Mohamed Salah:
How’s that for a giant contribution in a giant sport? When Liverpool wanted a hero, the person who delivers so typically for them delivered once more. Salah’s first-half double, each objectives clinically taken, gave Klopp’s facet a lead they’d maintain on to for pricey life, and confirmed, as soon as once more, why the Egyptian continues to be the Reds’ finest and most decisive participant. He has 14 objectives in all competitions this season, and he had ice in his veins as he twice left Hugo Lloris and the Spurs defence stranded earlier than half-time. His first was an instinctive strike from Darwin Nunez’s move, fired low and arduous earlier than the goalkeeper might react. His second was a stunning dinked end, after Eric Dier had made a pig’s ear of a again header. And all through, there have been moments of pure class because the 30-year-old regularly purchased his facet time and bought them up the sphere when the strain was mounting. He might need accomplished his hat-trick, however did not pay money for an effort from one other Nunez move. By the point he was changed in stoppage time by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the away finish was singing his title. No marvel. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool’s match-winner, once more.
Darwin Nunez:
One other sport, one other excellent encapsulation of why Liverpool followers have fallen in love with their new £64m ($72m) centre-forward. Nunez did not really play as a centre-forward right here. To not start with, anyway. He began out on the left, and it regarded an impressed name by Jurgen Klopp because the Uruguayan tore into Spurs from the primary whistle. He examined Lloris with a stinging volley inside three minutes, curled one other effort simply large quickly after earlier than organising Salah for the opener with an astute move having gathered Andy Robertson’s low cross. Nunez created one other likelihood for Salah after the break and completed, once more, having taken extra pictures than anybody else on the sphere. He did not rating this time, however boy did he graft for his staff, popping up at left again and proper wing, competing for all the things and displaying loads of high quality. He earned his hug from Klopp, and his ovation from the travelling Kop.
Ibrahima Konate:
How completely different might Liverpool’s season look had Konate not broken his knee on the eve of the marketing campaign? The Frenchman is making an enormous distinction to Klopp’s defence, and he was immense once more right here, delivering a mammoth efficiency alongside Virgil van Dijk because the Reds protected their valuable benefit within the second half. Konate’s tempo and energy make him an enormous asset subsequent to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was focused relentlessly by Spurs’ switches of play, but it surely was the 23-year-old’s positional play which stood out right here. Repeatedly, he was in the correct place on the proper time. He made twice as many clearances as anybody else on the sphere, and received possession again extra occasions than some other Liverpool participant. Tottenham examined him, however even in stoppage time there he was, stretching on the close to put up to get an important contact to yet one more left-wing supply. He in all probability will not be on the World Cup, which is a disgrace given his high quality, however Liverpool might be glad to wrap him in cotton wool whereas the remaining undergo the ringer in Qatar. Konate is Van Dijk’s accomplice, now and sooner or later.