Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Liverpool: Mohamed Salah scores double in Reds win

Mohamed Salah struck twice in the first half as Liverpool secured their first away win in the Premier League this season with victory at Tottenham.

Liverpool had lost their two previous league games to struggling Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, so manager Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with this win at Spurs, who are shaping up as rivals for a place in the top four.

Salah was the inspiration, sweeping home a sharp left-foot finish from Darwin Nunez's pass after 11 minutes, then cashing in on Eric Dier's misplaced headed back-pass to double Liverpool's advantage with great composure five minutes before the break.

Spurs, without the injured Son Heung-min, were never out of the game as Ivan Perisic hit the woodwork either side of half-time before Harry Kane pulled one back with 20 minutes remaining.

But they failed to complete one of the comebacks that have become their trademark this season.

Liverpool dig deep for victory

Liverpool got their stuttering season back in some sort of shape with the Champions League win against Napoli in midweek to reach the last 16 once again, although in reality that match was little more than a dead rubber.

This victory carries greater significance because of the opposition and also the need to get their Premier League show back on the road after two damaging losses.

Salah showed he is right back to his best after a slow start to the campaign. Both goals featured different elements of a goalscoring masterclass, the first with one touch and an instant finish, the second showing coolness and technique to make Dier pay for his error.

Liverpool also rode their luck as those Perisic efforts hit the woodwork, and Trent Alexander-Arnold was fortunate to escape when Spurs appeals for a penalty were waved away after he appeared to push Ryan Sessegnon to the ground. They are still conceding too many chances.

Nunez was a tireless, constant threat, while Ibrahima Konate's return has added steel to a Liverpool defence that has been vulnerable at times this season. Goalkeeper Alisson was, as usual, reliability and excellence personified, and the reaction at the final whistle demonstrated just how important this win might be for Liverpool.

Spurs pay for mistakes

Tottenham once again made life difficult for themselves by falling behind early when Liverpool took advantage of the wide open spaces on the home team's right flank, which had been exposed several times even before they went behind.

In the final reckoning, however, it was Dier's mistake that left them with a hill that was too steep to climb, even in a season when they have been comeback specialists.

This was not a Spurs side that only showed up in the second half, as has happened before this season, because they had responded well to Salah's early goal before Dier made his ill-advised attempt to head the ball back to keeper Hugo Lloris. Instead, he only diverted it off his shoulder and into the path of the unmarked Salah, with inevitable results.

Spurs also had a clear case for a penalty, their frustration increasing when referee Andy Madley awarded a free-kick for an almost identical incident shortly afterwards.

Even without the injured Son, Spurs dominated most of the second half but could not take advantage of the opportunities they created, with Dejan Kulusevski showing what they have been missing when he returned from injury to set up Kane's goal moments after coming on.

Spurs showed plenty of heart and character, but ultimately paid the price for gifting Salah the goal that meant Liverpool were always able to stay just out of reach.

Player of the match

Mohamed SalahMohamed Salah

Line-ups

Tottenham

Formation 5-3-2

1Lloris

12Emerson Royal15Dier34Lenglet33Davies19R Sessegnon

30Bentancur38Bissouma5Højbjerg

10Kane14Perisic

Substitutes

Liverpool

Formation 4-1-2-1-2

1Alisson

66Alexander-Arnold5Konaté4van Dijk26Robertson

3Fabinho

19Elliott6Thiago Alcántara

9Firmino

27Núñez11Salah

Substitutes

Live Text

Match ends, Tottenham Hotspur 1, Liverpool 2.

Second Half ends, Tottenham Hotspur 1, Liverpool 2.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.

Foul by Clément Lenglet (Tottenham Hotspur).

Attempt missed. Ivan Perisic (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from the left side of the box is too high.

Substitution, Liverpool. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain replaces Mohamed Salah.

Foul by Fabinho (Liverpool).

Clément Lenglet (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Ibrahima Konaté.

Attempt missed. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Ivan Perisic with a cross.

Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Lucas Moura replaces Yves Bissouma.

Foul by Jordan Henderson (Liverpool).

Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Substitution, Liverpool. Joe Gomez replaces Darwin Núñez.

Attempt saved. Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Eric Dier with a cross.

Darwin Núñez (Liverpool) hits the bar with a left footed shot from the centre of the box. Assisted by Thiago with a through ball.

Attempt blocked. Yves Bissouma (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

Attempt missed. Clément Lenglet (Tottenham Hotspur) header from very close range is just a bit too high. Assisted by Ivan Perisic with a cross following a corner.

Corner, Tottenham Hotspur. Conceded by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Substitution, Liverpool. Jordan Henderson replaces Harvey Elliott.

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