Liverpool edge Tottenham 2-1 as Spurs end with nine men

Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, extending their winning run to three matches across all competitions and leaving Spurs to rue a chaotic afternoon that ended with two red cards and nine men.

The game swung on a first-half dismissal after Xavi Simons was shown a straight red for a reckless, late challenge on Virgil van Dijk, giving Liverpool a numerical advantage heading into the break. Just before the hour mark, Alexander Isak struck for the visitors with a composed finish after Florian Wirtz produced the game's standout moment of creativity. Isak was then forced off with an injury moments later, having been caught by Micky van de Ven as the ball found the net.

Hugo Ekitike extended Liverpool’s lead with a well-timed header in the 66th minute, his fifth goal in three league games, before Richarlison came off the bench to pull one back for Spurs late on. Tottenham’s predicament worsened when Cristian Romero received a second yellow card for lashing out at Ibrahima Konate, earning Spurs a second red and leaving them to chase a winner with nine men.

Liverpool lined up in a 4-2-3-1, with Alisson Becker in goal and Conor Bradley at right-back. The central defense pair of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, alongside Milos Kerkez at left-back, helped stifle Spurs’ forward moves as the visitors built their momentum in midfield through the isiated trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Florian Wirtz was the game’s most creative spark and supplied the through-ball for Isak’s opener, while the attack was completed by Hugo Ekitike and Isak. Isak started on the bench and came on at half-time for Bradley, with Jeremie Frimpong later replacing Isak and Federico Chiesa arriving late on from the bench.

Alisson made a handful of solid interventions to preserve the lead, and the defense grew more solid as the match wore on, even as Spurs pushed for a late equalizer. Wirtz’s performance was singled out by observers for his vision and willingness to take risks; he added an assist and was widely considered Liverpool’s best attacking outlet on the night. In the broader context, Arne Slot’s side collected a third successive win in all competitions, though Slot acknowledged that the team must improve its game-management in tougher fixtures.

The circumstances of the day overshadowed the result for Tottenham, who had two players dismissed in rapid succession and were left to rue a lack of discipline and composure in defense. For Liverpool, the win reinforced momentum and offered another test of character for a squad still juggling a demanding schedule and a revamped midfield-frontline axis.