Szoboszlai and Salah Shine in Liverpool’s 6-3 Win Over Spurs | OneFootball

Tottenham 3 – 6 Liverpool – The PL Postmortem

The atmosphere at White Hart Lane was tremendous and the game matched the pre-Christmas occasion, with a nine-goal thriller in this Super Sunday encounter that very much lived up to its name.

Below is how the team lined up, with match details following.

The Starting Eleven

GK – Alisson Becker

RB – Trent Alexander Arnold

RCB – Joe Gomez

LCB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

LB – Andy Robertson

CM – Alexis Mac Allister

ACM – Dominik Szoboszlai

CM – Ryan Gravenberch

RF – Mohamed Salah

CF – Luis Díaz

LF – Cody Gakpo

Subs

Diogo Jota – Cody Gakpo (67 mins)

Curtis Jones – Alexis Mac Allister (67 mins)

Harvey Elliott – Mohamed Salah (87 mins)

Darwin Núñez – Luis Díaz (87 mins)

Goals (Assisted by)

Tottenham 0 – 1 Liverpool

Luis Díaz (Trent Alexander Arnold) 23 mins

Tottenham 0 – 2 Liverpool

Alexis Mac Allister (Dominik Szoboszlai) 36 mins

Tottenham 1 – 2 Liverpool

James Maddison – 41 mins

Tottenham 1 – 3 Liverpool

Dominik Szoboszlai (Mohamed Salah) 45+1 mins

Tottenham 1 – 4 Liverpool

Mohamed Salah – 54 mins

Tottenham 1 – 5 Liverpool

Mohamed Salah (Dominik Szoboszlai) 61 mins

Tottenham 2 – 5 Liverpool

Dejan Kulusevski (Dominic Solanke) 72 mins

Tottenham 3 – 5 Liverpool

Dominic Solanke (Brenna Johnson) 83 mins

Tottenham 3 – 6 Liverpool

Luis Díaz (Mohamed Salah) 85 mins

Important Match Stats

Possession

Tottenham 51% – 49% Liverpool

XG

Tottenham 1.25 – 4.60 Liverpool

Total Shots

Tottenham 9 – 24 Liverpool

Corner Kicks

Tottenham 7 – 5 Liverpool

Off Sides

Tottenham 4 – 4 Liverpool

Fouls

Tottenham 7 – 9 Liverpool

Goalkeeper Saves

Tottenham 6 – 2 Liverpool

The First Half

The opening period of the game was fast-paced and intense, with both teams looking to implement strong offensive strategies. Liverpool started strong, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Luis Díaz leading the press. In the early stages, the away team created several half-chances, eventually leading to the first goal. A pinpoint cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold, the vice-captain, arced into the heart of the Tottenham penalty area and was met by Colombian forward Luis Díaz, who headed the ball past Spurs’ backup goalkeeper, Fraser Forster.

As Liverpool maintained their intensity and aimed to add a second goal, just 13 minutes later, Scotland international captain Andy Robertson sent a hopeful cross toward the back post. This allowed Hungarian international Dominik Szoboszlai to challenge for the ball and create a situation that Tottenham’s defence struggled to handle. The on-rushing Alexis Mac Allister capitalized on the Lilywhites’ shortcomings and headed home from close range.

With Liverpool poised to score with every attack, a moment of indecision from Alexis Mac Allister led to a turnover, giving James Maddison an opportunity. Taking advantage of a disjointed defensive line from Virgil van Dijk’s squad, Maddison curled a fine effort into the corner of Alisson Becker’s goal, with the Brazilian keeper unsighted by the well-placed shot from outside the box.

As the commentary team speculated on the implications for each team’s halftime talk, a hopeful clearance from Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold ignited a last-gasp counterattack. A clever interplay between the Egyptian King, Mohamed Salah, and eventual goalscorer Dominik Szoboszlai ended with Szoboszlai sliding the ball beneath the giant frame of Fraser Forster.

The half ended with Liverpool leading by a well-deserved scoreline of 3-1, following an exhilarating half of football from the visitors.

The Second Half

At the start of the second half, Liverpool made no changes, sending out the same eleven players who had dominated the first half.

After some exchanges between the two sides, the assist and goal-scoring combination from Liverpool’s third goal set the stage for the fifth goal of the match. During another impressive counterattack, Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo combined on the left flank, with Gakpo pulling back a cross that ended in a scramble before record-breaking scorer Mohamed Salah found the net.

Not satisfied with a 4-1 lead, Liverpool’s superstar, Salah, doubled his tally following a precise square ball from his powerful teammate, Dominik Szoboszlai. With the score reading an extraordinary 5-1 at a stunned White Hart Lane, Liverpool’s substitutions created enough confusion for Tottenham to capture two well-taken goals. Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke each scored against a helpless Alisson Becker, setting up a more dramatic finish to this exciting match.

Any hopes for a dramatic comeback were extinguished by Porto attacker Luis Díaz, who closed out the scoring with a fine strike. Throughout this captivating contest between two of the Premier League’s standout attacking sides, Dominik Szoboszlai was unplayable, and thoroughly deserving of the Man of the Match award. Mohamed Salah contributed two additional goals and an assist to solidify another standout performance in a ferocious team effort.

Final Thoughts

This contest was emphatic and wonderful to watch, showcasing two coaches eager to leave a strong impression. Arne Slot defied expectations with his remarkable start in the Premier League, while Ange Postecoglou is now edging closer to the exit after such a heavy defeat. The future looks bright for Liverpool; with Christmas Day approaching, this red juggernaut from Merseyside confirmed their position at the top of the table for the holiday, solidifying their status as title favourites.

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction;

Tottenham 1 – 2 Liverpool