Liverpool missed out on the chance to jump into the top four in the Premier League after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday.
A late equaliser from Richarlison cancelled out a first-half free-kick from Dominik Szoboszlai to secure a point for the away side, who are fighting against relegation to the Championship.
Arne Slot‘s side failed to finish the game off after the Hungarian superstar’s opening goal, ending the 90 minutes without a single ‘big chance’ created.
Richarlison has now scored six goals in all competitions against Liverpool in his career, for Watford, Everton, and Spurs, and he has not scored more goals against any other club.
The Brazilian haunted the Reds once again with his late strike, converting past Alisson from 10 yards out, but he only had the chance to equalise because the hosts did not take the game to the opposition.
How Liverpool failed to beat Spurs
After scoring the opening goal from a set-piece after 18 minutes, Liverpool appeared to take their foot off the gas and coast through the rest of the game until Spurs scored their equaliser.
Whether it was a deliberate tactic by Arne Slot or down to how the players on the pitch acted, the lack of urgency to go and get a second goal ultimately cost them two points.
Despite having Rio Ngumoha, Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz, and Jeremie Frimpong as starters, with Mo Salah and Hugo Ekitike as substitutes, Liverpool did not create any ‘big chances’, needing a long-range free-kick to score their goal.
It was the lack of creativity, therefore, that cost the Reds, which is why Wirtz should come under the microscope. He was signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m last summer, making him the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history.
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Yet, the Germany international has only registered two assists in 26 Premier League appearances for the Reds, and none of the four key passes that he provided against Spurs were ‘big chances’.
Wirtz, who completed 85% of his attempted passes, also lost the ball ten times and did not take a single shot on goal in 64 minutes on the field.
Liverpool star was even worse than Wirtz
The £116m-rated attacking midfielder was not the worst player on the pitch for the Reds against Spurs, though, as another attacker struggled even more throughout the match.
Gakpo was selected to lead the line ahead of Ekitike, with Alexander Isak still out through injury, and he should not start another game between now and the end of the season after his display against Spurs.
The Dutchman, who has one goal and zero assists in his last 12 games, struggled in all areas of the game; physically, as a passer, as a creator, and as a finisher.
Gakpo ended his 83 minutes on the pitch with just ten of 16 passes completed and one key pass, three fewer key passes than Wirtz managed in just 64 minutes.
He also lost eight of his 14 duels throughout the game, as the Spurs centre-backs found it far too easy to get the better of him, meaning Liverpool did not have a reliable outlet when they tried to play more directly. The fact he took two fewer touches (34) than Alisson, summed things up.
|
Vs Spurs |
Gakpo |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
83 |
|
Shots |
3 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Pass accuracy |
63% |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Duels won |
6/14 |
|
Fouls committed |
2 |
Gakpo was far more disappointing than Wirtz against Spurs because he created a quarter as many chances and had a worse pass completion rate, whilst also failing to score from any of his three shots, one of which was so badly mishit that it was closer to going out for a throw-in than the goal.
The moment that best sums up the Dutchman’s current form is when he missed from two yards out by taking the ball away from Curtis Jones, who had a tap in, against Wolves in the last Premier League game before the draw with Spurs.
With eight games left to play before the end of the season, Slot must ditch Gakpo from the starting line-up and not start him again, playing Ekitike in his natural position, whilst Rio Ngumoha can play on the left flank.
His performance against Spurs, coupled with his run of one goal contribution in 12 games, suggests that he is doing more harm than good as a starter at the moment.
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