Sunday’s late kick off will see Tottenham Hotspur host Liverpool which will be the 179th time the two sides have clashed. History shows the fixture tends to be more in favour of the team from Merseyside, however the arrival of Antonio Conte has toughened Spurs’ resolve in recent times.
Liverpool 1-1 Tottenham – May 2022
The last time the two sides met, the Reds were dealt a title blow in what was a deemed a must win game if they wanted to keep up the pace with a red-hot Manchester City.
In a game where Liverpool largely dominated in terms of possession and chances created, Conte’s tactics and defensive line of Ben Davies, Eric Dier and Cristian Romero proved difficult to breakdown.
Virgil Van Dijk came closest to opening the scoring for Liverpool after his bullet header crashed against the bar, but it was Heung-Min Son who would then tap home Ryan Sessegnon’s cross to give the North London side the lead.
A touch of fortune brought Liverpool level after Luiz Diaz’s effort deflected off Dier, which left keeper Hugo Lloris rooted to the spot. Ultimately, this was one of the few results that cost Liverpool the league after finishing just one point behind winners City.
Tottenham 2-2 Liverpool – December 2021
With both sides experiencing Covid-19 disruption in the build-up, it was Liverpool who were left feeling the effects. Jurgen Klopp had to make the trip to London without key players, Fabinho, Van Dijk and Thiago Alcantara, forcing him into fielding a much-weakened team with Tyler Morton making his first Premier League start.
It was a frantic game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which was played at a relentless pace from minute one. Harry Kane calmly slotted home to give the North London outfit the lead before Diogo Jota’s header levelled the scoring.
The Liverpool full backs would then combine to put the Reds in front, a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold was headed home by Andrew Robertson from close range. The lead was short lived after a blunder from Alisson gifted 2021/22 golden boot winner, Son an easy finish to equalise. A frustrated Robertson was handed a red card after a rash tackle on Spurs’ Emerson Royal.
Tottenham 1-3 Liverpool – January 2021
In an empty Tottenham Hotspur Stadium amid the Covid-19 pandemic, top four-chasing, Liverpool ended their run of five games without a win in the Premier League.
With no fans in attendance, it seemed to have no impact on the intensity of the match. Son thought he had put Jose Mourinho’s side ahead after two minutes, however the VAR review found him in an offside position. From then on, Liverpool took control of the game before Roberto Firmino tapped home a Mane cross to put Klopp’s side ahead on the stroke of half time.
The second half started in similar fashion to the first, as Liverpool doubled their lead through Alexander-Arnold who was on hand to thrash home the rebound from a Mane effort.
Danish International Pierre Emilie Hojbjerg halved the deficit with a thunderbolt from outside the box. Mohamed Salah would then go on to lash home past keeper Lloris thinking he had made it three, but the VAR review chalked off the goal after a Firmino handball in the build-up.
With the game hanging in the balance, Mane made sure of all three points after striking home an Alexander-Arnold cross into the roof of the net. Klopp and his men will be hoping for a similar performance this Sunday evening as they continue their push for a European place.
