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Thomas Frank: “I think the game’s gone if that’s a red card”
“First and foremost I’m extremely proud of the players and the team,” says the Spurs boss in an interview with the BBC. “I think they gave everything and showed unbelievable mentality and worked very hard on how to deal with setbacks.
“The way they responded to several setbacks was immense. The first one is the first red, which I think … I’ve seen it given before but I don’t like it. I don’t like those types of red cards because I think the game is gone if that’s a red card. I don’t think it’s a reckless tackle. I don’t think it’s exceptional force. We have the referee call and that was a yellow so that’s why I don’t think that’s a red.
“We dealt well with that. The players stayed in the game, defended well, kept going. Then we concede the first goal, and then the second one is a big mistake. Two hands in the back from the striker – as far as I know the laws of football you are not allowed to do that. That’s fine to happen on the pitch, the referees are only human but then the VAR bails you out, which they didn’t do.
“We stayed in the game, kept going, scored a very good goal for 2-1 and keep fighting. Then I think the second yellow to Cuti [Romero], you have a little feel of the game. Two big boys fighting, Konate is going through him and his foot lands on his head, no yellow. Then there’s a little movement from Cuti but I don’t think it’s a second yellow when you feel the game. We stayed there and did well in terms of dealing with it.”
ShareHugo Ekitike: “You have to play smart”
“It wasn’t our best game, a difficult game, but we had the control,” says the Liverpool striker. “It was difficult in the last part of the second half because they pushed and they scored. We kept the result and we go back to Liverpool with the win, that is the most important thing.
On tottenham’s reduced numbers: “It is never easy [to play against 10 and then nine men]. They play at home, the fans push them and they have more energy, more than at the start. That makes it more difficult, so you have to play smart and to fight for every ball.
On scoring again: “The best feeling as a striker. You need goals. The most important is the win and to play with confidence, and obviously if I can help with goals. The first goal I helped with the pass before the assist, so I try to help the team the best as I can and that’s the most important.”
ShareArne Slot on Alex Isak: “We’ll have to wait and see”
“Three points away at Spurs is very nice,” says Liverpool’s head coach in an interview with the BBC. “It is a difficult stadium to go to, a good team to play against. Of course they lost last week so today they wanted to make it up in front of their fans. For us the aim was to win again because we need wins to let the league table look better for us and eventually that’s what we did.”
On the injury to Alexander Isak “We’ll have to wait and see,” he says. “It is too short after the game to speak about it but it is never good when a player has to come off. I took Frimpong off because I did not want to be with ten men, so that injury is fine. The other two [Isak and Bradley] we’ll have to wait and see. The good thing is that we have a week to go so hopefully we have enough players available to play next week again.
On hanging on against nine men: “It’s unbelievable if you play against nine men that I would not be surprised if for the nine minutes they had the ball for eight and half. That is not what you expect and maybe that tells you where we are in this season. We need a few more wins to get a bit more comfortable with setbacks. The thing that keeps in your mind is the last ten minutes but there was a lot more to like in the first 80-90 minutes.”
ShareTottenham Hotspur 1-2 Liverpool
Premier League match report: Neither side could present an authentic impression of itself on an evening when Liverpool were left clinging on for dear life at the death against nine-man Spurs. Nick Ames reports from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium …
Jeremie Frimpong: Despite not getting deliberately elbowed, Liverpool’s substituted substitue is still unhappy. As the players left the pitch, he engaged Hugo Ekitike in animated converation, repeatedly pointing to the very minor laceration on his lip. It would be fair to say that Ekitike doesn’t care. Perhaps Frimpong will get a more sympathetic audience from Alexander Isak, who in scoring Liverpool’s opener sustained an ankle injury that looked as if it might keep him sidelined for quite some time.
Here’s a question: On the Guardian subs’ desk, Tim Knowles has noticed that Conor Bradley was replaced by Alexander Isak, who was subsequently replaced by Jeremie Frimpong, who was then replaced by Federico Chiesa. “Has the sub of a sub ever been subbed off before?” he and reader Richard Hirst ask. It’s one for the Christmas dinner table, if things get quiet.
