Another Missed Opportunity as Reds drop points again late on | OneFootball

Liverpool 1 – 1 Tottenham – PL Postmortem

By Steven Smith

After a week that saw Liverpool stumble through another sequence of inconsistent performances, this encounter at Anfield felt like an opportunity to steady the narrative. Instead, it became another frustrating chapter in a season that continues to oscillate between promise and disappointment.

With Tottenham arriving on Merseyside missing an extraordinary thirteen players through injury and suspension, the expectation inside Anfield was clear. Liverpool were supposed to control the contest, impose their superior depth and eventually overwhelm a weakened opponent.

What unfolded instead was a slow, lethargic performance that lacked aggression, urgency and conviction. Despite dominating possession and spending long stretches in Tottenham’s half, Liverpool rarely looked like a side determined to win the match.

In truth, the final result felt less like a surprise and more like the inevitable consequence of a team playing within itself.

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The Starting Eleven

Liverpool XI

• GK – Alisson Becker

• RB – Dominik Szoboszlai

• CB – Joe Gomez

• CB – Virgil van Dijk (c)

• LB – Milos Kerkez

• CM – Alexis Mac Allister

• CM – Ryan Gravenberch

• RW – Jeremie Frimpong

• AM – Florian Wirtz

• LW – Rio Ngumoha

• CF – Cody Gakpo

Substitutes Used

Mohamed Salah → Rio Ngumoha (64’)

Hugo Ekitike → Jeremie Frimpong (64’)

Curtis Jones → Florian Wirtz (64’)

Trey Nyoni → Cody Gakpo (83’)

Federico Chiesa → Alexis Mac Allister (90+1’)

Goals

Liverpool 1–0 Tottenham – Dominik Szoboszlai – 18’

Liverpool 1–1 Tottenham – Richarlison (Randal Kolo Miami) – 90’

Match Statistics

• Possession – Liverpool 63% | Tottenham 37%

• xG – Liverpool 1.67 | Tottenham 1.18

• Total Shots – Liverpool 17 | Tottenham 14

• Shots on Target – Liverpool 4 | Tottenham 7

• Fouls – Liverpool 8 | Tottenham 13

• Corners – Liverpool 3 | Tottenham 4

First Half

The opening half was a strange mixture of territorial dominance and attacking hesitation from Liverpool. Tottenham, depleted and clearly focused on surviving long stretches without the ball, set themselves up in a compact defensive block that invited Liverpool to play around them.

For long periods, the home side moved the ball slowly and without urgency. The tempo was predictable and the movement ahead of the ball was often static, allowing Tottenham to remain organised without needing to overextend themselves.

Yet Liverpool did eventually find a moment of quality.

In the 18th minute, Dominik Szoboszlai stepped forward and delivered a superb strike to open the scoring. It was a goal born from individual quality rather than sustained attacking pressure, but it appeared to place Liverpool in control of the contest.

Rather than accelerate after the breakthrough, however, Liverpool retreated into a passive rhythm. Tottenham gradually grew more comfortable, and while Alisson Becker was rarely under sustained pressure, the visitors began to show glimpses of attacking threat.

By half-time, Liverpool were ahead but far from convincing.

Second Half

The second half brought a continuation of Liverpool’s frustrating lack of urgency. Despite holding a lead against a heavily weakened opponent, the Reds rarely played with the aggression or intensity required to finish the contest.

Tottenham, to their credit, slowly grew into the match. They pressed higher at times and began to test Liverpool’s defensive structure more frequently. Alarmingly for the home side, it was the visitors who produced the more dangerous efforts on target as the game progressed.

Arne Slot attempted to change the momentum with a triple substitution on the hour mark, introducing Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Curtis Jones. The intention was clear — inject pace, energy and creativity into a game that had become stagnant.

But the changes never truly shifted the rhythm.

Liverpool remained slow in possession and careless in key moments, allowing Tottenham to remain within touching distance. As the match drifted toward its conclusion, the sense that Liverpool had left the door open became impossible to ignore.

That lingering vulnerability was punished in the 90th minute when Richarlison converted from close range after some bludgeoning work from Randal Kolo Miami. It was a crushing equaliser and one that had been quietly threatening to arrive throughout the half.

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Final Thoughts

This was a deeply frustrating performance from Liverpool.

Against a Tottenham side missing thirteen players, the Reds should have imposed themselves physically, tactically and mentally. Instead, they produced a display that was far too slow, far too cautious and far too comfortable with mediocrity.

The statistics show territorial control, yet they also reveal a worrying truth. Tottenham produced more shots on target and looked the more dangerous team when it mattered most.

Liverpool had the lead, the crowd and the talent advantage — but they lacked the aggression to close the game.

Dropping points at Anfield under these circumstances feels less like bad luck and more like the natural outcome of a team playing without urgency.

Another opportunity wasted.

Steven Smith’s Pre-Match Prediction:

Liverpool 4 – 1 Tottenham