Thomas Frank’s team found the fight before Christmas. Not until they were two goals behind and down to 10 men, it’s true, but with disruption subs Richarlison and Joao Palhinha on the rampage and Cristian Romero prowling up front they rattled Liverpool.
It could hardly have been further from what the purists might consider classic Spurs and much closer to what Thomas Frank did so well when at Brentford.
Richarlison pulled one back and the visitors quaked under the frenzy of pace and aerial attack. They struggled to stem the tide even when Romero was sent off, leaving his team to finish the game with nine men.
But Liverpool hung on, banked the points from a bruising encounter and condemned Spurs to a record 11th home defeat in the Premier League in this calendar year.
This time though, a home crowd which has booed its team often during this miserable run of results roared their them on towards an unlikely comeback and when they fell short they rose to salute the collective effort.
Perhaps all these paradoxes will galvanise Frank’s Spurs although defeat is a heavy one. It pushes them closer to the bottom of the table and still prone to self-harm, this time with two unnecessary red cards.
Thomas Frank (left) pushes Cristian Romero down the tunnel after he was sent off on Saturday
Hugo Ekitike (right) scored the decisive goal with a header to give Liverpool a 2-1 win at Spurs
Romero, having picked up a yellow card for dissent, kicked out at Ibrahima Konate. Utter stupidity with his team finally in the game and threatening to salvage a point.
Xavi Simons had been already dismissed in the first half for an foul from behind on Virgil van Dijk, raking studs down his achilles.
The game was drifting nowhere when Simons sought to leave contact on his Netherlands captain. There was little force in the challenge and yet it came from behind, unseen and the contact was high.
The slow-motion replays and freeze frame images led the officials to the only decision they could take. Judged an act of serious foul play, it not only left his team-mates at a numerical disadvantage against the champions, but Simons will be banned for games, against Crystal Palace, Brentford and Sunderland.
Until that point, Spurs had encountered very few problems from the visitors. Arne Slot set off with Hugo Ekitike alone up front with a wingless five in midfield. Romero handled him well, right up until the point where Ekitike climbed above him to head in the second.
Frank had recalled Lucas Bergvall to start on the left of his usual 4-2-3-1 formation but with licence to drift inside, link up with Simons and leave the wide channel open for Djed Spence to charge through from left back.
There were hints of success at times. Spence was involved in the early Spurs chances. He set up the best chance of the first half for Randal Kolo Munai with a header back across goal from a Pedro Porro cross.
Kolo Muani headed it tamely straight at Alisson when he should have scored and did little during the first half hour when the teams were 11 against 11 to suggest he might be the solution for team in the desperate need of a forward who will shoulder the burden of responsibility when it comes to scoring some goals.
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 but Spurs were unable to score again
Kolo Muani was dominated by Konate and rarely strong enough with his back to goal to bring the team up the pitch on anything more than a fleeting foray.
Oddly, he was more effective after the red card because he played slightly deeper, picked up by the central midfielders. It was Ryan Gravenberch he rolled away from before driving into the penalty box and shooting against the bar via a deflection.
Spurs were far more dangerous when they went direct in the closing minutes. They made a mess of the game and almost forced their way back in. But they have lost again. They have won only four at home in the Premier League in 2025.
