Premier LeagueMatch report: Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 at Anfield
Liverpool ran out 4-2 winners against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Mohamed Salah opened the scoring in the 16th minute and Andy Robertson scored for the second consecutive game to make it 2-0 right on the stroke of half-time.
Cody Gakpo netted the hosts' third early into the second period, before Harvey Elliott added another in style with an emphatic, curling strike from distance.
Richarlison and Son Heung-min reduced the deficit for Spurs in the final 20 minutes but they had left themselves with too much to do.
Team news
Salah for Ryan Gravenberch was the only change to the line-up that drew at West Ham United eight days earlier.
Alisson, Endo (Bajcetic, 64), Van Dijk, Diaz (Nunez, 74), Mac Allister (Gravenberch, 74), Salah, Gakpo, Elliott (Szoboszlai, 83), Robertson (Gomez, 64), Alexander-Arnold, Quansah.
Unused substitutes: Kelleher, Konate, Jones, Bradley.
- Download the official teamsheet here
First half
For all Tottenham's early pressure and possession, it was Liverpool who were creating the clear-cut opportunities.
An outside-of-the-boot cross near the right touchline from Salah ended up striking the crossbar and bouncing clear. The forward then had a shot saved by the feet of Guglielmo Vicario, with Elliott's follow-up on the rebound blocked on the line.
But Salah was not to be denied after a quarter of an hour had been played, heading in at the back post from Gakpo's delivery to give the hosts a lead that had been coming.
The affair grew more open as the half edged towards its conclusion. Gakpo had an appeal for a penalty turned down that sparked counter-attacks for either side that ended without attempts at goal.
Luis Diaz fired wide in acrobatic fashion, Trent Alexander-Arnold curled over and Elliott forced a save from Vicario – but the Reds would go into the break with the two-goal advantage they had pushed for.
Robertson was in position to nudge home from a couple of yards out when he followed up a Salah finish that had been tipped away by Spurs' goalkeeper.
Second half
The 15-minute break did not disrupt Liverpool's rhythm going forward. Salah wasted a good chance from inside the box a few moments prior to the scoreline being added to.
Elliott tenaciously pinched the ball off Emerson Royal and clipped a ball into the box, where Gakpo was stationed to direct beyond Vicario.
At the other end, Alisson Becker was forced into his first save of the match, getting down low to keep out Brennan Johnson's header.
The Reds were not done in a scoring sense and the pick of the bunch arrived on the hour mark.
Elliott's curler from distance beautifully bent into the top left corner of the net, leaving Vicario helpless and Jürgen Klopp with a beaming smile on his face.
Finishes from Richarlison and Son gave Tottenham hope of salvaging something, but they could have been extinguished had Salah not poked wide when right in front of Vicario's goal.
Alexander-Arnold also attempted to catch the stopper off-guard with an effort from near the halfway line that landed on the roof of the net.
Alisson was needed to bat away a hit from Richarlison that appeared to be heading in, with Joe Gomez doing enough to prevent Johnson following in.
Darwin Nunez was denied by Vicario in the last minute of the seven added on but the whistle to confirm Liverpool's victory blew shortly after.
Attendance: 60,075