An exhilarating afternoon in north London saw Tottenham and Liverpool battle to an incredibly eventful 2-2 draw.
Tottenham, had they been more clinical in front of goal, had every right to take all three points against the Reds. Antonio Conte should be extremely proud of his team after putting forth an inspired collective effort.
Here are the player ratings from a riveting match of Premier League football. And full credit to Spurs for the way they acquitted themselves after such a trying two weeks behind the scenes.
Defence
Hugo Lloris 8/10
As expected, Hugo Lloris had to be alert against a dynamic Liverpool attack. Lloris made a brilliant kick save on Alexander-Arnold’s close-range volley and also cleared his line smartly throughout.
Ben Davies 6.5/10
Ben Davies got caught out on Liverpool’s equalizer. His touch, after smartly intercepting, let him down, allowing Andrew Robertson to take back possession and put the ball on a plate for Diogo Jota’s precise header. It was the only real defect on Davies’ afternoon of work. He got a flick on a corner early in the second half, which eventually fell to Harry Kane, whose header from two yards out agonizingly looped over the bar and onto the top netting.
Eric Dier 7.5/10
Eric Dier was pretty steady throughout and made a couple of key blocks. He also made a few key clearing headers. While the Englishman was beaten in the air on occasion by Jota, he avoided making any egregious mistakes. To no fault of his own, he was pulled out of position on Liverpool’s equalizer. However, it was Davies’ mistake that condemned the entire backline.
Davinson Sanchez 6.5/10
An incredibly eventful match for the Colombian, who was seemingly at the centre of everything. He made a woeful start to the match, coughing up possession in the opening minutes and then allowing Robertson to have an open header, which missed narrowly. He then made up for it with a perfectly timed last-gasp slide tackle on Mane. Davinson, in the second half, played a magnificent through ball to Dele, who wasn’t quite able to bring it down. On the resultant Liverpool attack, Jota got the better of Davinson, whose desperate lung deflected the ball to an awaiting Mo Salah on the back post. Liverpool eventually, despite Salah’s handball, scored the go-ahead goal.
Midfield
Ryan Sessegnon 7/10
An accomplished match from Ryan Sessegnon, he impressed throughout, got forward and didn’t make any needless mistakes. A strong performance. And a positive overall sign for Spurs.
Emerson Royal 7/10
Emerson Royal made a few wayward passes but was a central part of Spurs’ lively performance. He was on the receiving end of a horrific Robertson tackle, which rightly earned the Scotsman a red card. Royal was lively and troubled Robertson, but also needs to shore up his defensive work and nullify his propensity for a poor pass.
Harry Winks 9/10
Harry Winks was the standout player, an incredibly pleasing sight for Tottenham supporters, especially after the Englishman’s well-documented recent struggles. He made two brilliant tackles to start the match, one of which led directly to Kane’s opening goal. Winks’ outstanding defensive work in the centre of the park was complemented perfectly by numerous top-notch passes. Winks finally proved that he can play incisive passes, as he, on numerous occasions, including on Spurs’ equalizer, showed his ability to play a seeing-eye through ball.
Tanguy Ndombele 7/10
Tanguy showed, as we’ve become used to, moments of brilliance. His perfect through ball set up Kane’s opener. He disappeared for portions of the match, but put in a fairly commendable outing given how long he’s been absent from the first team. He coughed up possession needlessly once or twice. Thankfully those giveaways didn’t cause further damage.
Forwards and Subs
Harry Kane 7.5/10
Was lively and spry throughout, showing the tenacity Spurs need from their talisman. His fantastic first half finish marked just his second top flight goal. Kane should have scored two more and missed a couple of sitters. If he plays like that every week, bundles of goals will follow. Like Dele, his final touch, aside from the goal, let him down. Kane almost got it picture perfect for Son in the first half, but played the ball inches too far in front of the South Korean, whose stretched finish narrowly missed.
Son Heung-min 8/10
Sonny, like Kane, was lively and dangerous on the counter. He set up Dele on a plate and scored Spurs’ equalizer. The South Korean always puts in a workmanlike performance. Though, like his attacking colleagues, could have been slightly sharper with his final touch.
Dele Alli 7/5/10
While Dele should have scored and could have been more crisp with his final touch, he was wholeheartedly committed in everything he did. Spurs supporters should be extremely proud of the way Dele acquitted himself. He gave the Reds a lot to think about with his late, darting runs. It was reminiscent of the Dele from a few years past. Again, his final touch let him down. Otherwise he’d be looking at a 9/10.
Oliver Skipp 6.5/10
Oliver Skipp got half an hour to try make a proper impact on proceedings. He fared well in his stint off the bench.