Igor Tudor has been unable to claim many positives in his short reign but he has finally earned the first point of his tenure. Tottenham were a match for Premier League champions Liverpool and after missing a collection of chances, the former Everton forward Richarlison became the most unpopular of villains.
After Guglielmo Vicario failed to keep out a Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick, it felt like a Liverpool victory was inevitable but they failed to build on the opener. Tudor was planning for a familiar feeling at the final whistle until Richarlison netted a deserved equaliser and what he will hope is a foundation to build on.
Tudor had kept his job for another weekend despite the desperate performances and situation the club he inexplicably coaches finds themselves in. Injuries have not helped Tudor, who could only name seven substitutes, including two goalkeepers, although that was a sensible policy at the midweek implosion at Atlético Madrid. Thirteen players were unavailable to Tudor, resulting in another formation rotation, as 4-4-2 got the nod at Anfield.
For a team supposedly completely devoid of confidence after five straight league losses and a calamity of a Champions League defeat, Tottenham had a degree of zip about their play. Dominic Solanke troubled Joe Gomez with his running in behind and Souza forced Alisson into tipping a rising thunderbolt over the bar in the opening quarter hour.
Unfortunately, Tottenham are not known for their decision-making and tripping up a marauding Alexis Mac Allister 30 yards out with Szoboszlai on the pitch was an error. With the fragility of the Tottenham goalkeeping situation the Hungaria’s whipped shot only needed to be on target, Vicario got a big hand to it, only to push it into the corner. The Italian’s position was questionable because the ball was aimed at the centre of goal. The error was not of the standards of Antonin Kinsky but it was another the visitors could not afford.
Arne Slot had made changes with an eye on turning around their Champions League last-16 tie this week against Galatasaray. Seventeen-year-old Rio Ngumoha was given a first Premier League start, tasked with bringing more pace and skill to the wide areas, also explaining why the full-back Jeremie Frimpong was selected as a winger. Liverpool have often looked static in the final third this season but the duo offered greater dynamism, while Mohamed Salah watched from the bench.
Florian Wirtz was becoming increasingly influential as a creative force, showing quick feet and invention in the Tottenham box. Tottenham were on the back foot, struggling to cope with what Liverpool had to offer but Vicario offered a reminder of why he is first choice, producing a fine diving save on to the post to prevent a Cody Gakpo drive doubling the lead.
Tottenham dropped very deep whenever Liverpool earned possession, inviting them to find a path through their yellow wall. It led to a number of half-chances as Liverpool failed to make the domination of the ball and territory pay.
Not that the hosts were particularly concerned about being hurt at the other end, although Richarlison almost scored an equaliser but he saw one header go wide and another palmed away by Alisson. Tottenham looked devoid of ideas going forward after their early promise but their defensive discipline was keeping them in the game. There was more composure and structure, two concepts lesser seen under Tudor.
Tudor brought his usual array of head shaking and animated behaviour on the touchline. He received a booking for questioning Chris Kavanagh’s decision to not book Ngumoha for diving after the winger made the most of contact in the box.
The Liverpool fans were more happy to see Ngumoha’s fearless play. He had two chances early in the second half, firing one well wide and the other too close to Vicario but he was certainly justifying Slot’s faith in him. Having someone eager to hug the touchline and go round full-backs is a rarity in the modern game, where wingers are trained to cut in. The variety was being embraced at Anfield, who gave a weary Ngumoha a standing ovation when he departed on 64 minutes.
It was a very competitive and combative game, even if the quality was not of the highest level. Tottenham showed the commitment lacking in recent fixtures, putting in the last-ditch tackles and blocks when it matters. They were effectively playing on the break and Richarlison got the better of Virgil van Dijk but not Alisson after latching on to a pass over the top. The margins between the two teams were becoming finer.
The home crowd were getting increasingly tense as Liverpool failed to find a second. They were right to be concerned as Richarlison eventually found the equaliser that had previously eluded him in the 90th minute, scuffing the ball into the corner to wrongfoot Alisson, giving Liverpool fans a familiar feeling of not killing off a game while Tottenham supporters were reminded that football can be enjoyable.
