Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 as nine-man Spurs suffer another home defeat

Liverpool moved into fifth in the standings after a 2-1 victory over Tottenham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a chaotic clash that saw Spurs reduced to nine men and their manager Thomas Frank fuming at refereeing decisions he described as pivotal to the outcome. The match left Spurs with a club-record 11th home defeat in the Premier League this calendar year, a banner statistic that has piled pressure on Frank amid a season of inconsistencies for the London club. Liverpool, under manager Arne Slot, were briefly unsettled by an early opener but recovered to claim the points and extend their unbeaten run to six matches.

Alexander Isak opened the scoring and played a central role before leaving the field with an injury, and Conor Bradley also picked up an injury as the game progressed. The contest took a dramatic turn when Tottenham’s Cristian Romero was booked for protests, then sent off for a second yellow late in the half after replays suggested a physical altercation following Liverpool’s second goal. Xavi Simons was dismissed for a late challenge on Virgil van Dijk in the first half, leaving Tottenham with nine men for most of the second period. Tottenham claimed the second Liverpool goal involved a foul in the buildup, with manager Frank arguing that two hands in the back should have produced a foul in the box. He also questioned how the incident could be treated differently in other situations and voiced his displeasure with the match officials and VAR.

Simons later issued an apology on social media, saying mistakes happen and that Virgil van Dijk is his captain, adding that he took responsibility and was sorry to his teammates and the fans.

Frank said the decision to award Liverpool a second goal, which arrived after the initial foul-call sequence, was a major error in his view. He claimed there were two hands in the back that should have been penalized, stressing that similar situations are typically ruled a foul, including in the penalty area, and suggested the refereeing and VAR staff did not act in the same way they would in other matches. Regarding Romero’s red card, Frank spoke of a competitive duel that he felt did not merit a second yellow for Romero’s reaction and emphasized he understood why some productions of violence might be treated differently but believed the specific moment warranted a different outcome. He declined to add further comments on the officiating beyond detailing his interpretation of the events and the media impact of the decisions.

Slot backed his team’s effort despite erratic spells and acknowledged that Isak’s injury status was unclear, offering only a cautious optimism. He emphasized that Liverpool had to endure time to integrate changes made in the close season and that improvements were ongoing, stating that the team was developing, even if the performance was not perfect. Slot noted that his squad’s confidence remains intact and that time would reveal how quickly they could settle into a new rhythm following the changes.

Liverpool’s win extended their unbeaten run to six matches and moved them up to fifth in the table. Tottenham, meanwhile, remained entrenched in a crowded mid-table battle, with the home defeat marking a troubling chapter in a season that has not yet delivered consistent performances at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Isak’s opener and the early momentum were overshadowed by the red cards, injuries, and the controversial second goal, leaving Spurs to regroup as they prepare for their next fixture. The match added to a developing narrative in which Tottenham must contend with the dual pressures of maintaining domestic form and managing squad depth amid a congested schedule, while Liverpool seek to build consistency under Slot and push toward the top four.