching orders in the second half after receiving two bookings in quick succession
Jürgen Klopp thanked the traveling supporters who followed full-time when his team was only a few centimeters away
Tottenham struck first with a goal of such attacking purity that it echoed the club’s best. And if there was ever a player made for this club, it’s James Maddison, the substance to match the swagger. His through ball to Richarlison was so precisely threaded and so well weighted that it provoked the diagonal, attacking run that the Barzilain delivered. But his delicate, confident touch for Heung-min’s son was just as good. The finish, Son ahead of Matip and van Dijk, was also not far away.
Now Tottenham seemed unstoppable and Richarlison a completely different man. Shoulders back, eyes on fire, he tormented Liverpool with his runs. Now his instincts had silenced his doubts. If he can ride this emotional wave, he will be a world-class player.
And yet, with Mohammed Salah up top for Liverpool, Luis Diaz wide and the sublime Dominic Szobszlai now deep alongside Mac Allister, Liverpool were perfectly prepared to counter-attack. One, deep into the added first half minute, drew a foul close to the penalty area, encouraging Virgil Van Dijk forward. When the ball was cleared, Szobszlai collected it and delivered the perfect cross into the penalty area onto Van Dijk’s head.
Initially it looked like Cody Gakpo had missed his chance due to a wrong control. But he turned around – it would turn out he injured himself in the process and wouldn’t emerge for the second half – and fired on the turn to equalize. In fact, Liverpool should have taken the lead when Salah played the pass of the match to Diaz deep in the seventh minute of extra time, who poked wide from close range.
The second half was initially predictable. There was Allison’s great save from Maddison’s curling attack. Then Alisson’s great save from Son’s booming volley. Then Son’s disallowed goal, when Richarlison recovered the ball offside. There was the endless succession of Spurs corners. And then there was Diogo Jota.
What a performance with ten men requires is enormous discipline. What you don’t need are two stupid mistakes in 90 seconds to leave your team with nine men. Both were on Destiny Udogie, the former a cunning tactician who prevented a breakaway after 71 minutes. Fair enough, but that’s your warning. When he came on the same player a minute later, he demanded his own expulsion. Klopp responded by withdrawing the indefatigable Salah. Gomez and Diaz. With a 3-4-1 formation. Szoboszlai is now his only nominal attacking player, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberston are now full-backs.