Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
- Goals: Jordan Henderson (£5.4m), Mohamed Salah (£12.4m) | Harry Kane (£10.8m)
- Assists: Sadio Mane (£11.8m) | Son Heung-min (£9.7m)
- Bonus: Paulo Gazzaniga (£4.4m) x3, Henderson x2, Kane x1
Mohamed Salah‘s (£12.4m) owners are back where they were a fortnight ago, with the Egyptian flagged in Fantasy Premier League with an ankle injury.
Sunday was a rollercoaster day for the 30% or so of FPL managers who have kept faith with the premium midfielder amid the mass exodus of recent weeks.
With his absence from Friday’s training ground images already causing concern, there were the usual baseless rumours circulating in the hours before kick-off which suggested that the Egypt international was set to miss the visit of Tottenham Hotspur.
The speculation amounted to nothing and Salah resumed his place in Liverpool’s front three, going on to register his first league goal since Gameweek 5 to hand the Reds all three points.
Just when all was right with the world again, Salah hit the deck in the game’s closing stages and was swiftly substituted, with the Egyptian walking gingerly from the field and subsequently spotted with an ice pack on his ankle.
Jurgen Klopp confirmed after full-time that it was the same issue that has blighted his star winger for the last three weeks, saying first to Sky Sports:
Mo is the same ankle, it just gets sore the longer the game goes on. It’s not a massive issue, that will disappear one day, but it’s still a bit there at the moment.
Asked about the Egyptian’s injury in his post-match press conference, Klopp added:
It’s good. But the longer the game goes, the more you get a bit tired, could get a knock on it, then you feel it more. Makes no sense to try to push it through because we had other players, options to change. No, nothing serious.
Salah wasn’t the only well-owned Liverpool asset to be “yellow-flagged” in FPL after the conclusion of Sunday’s game, with Virgil van Dijk (£6.5m) also picking up a knock.
There doesn’t seem to be too much concern over the 45.1%-owned Dutchman, however, with Klopp saying after the game:
Virgil, I think got a dead leg which will be fine, it’s painful but it should be fine.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) had come into this match as a slight doubt himself but shook off the virus that caused him to miss the win over Genk to keep up his ever-present league record in 2019/20.
It was a frustrating afternoon for owners of Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk and Andrew Robertson (£6.9m), who saw their clean sheet wiped out within 47 seconds when Harry Kane (£10.8m) nodded Spurs ahead.
No club has shipped fewer goals than Liverpool this season but, by virtue of Klopp’s side conceding exactly once on eight separate occasions, only two teams (Spurs and Norwich City) have registered fewer clean sheets.
Given their otherwise respectable underlying defensive statistics, it seems only a matter of time before the Reds start to register shut-outs again.
Despite the clean sheet drought, Robertson and Alexander-Arnold are joint-third among FPL defenders for total points, mostly thanks to their endeavours at the other end of the pitch.
It was to be an infuriating match on that front, too, with Alexander-Arnold creating more chances than any other Premier League player in Gameweek 10 but ultimately blanking for the third game in a row, if we are to discount the bonus point picked up in the 2-1 win over Leicester.
Van Dijk and Sadio Mane (£10.8m) couldn’t convert the best of the headed opportunities that Alexander-Arnold supplied, while Roberto Firmino (£9.6m) failed to squeeze a second-half effort through the legs of the busy Paulo Gazzaniga (£4.4m) from the Liverpool right-back’s throw.
Just as Alexander-Arnold’s De Bruyne-esque deliveries went unrewarded, so did Robertson’s prominence in the final third.
The Scotland international wasn’t quite as productive as his opposite full-back but was a constant outlet down the left flank, getting into some threatening positions and producing an excellent cross that Firmino perhaps should have buried just after the interval.
Gazzaniga kept that effort out from the Brazilian and was to be a thorn in Liverpool’s side all afternoon, making a remarkable 12 saves over the course of the 90 minutes.
