Liverpool survive late scare as nine-man Tottenham fade in wild 2-1 win
Alexander Isak nets on his Liverpool return, but a knee injury cuts his night short as Reds hold on after two Tottenham red cards
Liverpool fought off a frantic, bone-dare thriller to beat Tottenham 2-1, surviving a late scare after Spurs were reduced to nine men. Xavi Simons was sent off at 0-0 for a reckless studs-down challenge on Virgil van Dijk, and Cristian Romero followed late in stoppage time with a second yellow, leaving Spurs short-handed as the game wore on. Liverpool’s goals came from Alexander Isak, who struck 11 minutes after entering as a half-time substitute, and Hugo Ekitike, whose header doubled the lead. Richarlison pulled one back for Tottenham, but the comeback fell short as Liverpool clung to the lead and the three points.
Tottenham controlled portions of the first half, but the pattern of the match shifted after the interval. Isak’s goal arrived after he came on at halftime and was sparked by a turnover in midfield that began with Cristian Romero misplacing a pass. Alexis Mac Allister intercepted and Florian Wirtz threaded the ball through to Isak, whose finish beat the keeper. The moment was clouded by Isak’s finish as his left knee buckled in the sequence, bringing him to the turf in obvious discomfort as he celebrated. Medical staff soon tended to him on the field, and the forward would later depart for a full assessment that could determine the course of his season.
With Isak off the field and Liverpool gaining momentum, Hugo Ekitike capitalized on a cross from Jeremie Frimpong to head Liverpool into a 2-0 lead. The finish reinforced Liverpool’s margin but did not quell Tottenham’s fight. Richarlison came off the bench to reduce the arrears, pouncing on a loose ball and finishing through a layer of traffic to pull Spurs within one. However, the decisive moments continued to tilt Liverpool’s way, as Romero was dismissed in stoppage time for a second yellow, effectively ending Tottenham’s hopes of a dramatic late equalizer.
Tottenham’s manager Arne Slot had chosen a cautious, defense-first approach, a plan built around holding a deeper line and stifling Liverpool’s advances rather than pressing aggressively. The strategy appeared to pay off for much of the first half, particularly with Djed Spence and Mohammed Kudos providing width, but it also limited Spurs’ effectiveness in front of goal and allowed Isak’s late impact to swing the game. The decision to shift to a more conservative stance after the interval mirrors the club’s larger challenge in this period, compounded by injuries that have kept key players unavailable and disrupted rhythm.
The match was a card-filled affair, with eight cautions shown before the late red cards. Simons’ straight red at 0-0 and Romero’s second yellow in stoppage time were the defining moments of a noisy, high-stakes encounter that delivered drama in abundance yet produced a result that felt earned for Liverpool. The officials’ handling of the incidents drew some backlash in the stands, but the on-field conclusions were clear: Liverpool took control after the break and held on through a testing finish.
The injury to Alexander Isak — described by reports as a knee issue that could be season-altering — will dominate the aftermath. A full diagnosis was expected in time, but the moment underscored the fragility of a night filled with momentum swings. For Liverpool, the win was a relief, a confirmation that their depth and rotation could yield goals even when the match’s early momentum trended toward the home side. For Tottenham, the night will be remembered for discipline issues, missed opportunities in the first hour, and the harsh arithmetic of playing with nine men against a capable opponent.
Tottenham will assess the impact of the injuries and suspensions in the coming days as Slot and his staff consider how best to reset. Frank’s Brentford side, referenced in the ball-by-ball chatter leading into the game, might have felt vindicated in part by Tottenham’s willingness to mix different shapes and lineups, but the six-point gap in the league standings remains a hurdle. Liverpool, by contrast, will take the points and the confidence, knowing that the winning margins in a chaotic encounter often reflect a team’s mental resilience as much as its technical prowess.
In the immediate aftermath, Isak’s injury cast a shadow over what had been a compelling contribution to Liverpool’s performance. The night added another layer to the season-long narrative of luck and misfortune in football, where a single moment can define a player's tenure at a club and influence a season’s trajectory. Whether Isak can return quickly and how Liverpool will manage without him in the short term remain to be seen, but the result stood: a hard-fought win for Liverpool, a dramatic, if imperfect, demonstration of Spurs’ ongoing struggle with discipline, and a night of football that could reverberate beyond the final whistle.