An email: “I’ve heard of desperately getting Christmas cards in before it’s too late but Spurs have taken it to a new level,” writes Peter Oh, who appears to have hit a rich vein of form which almost certainly won’t last. “Merry Christmas,” he adds, a sentiment I would like to echo to all our readers.
ShareFull time: Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool
Premier League: With Spurs down to 10 men after the dismissal of Xavi Simons, Liverpool looked home and hosed after taking a two-goal lead courtesy of excellent goals from Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike. Shortly after coming on as a sub, Richarlison grabbed a lifeline for Spurs and with Liverpool visibly creaking, Christian Romero earned himself a second yellow for a petulant and completely stupid kick at Ibrahima Konate. Liverpool have won at the death but were forced to cling on by the skin of their teeth against hosts who finished the game with nine men.
90+10 min: We’re into time for assorted other kitchen fittings added on to kitchen sink time and Spurs have a free-kick inside their own half. Vicario launches the ball, it’s half-cleared and Odobert sends a cross flashing across the face of the Liverpool goal. Alisson paws the ball away before anyone in a white shirt can connect with it. It’s all over and Liverpool have won against nine-man Spurs!
90+9 min: Liverpool double-substitution: Andy Robertson and Trey Nyoni replace Ekitike and Wirtz.
90+7 min: Odobert is booked., Mac Allister is booked. A lot of players on this pitch seem to be hoping for Christmas off but so far it’s just Frimpong, Szoboszlai and Romero who will have free rein to get stuck into the turkey, hame, roasties and mince pies.
90+6 min: A low Porro shot at the near post takes anick off Kerkez and needs some saving by Alisson.
90+4 min: Porro takes the ree-kick won by the recently departed Romero and Alisson saves with a minimum of fuss. I must say, this is tremendous fun.
ShareRED CARD! Spurs are down to nine men!
Christian Romero is dismissed! On the ground after being fouled by Konate, Romero kicks out at the Liverpool defender as both players were rising to their feet. Already on a yellow, he is sent off. Dearie me, that is beyond idiotic but not entirely out of character.
Cristian Romero has a dig at Ibrahima Konate. Silly boy. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty ImagesCristian Romero is dismissed. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/ReutersShare
Updated at 14.32 EST
90+2 min: From looking home and hosed, Liverpool seem quite panicked and now Romero and Konate have a mini-tussle after the visiting defender clambers all over the Argentinian’s back. And Romero has been sent off!!!
90+1 min: We’ll have nine minutes of added time and Tottenham’s players smell blood. Metaphorical blood, I hasten to add. Not the few drops of claret just spilled by Jeremie Frimpong.
88 min: Frimpong goes down, claiming to have been elbowed by Richarlison. He’s bleeding from his lip but replays show that while the Brazilian may have caught him with a flailing arm, there was zero intent. Liverpool substitution: having completely lost his head, a furious, crowd-baiting Frimpong is replaced by Federico Chiesa.
86 min: From holding a seemingly unassailable lead against 10 men, Liverpool are all over the place! Curtis Jones loses the ball and Pedro Porro plays Richarlison through on goal. He’s not the quickest, three Liverpool defenders scramble back in desperation and Konate blocks his shot. That was close – Spurs win another corner, which Porro wastes.
ShareThe goal stands!
And rightfully so. There was nothing wrong with that. Dominik Szoboszlai is booked and Micky van de Ven follows him into the book in short order for a lunge on Mac Allister. Szoboszlai will miss Liverpool’s next game, against Wolves. One imagines they’ll cope.
ShareGOAL! Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool (Richarlison 82)
Spurs pull one back! Liverpool fail to clear Porro’s outswinger. Van Dijk swipes and misses the ball completely, Richarlison shoots low into the corner from about seven yards. There’s a VAR check and I honestly have no idea why.
Substitute Richarlison grabs one back for Spurs! Photograph: Dylan Martinez/ReutersRicharlison celebrates by getting in Szoboszlai’s face. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 14.18 EST
81 min: Richarlison immediately wins a free-kick, which Porro curls into the Liverpool box. Van Dijk puts the ball out for a corner.
