Despite Mohamed Salah's Quiet Day, Liverpool Delivers Against Tottenham
Liverpool stretched its unbeaten start to the Premier League to five games after dispatching a sloppy Tottenham side 2-0 at Wembley on Saturday.
Gini Wijnaldum handed the Reds a deserved lead on the cusp of half-time after looping a header into the back of the net in what was a dominant opening term for Jurgen Klopp's men, which also saw a number of chances to punish Spurs go begging.
Liverpool soon added the second after a scramble in the goal mouth saw Roberto Firmino secure his name on the scoresheet. Erik Lamela grabbed a consolation goal in injury time, but the damage had already been done.
Check out our breakdown of the game below.
TOTTENHAM
Key Talking Point
Tottenham's defensive system invited pressure from Liverpool's dynamic front three from the first whistle, while the high deployment of Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose left Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah free to expose the centre back duo.
The set-up allowed clear goalscoring opportunities to be created, and Spurs were fortunate that the Reds fluffed their lines in the final third otherwise they could have found themselves down by more than one goal at the main break.
Mistakes in possession added further panic and ultimately the space left behind the backline proved costly as the Reds took advantage to kill off the game.
Following the frantic nature of the late defeat to Watford last time out, Mauricio Pochettino needs to find a solution to get the best out of his players and return to the defensive form of previous years.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Vorm (5), Trippier (6), Alderweireld (7), Vertonghen (6), Rose (6); Dier (6), Dembele (6), Winks (6) Eriksen; (6), Moura (7), Kane (6).
Substitutes: Lamela (6), Heung-min Son (6), Wanyama (N/A).
STAR MAN - Despite conceding two and looking exposed in defence, Toby Alderweireld's presence ensured the scoreline stayed respectable for Tottenham.
Spurs will be thankful they kept hold of the Belgium international over the summer as his partnership alongside Jan Vertonghen continues to prosper.
Clive Rose/GettyImages
WORST PLAYER - A number of players put their hand up for the unwanted title, but Michel Vorm's lack of impact on the ball allowed Liverpool to score each of their goals and ensured he was the man.
The goalkeeper looked uncertain in dealing with corners and was caught out of position as Wijnaldum looped the ball back over his head for the first before failing to hold onto the ball to allow the second.
LIVERPOOL
Key Talking Point
Liverpool's form against its fellow top six rivals away from home left a lot to be desired last season after failing to secure a victory and earning just one point from a possible 15. The corresponding fixture against Tottenham last term was the obvious example of the Reds' shortcomings in the league.
However, if the team is able to make good on its ambitions to push Manchester City at the top of the table it is imperative they take points from their closest rivals - as they did at Wembley this time round.
IAN KINGTON/GettyImages
Jurgen Klopp's side looked the more dangerous of the two teams on Saturday, and after relinquishing a number of points from winning positions in the same fixtures last season it would have been a welcome start to the new campaign to right their wrongs.
Further tests of their credentials await against Chelsea and Manchester City later this month.
Player Ratings
Starting XI: Alisson (7); Alexander-Arnold (7), Gomez (6), Van Dijk (7), Robertson (7); Wijnaldum (7), Milner (8*), Keita (6); Salah (6), Mane (7), Firmino (8).
Substitutes: Henderson (6), Sturridge (N/A), Matip (N/A).
STAR MAN - Liverpool's oldest and most experienced midfielder inJames Milner stood head and shoulders above the rest of his teammates at Wembley - with a notable mention for Firmino in what was his best outing this season.
The former England international is flexible in nature and his awareness of those around him ensured gaps left by his teammates were quickly filled, where his position further up the field saw him create a number of chances for his forward players. And his contribution did not go unnoticed on social media.
WORST PLAYER - While Mohamed Salah invariably finds himself in all the right positions it has yet to click for the Egyptian star this term.
His display against Tottenham saw a man desperate to hit the back of the net, so much so that he overlooked his teammates in better positions to advance closer to goal himself on too many occasions. Needs to simply relieve the pressure on himself.
Looking Ahead
This fixture precedes a congested period for both sides with Tottenham set to make the trip to Italy on Tuesday to face Inter in the Champions League before returning to Premier League action on the south coast against Brighton next weekend.
Liverpool, meanwhile, host Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield in Europe's elite competition prior to welcoming Southampton next Saturday - where they will look to take their unbeaten run to six games.
