Salah brace powers Liverpool to 2-1 win over Tottenham in North London

After suffering shock defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United in their last two fixtures, Liverpool got their Premier League season back on track in North London with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Mohammed Salah’s first-half brace gave Liverpool the early advantage, but Harry Kane halved the deficit in the 70th minute to set up a grandstand finish. The Reds withstood wave after wave of Tottenham attacks in the second period but eventually held on till the end to secure their maiden away victory of the Premier League season.

Liverpool won only four of their opening 12 league games heading into this fixture, but Jurgen Klopp’s side came out flying from the blocks to unsettle Tottenham early on. Darwin Nunez tested Hugo Lloris in the opening five minutes with a shot from the left wing, and the Uruguayan played a central role in creating Liverpool’s opener. The former Benfica man received the ball from Robertson in the penalty area before finding an unmarked Mohamed Salah, who turned and shot emphatically into the bottom corner to put the Reds 1-0 in front.

Tottenham produced an immediate response to going behind with an Ivan Perisic header ricocheting off Alisson and onto the post before the Brazilian registered another fine save to deny Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Spurs also had a big penalty claim turned down by the officials, with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s challenge on Ryan Sessegnon in the box not deemed as excessive force by the referee or the VAR.

Liverpool retained their threat in behind Tottenham’s defence with the pace of Nunez and Mohammed Salah, and the Egyptian doubled the Reds’ tally after pouncing on a cataclysmic error from Eric Dier in the 40^th minute. The Englishman miscued his header to Hugo Lloris from an Alisson long-ball, with Salah capitalising on the mistake and chipping the Frenchman to score his ninth goal in his last eight appearances in all competitions.

Tottenham were greeted by some boos from the home fans at the half-time whistle, but Antonio Conte’s side displayed a renewed energy in the second period as they looked to get back in the contest. Ivan Perisic struck the woodwork for the second occasion in the match following Sessegnon’s cut-back, and Dejan Kulusevski’s return after seven weeks out due to injury spurred the home team.

The Swedish winger made an instant impact upon his introduction, releasing Harry Kane, who found the bottom corner to make it 2-1. Spurs pushed desperately in the search for an equaliser in the closing stages, but through some brave defending from Konate and crucial interventions from Alisson, the Reds held on to grab a much-needed three points on their travels.

This win puts Liverpool in eighth place on the table, seven points behind rivals Tottenham Hotspur in fourth with a game in hand.