80 min: Spurs substitution: Richarlison on, Kolo Muani off.
79 min: Ibrahimma Konate has his name taken for a foul on Randal Kolo Muani, prompting presumably ironic cheers from the home crowd for the referee. They’ve had precious little else to cheer about this evening.
75 min: “Is there a rule I wasn’t aware of where a foul doesn’t get considered for a card if the player you’re fouling scores?” asks Tom of the challenge on Isak as he fired goalwards. “Under any other circumstances and anywhere else ok the pitch, that challenge by Van de Ven is at least being looked at.”
Well, everything is looked at these days but if it was a foul and one worth no more than a yellow, then my understanding is that VAR are allowed to intervene. I’d need to check but I’m a bit busy at the moment!
73 min: Liverpool turn the screw and Florian Wirtz misses an extremely presentable chance with a far post volley across the face of goal after some excellent build-up play from Szoboszlai and Frimpong. The flag goes up and his blushes are spared.
71 min: Spurs double-substitution: Wilson Odobert and Joao Palhinha on for Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall.
69 min: There’s a yellow card for somebody on the Spurs bench, possibly Frank or one of his assistants.
ShareGOAL! Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool (Ekitike 66)
Liverpool double their lead! Hugo Ekitike outjumps and outmuscles Christian Romero to connect with a Jeremie Frimpong cross from the right and power a header past Vicario, into the top corner. That’s a terrific header. Romero complains about being fouled but in truth, he was just bullied.
Hugo Ekitike beats Romero to the header to make it two! Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/ReutersHave that. Photograph: Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 14.04 EST
66 min: Spurs go close to nabbing an equaliser when a Muani shot takes a wicked delfection, loops over Alisson and caresses the cross bar. I thought that was going to drop into the goal!
63 min: So, back to that goal. Romero gave the ball away with an inexplicably bad pass that was intercepted by Wirtz. The Argentinian then compounded his error by charging out to try and retrieve the ball, leaving a gaping hole in the Spurs defence. Wirtz promptly took advantage, sliding the ball through to Isak, whose finish was as tidy as it was costly. It looks like he might have suffered a serious ankle injury as a result of Micky van de Ven’s last-ditch effort to prevent him shooting.
62 min: Tottenham substitution just after the goal: Brennan Johnson on for Mohammed Kudus.
59 min: Micky van de Ven slid in to try and block just as Isak pulled the trigger and he caught the Liverpool striker’s ankle in a kind of scissors motion between his two meaty thighs. The stretcher comes on but Isak elects to limp off with the assistance of two medics. He’s replaced by Jeremie Frimpong.
ouch! Photograph: Chris Foxwell/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 13.56 EST
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Liverpool (Isak 56)
Liverpool lead! A Romero clearance is blocked, Wirtz slide the ball into the path of a darting Isak run and the Swede fires past Vicario before getting clattered by Van de Ven. Isak eschews any form of celebration in going down hurt again. He’s flat on his back.
Isak beats Vicario to break the deadlock! Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images/ReutersShare
Updated at 13.51 EST
54 min: Liverpool win a corner. Szoboszlai hits the ball long past the far post, it finds its way to Curtis Jones and moments later Isak goes to ground, writhing in pain after Bentancur had caught him on the inner thigh while following through as he hacked the ball clear. It’s technically not a foul but it looks like it ought to be.
52 min: A vaguely promising move (it’s all relative!) upfield involving Muani, Bergvall and Spence breaks down when the Englishman runs into traffic and loses the ball.
50 min: Porro breaks upfield and slides the ball wide to Kudus on the right. He looks up to survey his options and … passes the ball backwards. The groan from the crowd is audiable. It’s worth noting that Tottenham were at this sort of resolutely unambitious craic even before the first half dismissal of Xavi Simons.
48 min: Florian Wirtz picks out a Kerkez run to the byline but the Hungarian international’s pull-back into the penalty area is intercepted and cleared by Archie Gray. Spurs are immediately under the cosh in this second half.
47 min: A Szoboszlai cross into the Spurs box is headed clear by Micky van de Ven.
