How Tottenham Hotspur can beat Liverpool on Sunday in EPL

1 of 2

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 28: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur is injured in this tackle with Thiago Alcantara of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 28, 2021, in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

Liverpool FC has only lost once in the Premier League thus far in the 2021/22 season, so what does Tottenham need to do if Spurs are to top the Reds.

West Ham is the only club to beat Liverpool this season, winning at London Stadium. That day, the Hammers benefited from an Allison own-goal, to take an early lead en route to the 3-2 win. That early own goal gave the Hammers a lead that did not last until half-time and then two second-half-goals were just enough to hold off the Reds, who took nine of their 16 shots in the second half.

Tottenham certainly cannot count on an own-goal but the Hammer victory shows Liverpool can be beaten. Absent a freebie or two from the Liverpool defence, here are the keys to Tottenham taking all three points in north London on Sunday evening.

Tottenham needs to score first

Liverpool has dropped points in the league on five occasions thus far in their campaign, in three of those five matches, the Reds fell behind. Both Brighton and Manchester City have come back on Liverpool to earn draws, however, that is not the advisable approach.

Typically, if Liverpool scores first, they also are the team who scores second too, having netted at least two goals without a response in 11 matches this season. While Tottenham is coming off a layoff, making this match very tricky. Still, the Lilywhites have been starting well under Antonio Conte.

In each of their last two wins, Tottenham has scored first and done so within the first 15 minutes. Spurs scored at 12 minutes in the 2-0 win over Brentford and at the 10-minute mark in the 3-0 win over Norwich.

In 10 matches under Nuno Espirito Santo, Tottenham scored only once in the first 15-minutes – at the 10-minute mark in the 0-1 win over Wolverhampton. I am not saying the last two matches are a trend but scoring early twice from four matches does bode well for Spurs in comparison to earlier this season. If Tottenham is to have success on Sunday, scoring the first goal will certainly help.