If Alexander Isak is to one day make a success of his move to Liverpool, then it will need to be achieved in the absence of luck. Whatever else folk think of him, the poor fella has none, evidenced by one swing of his left leg that won a game and possibly wrecked his season.
A full diagnosis of an injury to his knee will come in time, but lengthy treatment and the sight of him struggling from the pitch stirred fears of a potentially serious issue.
If that is the case, it will be desperately unfortunate, not least for the fact that it was sustained in the act of scoring for 1-0 just 11 minutes after entering the game as a half-time substitute.
Sympathy around his previous difficulties has been limited owing to the methods he deployed in leaving Newcastle, but only the cold-hearted wouldn’t feel for him in this scenario, which encompassed a huge contribution to Liverpool winning a truly wild game.
By that, we should offer a fuller explanation of a match of tantrums, bonkers tidal shifts and an enormous volume of cards from the pocket of referee John Brooks. Of the latter, there were eight yellows, two of which were shown to Cristian Romero, and one straight red for Xavi Simons at 0-0 that will inspire major frustrations for Thomas Frank.
The irritation should not be directed towards the decision – Simons deserved it for scraping his studs down the calf of Virgil van Dijk in a challenge that looked woeful on replays. Simons alone will know if there was any intent, but it caused a significant shift in the balance of this match, with Tottenham suddenly on the back foot after half an hour of great comfort.
Hugo Ekitike scored what proved to be the winner as Liverpool beat Tottenham on Saturday
Alexander Isak will be cursing his luck after getting injury while scoring the opener for the Reds
He collapsed to the floor in pain after his leg was caught by Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven
From there, Isak struck for 1-0 with the consequence of twisting his left knee on the follow-through into the legs of Micky van de Ven, before Hugo Ekitike put daylight on Spurs. It felt like more than Liverpool deserved based on their insipid first-half efforts, but this is where we go back to Frank – his players are still fighting for him. They are busting guts.
Even with a record that compares unfavourably to Ange Postecoglou’s league record in a dire second season, this latest loss was fiercely contested by Tottenham for reasons beyond poor discipline. At 2-0 down, Richarlison pulled one back, and then they had further chances to level once Romero was dismissed in stoppage time. It was fantastically close; one of the best second halves for entertainment across the division, though that will be scant consolation to Frank.
For Slot, the result is another step in the right direction and a first since Mo Salah departed for Africa. With less noise, they might flourish.
And yet his was a game-plan built on conservatism, designed around the premise of holding a deeper defensive line and switching off the instruction to press, especially when Tottenham entered the Liverpool half.
It was a dare rooted in an insult rooted in evidence – Slot had reason to doubt the inventiveness of the Spurs attack and their ability to create their own openings from scratch.
Would it have worked across the course of the match had this remained a battle of 11 against 11? That’s hard to say, but it allowed Tottenham to look comfortable for half an hour while simultaneously doing little in the attacking spaces.
There were exciting bursts from Djed Spence and Mohammed Kudos on opposing flanks, and countless crosses, but too often Slot’s theory was validated.
One such moment supported the point, when Cristian Romero brought the ball over halfway, searched for a passing lane and threw up his arms in exasperation at the sheer absence of willing runners or rainmakers. They are the kind of situations that offer a reminder of how much has been lost within the injuries James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
Xavi Simons was sent off in the first half for a reckless and foolish challenge on Virgil van Dijk
Richarlison pegged one back after coming off the bench, as Liverpool failed to clear their lines
Furious Cristian Romero was sent off after a second yellow – but could have few complaints
Of the chances Tottenham did create, the best went to Randal Kolo Muani and originated with a hopeful lob into the box by Pedro Porro, over by the right-hand touchline. Spence headed it back across the area and Kolo Muani, having sniffed some space behind Ryan Gravenberch, bobbled the weakest of headers directly to Alisson Becker.
Liverpool? They offered nothing going forward, with Hugo Ekitike swallowed by Micky van de Ven and Dominik Szoboszlai too easily tracked by Spence. Floran Wirtz had been entirely anonymous, a nondescript cog in a slow, predictable machine.
But then came the break in their favour via Simons’ lunge down the calf of Van Dijk. The VAR steered John Brooks towards the correct call after the referee initially decided on a yellow card.
The local rage around that decision was misplaced, as was Spence’s appeal for a penalty against Bradley. There was no meaningful contact.
To a dubious chorus of injustice, the half ended level, but credit to Tottenham – they still had the momentum in the game, even with 10 men.
Slot’s response was to hook a defender in Bradley and throw on Isak. Cue the blend of reward and extreme misfortune, which commenced with Romero mishitting a clearance to Alexis Mac Allister before Wirtz threaded the killer ball to Isak. It was a strong finish, with the dire luck that his striking foot became tangled in the legs of Van de Ven and buckled his knee.
Tottenham’s efforts to recover saw Kolo Muani strike the bar with the assistance of a deflection, but it was rapidly followed by Ekitike’s header for 2-0, orchestrated by a cross from Jeremie Frimpong, his first for the club. A Richarlison strike, with the final act of a goal-mouth scramble, offered a modicum of hope in the 83rd minute, but Romero’s second yellow boost the balloon.