ShareSecond half: Tottenham 0-0 Liverpool
46 min: Play resumes and Liverpool have brought on Alexander Isak in place of Conor Bradley, who finished the first half hobbling. Szoboszlai moves to right-back.
An email: “Did Spurs already fire their manager and hire Diego Simone when we weren’t looking?” asks Richard McGahey. “The level of cynical, physical play is quite something.”
More punditry: “I don’t think that was a red,” writes Peter Oh. “At most, the clumsy challenge by one Dutch international on another deserved an Oranje.” Boom!
Oranje Boom, geddit?
An email: Tottenham fan Nico is here to defend the indefensible. “As a Spurs fan I do believe that challenge is stupid, reckless and a probably a red card to some,” he begins and you know what b-word is coming next. “But also looks far worse in slo-mo than it actually is. A yellow was enough for the ref and there isn’t any evidence to suggest a ‘clear and obvious error’.
“I believe playing replays to the on-field official in real time means we will see less on-field decisions overturned with no further communication from the (tossing) VAR, and removes the pantomime of the ref jogging over to waste minutes of the fans’ time for a foregone conclusion.
“Can we either just overturn the decision and save the sanity of everyone involved or ask the grown-up question, how is repeated slow motion replays with a person in your ear saying ‘you’ve got this wrong’ a fair review?”
I mean, Tottenham’s players have been wasting hours on end of their fans’ time at their own stadium for well over a year now but if you want to get stuck into the ref for hijacking 60 seconds of it in order to show a red card that could not be more justified, fill your boots. Interestingly, on Sky’s coverage, Daniel Sturridge concurs with the “looks worse in slo-mo” defence, then follows up with the “he’s not that kind of player” doozie. You love to see it!
ShareTottenham 0-0 Liverpool
Half-time: A half of little or no quality ends with the deadlock still intact but Spurs down to 10 men following the dismissal of Xavi Simons for a nasty challenge on Virgil van Dijk that was originally deemed worthy of a booking, only to be upgraded after video assistant referee Stuart Attwell advised John Brooks to have another look on his pitchside monitor. Before Ximons got his marching order, Spurs had the pick of what few chances there were, with Randal Kolo Muani heading weakly at Alisson from six yards when he had plenty of goal to aim at.
45+5 min: Liverpool corner. Szoboszlai’s corner is half-cleared towards Wirtz, whose piledriver is blocked by Rodrgio Bentancur. It’s half-time.
45+4 min: Vicario makes a mess of a clearance and looks accusingly at the turf. Spurs get away with it and clear the ball, despite their own pitch appearing to join the referee and the media in conspiring against them.
45+2 min: Bradley continues to receive treatment with referee John Brooks and Alisson looking on. He gets to his feet and limps to the touchline before being summoned back on.
45 min: Spence picks Bradley’s pocket and canters up the inside left. He advances towards the Liverpool penalty area and goes down under a “challenge” from the backtrackling Liverpool full-back. Despite Spence’s appeals for a penalty, it was no more than an accidental collision. Bradley remains on the floor receiving treatment.
43 min: Another Liverpool corner leads to a Spurs counter-attack, this one begun by Romero and ended when Bergvall runs into retreating traffic. Spurs are playing (even) more defensively since Simons’ dismissal but are looking very dangerous on the break.
40 min: Liverpool corner. Sobozslai’s inswinger is punched clear by Vicario, who sends Kudus on his way. He picks out Porro with a crossfield pass but the Spaniard’s cross into the Liverpool penalty area is a little wild and too powerful for Djed Spence to connect with.
38 min: Alisson wins a 50-50 ball with Muani, is unable to hold on to it and then has to win another 50-50 with Kudus after the ball is hoyed towards no-mans land near the edge of the Liverpool box. Good(ish) goalkeeping.
37 min: Florian Wirtz plays a give and go with Kerkez before ferreting his way into the Tottenham penalty area and pulling the ball back towards Ekitike. Spurs clear before he can get a shot away.
34 min: The only scant consolation for Tottenham is that Simons might as well not have been on the field for the opening half-hour. That snide, nasty, completely needless foul on Van Dijk was his first contribution of note since he got the ball rolling at kick-off. On the plus side for Simons, he gets Christmas and the new year off.