Liverpool missed out on a chance to move into the top four of the Premier League after losing to a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday.
Richarlison equalized just before the end of the first half, canceling out Dominik Szoboszlai’s first-half free-kick and securing a point for the visitors, who are fighting for relegation from the Championship.
Arne Slott’s side were unable to finish the game after the Hungarian superstar’s opening goal, going through 90 minutes without creating a single ‘big chance’.
Richarlison has scored six goals in all competitions with Liverpool during his career, including against Watford, Everton and Spurs, and has not scored more against any other club.
The Brazilian troubled the Reds once again with a late attack, firing a shot past Alisson from 10 yards out, but he only had a chance to equalize as the home side failed to take things into their own hands.
Why Liverpool couldn’t beat Spurs
After scoring the first goal from a set-piece after 18 minutes, Liverpool let off the gas and appeared to be on track for the rest of the game until Spurs equalized.
Whether it was a deliberate tactic by Arne Slott or the actions of the players on the pitch, the lack of urgency to score the second goal ultimately cost them two points.
Despite starting Rio Ngmoha, Codi Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Jeremy Frimpong, with Mo Salah and Hugo Ekitike coming on as substitutes, Liverpool were unable to create any ‘big chances’ and needed long-range free-kicks to score.
So it’s the lack of creativity that cost the Reds, and that’s why Wirtz should be put under the microscope. He signed from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for £116m, making him the second-richest signing in the club’s history.
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However, the German international has only made two assists in 26 Premier League appearances for the Reds, and none of the four important passes he made against Spurs were ‘big chances’.
Wirtz completed 85 percent of his pass attempts, but lost the ball 10 times and didn’t take a single shot on goal in his 64 minutes on the field.
Liverpool’s star was even worse than Wirtz
However, the estimated £116m attacking midfielder wasn’t the worst player on the pitch for the Reds vs. Spurs, as another attacker struggled more throughout the match.
Gakpo was chosen to lead the line ahead of Ekitike as Alexander Isaac is still out injured, and after his appearance against Spurs he should not start another game between now and the end of the season.
The Dutchman, who has one goal and zero assists in his last 12 games, struggled in all facets of the game. Physically, as a passer, as a creator and as a finisher.
Gakpo finished his 83 minutes on the pitch completing just 10 of 16 passes and one significant pass, three fewer than Wirtz completed in just 64 minutes.
It was also too easy for Spurs’ center backs to beat him, causing him to lose eight out of 14 throughout the match. That meant there was no reliable outlet for Liverpool when they tried to play more directly. The fact that he has had two fewer touches than Alisson (34) sums it up.
vs spurs | steel |
|---|---|
minutes | 83 |
shot | 3 |
the goal | 0 |
Pass accuracy | 63% |
key pass | 1 |
A big opportunity has arisen | 0 |
won a duel | 6/14 |
Number of fouls committed | 2 |
Gakpo was far more disappointing than Wirtz against Spurs, as he created one in four chances and had a poor pass completion rate, while failing to score on any of his three shots, one of which was so badly mishit that it was closer to a throw-in than a goal.
The moment that best reflects the Dutchman’s current form was when he took the ball from Curtis Jones for a tap-in against Wolves in his final Premier League game before the draw with Spurs, and then made a mistake from two yards out.
With eight games left until the end of the season, Slott will need to remove Gakpo from the starting lineup and not let him start again, playing Ekitike in his natural position and Rio Ngmoha to play on the left.
His performance against Spurs, coupled with his one goal contribution in 12 games, suggests he’s doing more harm than good as a starter at the moment.
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Manchester City and Arsenal are also interested.
