Liverpool win 'battle of depressed' 4-2 against Spurs who wave goodbye to Champions League

By Alessandro Schiavone at Anfield

Liverpool 4-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Goals: Salah, Robertson, Gakpo, Elliott (L), Richarlison, Son (T)

Tottenham Hotspur came into life too late at Liverpool as goals by Richarlison and Son Heung-Min were not enough to stage an unlikely comeback, with the north Londoners losing 4-2.

The Reds had comfortably stormed into a 4-0 lead thanks to goals by Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott but despite shipping twice in five minutes hung in there.

That's now four defeats on the trot for the side managed by Ange Postecoglou with the Australian appearing unable to stop the rot.

This was arguably a contest between the division's most depressed sides. If Liverpool's title bid is crushed, Tottenham have to make do with Thursday night football next term.

Their Champions League hopes are all but over as they now need to win their remaining three games all while hoping that Aston Villa, who boast a superior goal difference, don't pick up more than one point from six.

Magnificently picked out by Dutchman Gakpo, Salah headed Liverpool into a 1-0 lead on Jürgen Klopp's penultimate Anfield dance.

Robertson's tap-in after the non-irreproachable Guglielmo Vicario parried Salah's strike into his path and Gakpo's Ian Rush-like towering header extended Liverpool's lead to three goals to nil.

But the mother of all goals was a long-range belter into the top corner from ex-Fulham academy graduate Elliott.

Tottenham at least made it a contest late on as Richarlison buried Brennan Johnson's square ball before the Brazilian set up Son with his back to goal.

With 13 minutes plus injury-time remaining, there was enough time for the stars to align.

But  Liverpool held on to lift the gloom and win this 2019 Champions League final remake.

Tottenham have 'spursily' gone from elated to deflated in the space of a couple of weeks. And the consensus nationwide is that the way they faltered is only matched by today's fellow depressed opponents.

Line-ups

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, van Dijk (c), Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz.

Substitutes: Kelleher, Gomez, Konate, Bradley, Bajcetic, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Jones, Nunez.

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Royal; Bissouma, Sarr, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Son (c), Johnson.

Substitutes: Austin, Dragusin, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Lo Celso, Maddison, Bryan, Moore, Richarlison.