LONDON – Liverpool secured top spot in the Premier League at Christmas with a comfortable 6-3 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Arne Slot’s side were four points ahead of Chelsea with a game to play after securing a win that started with two clever headers inside the first 31 minutes from Luis Díaz and Alexis Mac Allister. James Maddison halved the deficit four minutes before half-time after Mac Allister lost the ball cheaply to Dejan Kulusevski and the England international deflected a 20-yard shot past Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker, but Liverpool still had time to score again, When Mohamed Salah broke through, Dominik Szoboszlai extended his half-time lead in stoppage time – a more accurate expression of the class differences between the two teams.

Liverpool threatened to rage in the second third. Salah converted the ball into the goal from close range after Archie Gray blocked Szoboszlai’s shot from close range before the Egypt international scored again. Szoboszlai raced through and selflessly laid a simple pass to Salah, who side-footed it into the empty net.

Some Spurs fans headed for the exits with half an hour left to play, but to the home side’s credit they continued to push for chances and briefly threatened the most dramatic comeback when Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke both scored and leveled the deficit reduced to two seven minutes before the end. However, another clever counter-attack from the visitors dashed any hope as Salah Díaz fed in his second, Liverpool’s sixth, leaving the fans chanting after normal time: “Liverpool, Liverpool are top of the table.” –James Olley

Walloping Spurs shows how good Liverpool really is

There are many ways to measure Liverpool’s impressive start under Slot and games against Tottenham are one such barometer.

Arsenal needed a set-piece goal to win 1-0 here in September. Manchester City lost 4-0 at home to Spurs and were beaten at this ground in the Carabao Cup. Chelsea won 4-3 earlier this month but had to come from 2-0 down.

Liverpool conceded three times, but for most of the game they were on a different plane to Tottenham. They finished with an expected goals (xG) value of 4.61, which has only been bettered by four away teams in a Premier League game in the last five years: Chelsea at Southampton earlier this month (5.43), Manchester City in Norwich in February 2022 (5.08). , Liverpool at Leeds in September 2021 (4.71) and Man City at Brighton & Hove Albion in July 2020 (4.64).

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou admitted afterwards that Liverpool were “too good” for them – an understatement to say the least. – Olley

Salah continues to rewrite Liverpool’s record books

“Only Mo Salah.” It’s a phrase that Liverpool fans have become quite accustomed to in recent years as their talisman continues to break new ground and shatter club records.

Once again against Tottenham, Salah wrote his name into the history books by becoming the first player in Premier League history to score double figures in both goals and assists before Christmas. He now has 18 goals and 15 assists in all competitions this season, having scored two each against Postecoglou’s side on Sunday, and is now also fourth on Liverpool’s all-time goalscorers list, having overtaken the great Billy Liddell .

From the moment a ball was kicked at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Salah looked like a threat. Within 18 minutes he had fired five shots – more than any other player on the pitch.

The fact that none of these shots resulted in a goal hardly deterred him. His two assists – for Szoboszlai and Díaz – were a successful double pack on both sides.

At a time when his long-term future remains uncertain, backing him to make a difference for Liverpool continues to seem like the safest bet. Whatever happens in the coming months, keeping the 32-year-old at Anfield beyond next summer is of utmost importance to Slot’s side. – Beth Lindop

Liverpool’s recruitment shows what Spurs could have been

In January 2022, Tottenham spent a significant portion of that month’s transfer window working towards an agreement with FC Porto for Díaz. While they haggled over the transfer fee, Liverpool snapped late and completed the deal.

“Tottenham was one. Roma was also left behind. They hesitated a lot and let Liverpool capture them,” Díaz’s father told BluRadio’s Deportivo blog in February 2022.

Spurs also scouted Mac Allister before he moved to Liverpool in June 2023. Liverpool triggered a release clause to sign Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig in July 2023 – another example of the club’s willingness to move quickly in the market.

The long-standing dissatisfaction with Tottenham’s owners and chief executive Daniel Levy is many, but a key element is the perception that they lack ambition in the market and that their frugal nature can lead to either indecision or a complete failure to achieve achievable goals. Seeing all three goals from Díaz, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai in the first half was a physical expression of the difference it can make.

Spurs have gotten some deals right – Micky van de Ven was one of the best signings in the entire league last season – but on this day Liverpool’s more expansive transfer strategy significantly widened the gap between these two teams. – Olley

Alexander-Arnold reminds Liverpool why they need him

Díaz’s goal celebration said it all. After the Colombia international stooped to deflect Trent Alexander-Arnold’s sublime cross into the box, he was quick to show his gratitude to the right-back by kneeling at Alexander-Arnold’s feet and pretending to lift his boots polishing.

It was the Merseyside native’s 85th assist as a Liverpool player and another reminder of what the club stands to lose if he is allowed to leave as a free agent when his contract expires in the summer. The last few months have allowed fans to imagine life without their most popular academy product since Steven Gerrard.

When he was sidelined through injury in November, Northern Ireland international Conor Bradley represented him brilliantly in his absence. Following Alexander-Arnold’s somewhat lackluster performance against Fulham last weekend, Slot noted that the defender “still has room for improvement”.

However, Liverpool’s No.66 was back to his best in north London on Sunday. As well as playing Díaz, Alexander-Arnold attracted attention with a series of defense-splitting passes and also did well to keep Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min largely quiet.

Given his unique abilities, it’s no wonder Real Madrid have earmarked him as their top defensive target for next summer. Although Liverpool could potentially survive without him, his performance against Spurs showed why many fans don’t want that. — Lindop

The uncompromising Ange compromises the Spurs

There are times when watching Tottenham is like putting on an amazing fireworks display but using your own house as an accompanying bonfire. “Aren’t you entertained?” Postecoglou joked after Thursday’s equally chaotic 4-3 Carabao Cup win over Manchester United, and no one could object here, but Spurs were more the butt of the joke than a competitive participant.

Injuries are softening judgments – young full-back Archie Gray filled in at central defense for the third time in a week, Fraser Forster again looked shaky in place of regular goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and out-of-favour right-back Djed Spence stepped in at left-back – but it’s getting harder to blame advocate that Postecoglou continue to insist on an uncompromising, offensive approach at all times and in all circumstances.

Shouldn’t certain concessions be made to the league leaders when key players are missing? Postecoglou will, in most cases, resort to an approach that has proven successful in the past, and he will take comfort from the fact that there was not widespread dissent among Spurs fans who remained on a full-time basis, but rather just a few boos.

However, there is once again a feeling that the chaos needs to be brought under some control if Tottenham are ever to find the consistency they need to mount a serious challenge at the top of the table. They have kept a clean sheet in their last 24 home games in the league. – Olley