Tottenham performance not bad against Liverpool, result was

Antonio Conte was pleased with his team’s effort and performance, which was understandable because Spurs were not bad against Liverpool. Nevertheless, while the performance was not bad, the loss to Liverpool was a bad result for Tottenham Hotspur. 

Despite a major injury blow, with the loss of Heung-min Son, Tottenham Hotspur was in a position to get a result against Liverpool. While the team’s game plan was sound and the execution was decent, the result was terrible for Tottenham when Spurs needed three points and a win against a quality team. Here is a look at why this loss hurt and was a bad loss, starting with the streak and a team in poor form.

Tottenham still winless against Liverpool since before Covid

The last time Tottenham beat Liverpool, Spurs were playing at Wembley, and Kieran Trippier assisted the first goal in a 4-1 thrashing of the Reds. In the 11 games since that Tottenham victory, Spurs have earned all three points on three draws, against eight defeats, the 2019 Champions League finals among the eight.

Although history was against Tottenham, this game was supposed to be different. Entering the game, the Reds were 10th in the table and suffering from significant injuries, just like Tottenham.

Liverpool came in a downtrodden team, losing two straight in League play to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United. Further, Liverpool was winless on the road this season. Despite the historical record, this was a game Tottenham should have won.

Yet, in the end, it was again a flukey play and some questionable decisions from the officials that left players and fans alike shaking their collective heads over this winless streak.

Serious teams do not lose at home

Maybe Liverpool will kick on from here and makes a run back toward the upper parts of the table, but for now, this looks like a bad loss. Beyond Liverpool being the weakest they have faced Spurs in a long time, Tottenham was the home team.

To compete for Champions League places, you have to win all your home games and some of your road games, so any home loss hurts. It was the Lilywhites second straight 1-2 home defeat after losing at home to Newcastle by that scoreline in October.

With one more home game before the World Cup break, Spurs will want to correct the ship against Leeds. a third straight home loss would be catastrophic for the team heading n the World Cup.

Tottenham picked a bad weekend to lose

Several weeks back, when Tottenham lost to Newcastle, it was a decent weekend to lose as many of the other top-half teams dropped points. However, the loss on Sunday to the Reds could not have come at a worse time for Tottenham Hotspur.

On the weekend, six top 10 teams gained three points on Tottenham Hotspur, including the top three. Yes, top three, as Newcastle moved above Spurs, joining Manchester  City and Arsenal ahead of Tottenham.

Although Manchester United and Chelsea lost, Brighton, Liverpool, and Crystal Palace won. Worse yet, Tottenham has played one more game than many of the teams around them. This means Manchester United could theoretically be level with Spurs on points, although Tottenham has a far better goals-against mark.

Although the points dropped are the same in every loss, not every loss has the same impact. Despite a decent enough performance on Sunday, Spurs’ loss to Liverpool was a bad one that hopefully will not leave a permanent mark.