A smart double-stop from Salah and Firmino in the 27th minute was a sign of things to come, as Spurs’ backup goalkeeper went on to repel a van Dijk header, an Alexander-Arnold drive and numerous other decent chances that the Reds carved out.
After seven saves, Gazzaniga was finally beaten just after half-time when Jordan Henderson (£5.4m) half-volleyed in Liverpool’s equaliser.
While there was an element of frustration that there weren’t more attacking returns, owners of Mane (who won Liverpool’s decisive penalty), Salah and Firmino would have been consoled by the attacking manner of the Reds’ performance, particularly with a favourable fixture swing coming up.
Reflecting on the game, Klopp said:
We were in charge, we pushed them back, played really good football, created chances in the first and second half, super saves of the goalie of Tottenham – wow, what a game he had.
The first goal we scored, I loved because in other games maybe when the striker goes down and everybody is shouting for a penalty, there are maybe players around who switch off a little bit but Hendo was not bothered by that and finished that situation off. Really important, really nice.
The second goal is a sensational counter-press situation of Sadio; having the ball, losing it, losing it twice, coming in front of the opponent and then he kicks your calf, that is a super, super situation. We won it, we deserved it and I am really happy about the performance.
While Liverpool deserved their win, Spurs played their part in an absorbing encounter.
Son Heung-min (£9.7m) was desperately unlucky not to get on the scoresheet, first striking the post with a deflected effort in the first minute and then rattling the crossbar when rounding Alisson (£5.8m) just after the break.
The first of those efforts did, at least, result in a Fantasy assist as the rebound fell to Kane to nod Spurs in front.
The Lilywhites ceded a lot of possession but were a threat at either end of the game, with Kane overhitting a pass to Dele Alli (£8.4m) with the goal gaping, the otherwise poor Christian Eriksen (£8.7m) skewing a volley narrowly wide and Danny Rose (£5.4m) squandering a late chance.
Spurs have some fairly appealing fixtures coming up and they have looked better for the move to a flexible 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 over the last week, with Son maintaining his goal threat despite a move to the left flank.
Security of starts remains a concern regarding many of their Fantasy assets, though: nine different Spurs midfielders have started at least one league game this season, with the fit-again Giovani Lo Celso (£7.3m) another option to factor in on top of that.
Mauricio Pochettino hinted at further rotation in the weeks to come when talking specifically of substitute Tanguy Ndombele (£6.0m) after the game:
With 29 players in the squad, it’s so important to rotate and keep them all motivated to play. He played on Tuesday in the Champions League and I think Harry Winks was fresh to play.
That’s normal and what we need from players from the bench to make an impact. But of course, he’s doing good passes. He’s fresh. That’s normal. If it’s the opposite we have a problem.
The ever-present Kane, meanwhile, is one of the most “nailed” premium options in FPL but despite starting ten matches in a row, has still scored fewer points than any of the £10.0m+ options.
At the other end, Gazzaniga obviously appeals because of his budget price tag.
Save points look guaranteed – Spurs have allowed more shots on target than all teams bar Norwich this season – but clean sheets may be harder to come by: no Premier League club has fewer of those (one) in 2019/20.
The fairly awful displays of Rose and Serge Aurier (£4.8m) at full-back at Anfield on Sunday particularly highlighted their weaknesses in defence.
Rose will now be suspended for Gameweek 11 after collecting his fifth booking of the season.
Erik Lamela (£5.9m) missed out on the trip to Merseyside, meanwhile, with Pochettino saying ahead of kick-off:
He suffered a small problem with his thigh yesterday in training. This morning he was checked by the doctor and the decision was made that he couldn’t be involved. We hope it’s not a big issue.
Liverpool XI (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Wijnaldum (Milner 77′); Salah (Gomez 84‘), Firmino (Origi 90′), Mane.
Tottenham Hotspur XI (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Aurier (Moura 83′), Alderweireld, Sanchez, Rose; Sissoko, Winks (Ndombele 62‘), Alli; Eriksen (Lo Celso 87‘), Son; Kane.
4 years, 5 months agoGood morning, football fantasists.