Tottenham must beat Liverpool to keep title hopes alive

Tottenham Hotspur must take all three points when they host Liverpool tonight to remain title contenders. 

Usually satisfied with a draw against last season’s Premier League champions, Tottenham, if they have any ambition of catching Manchester City atop the table, can no longer be content with a share of the spoils against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

City, with an extra game played, are eight points and four teams clear of Spurs. A win would put Tottenham five points behind with 18 matches to play. Five points is a gap, with a bit of luck and a string of excellent results, easily bridged.

A larger gap, however, will prove insurmountable, especially as City have already endured a run of poor form, one they’re unlikely to repeat. They are once again firing on all cylinders, recently swatting away all comers effortlessly, with a fluid bravado reminiscent of their 2019 title winning campaign.

So it’s up to Spurs to take no prisoners when Liverpool invade Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight. Winless in five, Liverpool are in the midst of their worst run of the campaign. Their away form is even worse; The Reds have picked up a single win in their last eight away top flight matches. Frustration is clearly billowing in Klopp’s camp.

This dire run has shown just how much Liverpool rely on Virgil van Dijk, whose long-term injury hampered severely their chance of repeating as champions. It would be too simplistic to put Liverpool’s struggles solely on Van Dijk’s injury. His absence certainly hasn’t helped matters, but Liverpool’s form is down to a number of factors, including a rash of injuries and an uncustomary propensity of being wasteful in front of goal.

Spurs have a rare chance to keep a lead foot on Liverpool’s collective head, not allowing Klopp’s men to come up for air.

Beating the Reds is a tall order, though, as both Jose Mourinho and Tottenham have struggled against their Liverpudlian foes. The Lilywhites have lost five league matches in a row against Liverpool. Never in Spurs’ storied history have they lost six in a row to the Reds. Tonight’s match represents a chance for Spurs to end that narrative.

A home draw will not suffice, especially after the way Spurs lost in the final minutes to Liverpool at Anfield earlier in the season. A draw would leave Tottenham a point behind Liverpool and one off West Ham, who are surprisingly nestled in the all-important fourth place.

It’s time for Spurs to go for Liverpool’s elusive jugular and show a killer instinct that has been lacking for most of the season.

A historic win can inject Spurs with the confidence they’ll require to make a run at the frontrunners, while further depriving last year’s champions of the oxygen they need to spark to life.