Liverpool beat Spurs 2-1 at Anfield on Wednesday and while Jose Mourinho claimed his side was the better team on the night, the stats and eye test don’t corroborate his story.
Mohamed Salah and Heung Min Son scored in the first half to see the two sides go into the break level.
The Anfield outfit was on the ropes in the first 10 minutes of the second half and could have conceded to a Steven Bergwijn 1 v 1 on two separate occasions but Alisson Becker’s presence was enough to see the 1-1 scoreline remain intact.
That was until Roberto Firmino rose highest in the 90th minute to win the game for the Reds before he ran the length of the pitch to celebrate with the 2000 Liverpool fans seated on the chilly Kop.
Not only did Liverpool outscore Spurs, they had more shots on target (11-2), higher possession (76-24), played more passes (813-254) with greater accuracy (81%-61%), committed fewer fouls (8-9) and won more corners (7-4).
Beyond the cold hard facts, there was also the swagger with which Jurgen Klopp’s side played.
Curtis Jones, at just 19 years of age, was instrumental in playing the ball right through the heart of Spurs’ midfield.
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After the game, Mourinho commented on his confrontation with Klopp: “I told him the best team lost. He disagreed. That’s his opinion. By the way, if I behaved the way on the touchline like he does, I have no chance to stay there – and I’m out.”
Mourinho knows what he’s doing and was merely trying to deflect attention from his side failing to take their chances to put the game to bed when Berwijn missed two golden opportunities to hand Spurs the advantage.
Liverpool were undoubtedly the better side at Anfield but fans are well aware of the threat that Spurs pose in the league this season.