Tottenham huffed and puffed but could not take down a resilient Liverpool side as both teams had to settle for a draw at Anfield. This however was a better game than the one which was played out at White Hart Lane and also had a lot riding on it.
Tottenham were trying to cut the gap on Leicester – who won against Southampton – while Liverpool were looking to push on and try to make a late dash for the top four or even the European places.
The sides did have a go at each other but a point is what they had to settle with and that point was the least that Spurs deserved.
Liverpool are better at home against Tottenham
Anfield has never been the best place to visit for Tottenham in the Premier League era, the two clubs have met 23 times at the venue with Liverpool winning 15 and drawing 6, Tottenham haven’t really won a lot away from home and this point does not look too bad especially considering the fact that Liverpool took the lead and had some of the better chances in the first half.
Hugo Lloris was excellent on three separate occasions as he kept Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho out. Another reason why this point is great for Spurs is that right after an international break, you don’t really hit top gear first up and a point against a team that is steadily improving under Jurgen Klopp certainly isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Tottenham do not have a good scoring record against Liverpool with the Reds scoring 17 goals from the last 19 that had taken place in the fixture, so that Harry Kane’s goal in the second half certainly did buck the trend.
Spurs did have some great chances of their own and if things had gone their way, Nacer Chadli could have given them the lead. Tottenham also could have led had Simon Mignolet not saved well from Eriksen and Dembele.
The result certainly was a good one considering the fact that Liverpool scored in the second half and Tottenham had to come back against a side that has generally done well at Anfield against Spurs. Tottenham could have ended up losing the game as conceding in the second half isn’t the best for a team, well conceding never is but the side did not give up and continued to explore and find ways to bypass the defence.
The point certainly is a good one especially with the rest of the Premier League season remaining.
The importance of fixtures in the title race
With Leicester having three tough fixtures at the end of the season, they still aren’t in the clear to pick up the title. This was one of Tottenham’s toughest games and Spurs did come out of it with some good news.
Jan Vertonghen has also returned to training and that will be a great addition to the side, once he regains 100% fitness. Tottenham also have a couple of tough ties which are Manchester United at home and Chelsea away but barring the games against these two and Liverpool, there really isn’t any other tie that would be difficult for the team from London.
Tottenham had only picked up 9 points from the last 63 available against the Reds at Anfield and this one point might be more important than Leicester’s win over the Saints at the King Power stadium.
Spurs though have to play three of their last six games away from home and that might seem to be a tough task but with their performance in a bogey stadium should give them the confidence of doing well in the run-up to the title.
