Tottenham outlasted Liverpool 2-1 in the final seconds to hand them their first loss of the new Premier League seasons.
Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool
With Cody Gakpo erasing Son Heung-min’s opening goal on the verge of halftime, the Reds appeared on route for what would have been a surprisingly valuable point despite being reduced to nine men following the dismissals of Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota.
Joel Matip, though, scored on his own goal late to give Spurs the victory and prolong their winning streak.
Here, we examine five talking points from what was a disappointing loss.
Spurs and Liverpool play in different leagues.
Klopp and his team will undoubtedly have a very difficult time looking for the positives after losing in such tragic circumstances.
But make no mistake, this encounter provided more evidence that they will likely be competing for the crown this season rather than battling it out with Tottenham for fourth.
Despite all the anticipation surrounding Spurs going into this match, Liverpool dominated on their own field until Jones was sent off.
Even when reduced to nine men, Klopp’s squad displayed a cohesion and intelligence that suggests they are bound for great things this season. The way they continued to equal the hosts and create chances after the first red card also demonstrated who the superior team was.
Losing hurts, but not quite as much when it is so obvious that such a talented squad has suffered it.
Questions must be asked over red card tally
You have to wonder what has changed when a club that has previously topped the Premier League fair play table in five consecutive seasons under its current management receives four red cards in just seven games.
No, despite how enticing it might be to think otherwise, Jurgen Klopp’s team has not suddenly turned out to be extremely dishonest or that they are the victims of some massive refereeing plot.
But it ought to be obvious to everyone at the PGMOL that something is off with the rulings Liverpool has received so far this season.
Jones was extremely unlucky to receive a red card for a foul in which a wet ball was more at fault than he was, and while Diogo Jota’s second yellow card was an insane decision, the first was just absurd.
Injury to impressive Gakpo a concern
You may even ask if Cody Gakpo would have received the starting nod if Darwin Nunez had been confident in his ability to do so.
The Dutchman’s astute pressing and careful management of possession often play a crucial role in important away games like this one.
Additionally, as he demonstrated before to his regrettable early exit, he is fully aware of where the back of the net is.
Gakpo has been as crucial as any player to what is still a great start to the season, so Klopp will be crossing his fingers that his injury is not catastrophic.
Phenomenal Matip deserved better end
It was a bold move by Klopp to select Matip over the recently recovered and more nimble Ibrahima Konate for this match.
The former Cameroon international gave a superb performance that more than thoroughly justified his selection, even though his late own goal proved to be the game-winning moment.
As Liverpool clung on, the 10 clearances he made over the course of the 90 minutes attest to his ability to be in the right position at the right time, and the five aerials he won highlight how dominant he was the entire time.
However, like so many Liverpool players, Matip deserves to leave the city with his head held high. In this case, the attention may well be on that regrettable contribution at the very end.
And if this is to be his final season donning the fabled red, it appears that he is keen to go having once again displayed his best qualities.
More to come on Diaz ‘goal’?
The quickness with which a spectacular Luis Diaz first-half goal was disallowed for what appeared to be a slight offside gave off the wrong impression.
Only last week, VAR nearly committed an egregious error when it nearly disallowed a Brentford goal against Everton by focusing on the incorrect phase of play; however, the error was quickly fixed.
The PGMOL has not responded to inquiries about this issue, which is concerning given that it would be simple to duplicate the computations that demonstrate Diaz’s superiority against Cristian Romero.
After an afternoon in which they controlled, let’s hope Liverpool doesn’t regret another refereeing judgment.
