Alexander Isak came off the bench to score for Liverpool but was forced off through injury as Arne Slot’s side defeated nine-man Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
Isak opened the scoring in the 56th minute but went down in the act of finishing, before Hugo Ekitike doubled Liverpool’s lead 10 minutes later.
Richarlison pulled one back for Spurs after coming on as a substitute, but the visitors held on to deepen the woes of Thomas Frank’s side, who had Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero sent off and have won just once in their last eight league games.
The game’s first turning point came in the 33rd minute when Simons was shown a red card for a foul on Virgil van Dijk following a VAR review. Referee John Brooks deemed the challenge “serious foul play” after Simons’ studs made contact with Van Dijk’s calf.
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Liverpool seized the opportunity, with Slot introducing Isak at half-time following a knock to Conor Bradley. The £125 million British record signing calmly slotted home after a precise pass from Florian Wirtz for his first Premier League assist.
However, Isak was injured by Micky van de Ven in the process and had to be replaced by Jeremie Frimpong just 15 minutes later.
Tottenham threatened to equalise when Randal Kolo Muani’s deflected shot struck the crossbar, but Liverpool extended their lead in the 66th minute. Frimpong’s deflected cross was met by Ekitike, who headed home his fifth goal in three league games. Spurs protested the goal, claiming a foul on Romero, who was booked for his dissent.
Richarlison replaced Kolo Muani in the 80th minute and scored three minutes later, finishing from close range after Liverpool failed to clear their lines.
Tottenham pressed for a late equaliser with 10 men, but their frustration increased when Romero received a second yellow card in injury time for striking Ibrahima Konate following a free-kick.
Liverpool held on for a 2-1 victory, moving up to fifth in the Premier League and extending their unbeaten run to six games after a difficult period that saw nine defeats in 12 matches.
