Tottenham

Defending champions Liverpool win 2-1 at Tottenham to climb to fifth in the Premier League table.

Alexander Isak endured a bittersweet evening as the Liverpool striker scored before limping off injured in a chaotic 2-1 win over nine-man Tottenham.

Isak put Liverpool ahead in the second half in north London on Saturday after Tottenham’s Xavi Simons was sent off before the interval for a nasty lunge on Virgil van Dijk.

It was only Isak’s third goal in 16 games in all competitions since his British record 125-million-pound ($166m) move from Newcastle on transfer deadline day.

Yet in keeping with Isak’s troubled start to life with the Premier League champions, the 26-year-old was unable to fully enjoy his goal as he was forced to come off after being injured by Micky van de Ven’s failed attempt to stop him scoring.

Hugo Ekitike’s fifth goal in his last four appearances put Liverpool in command before Richarlison’s reply set up a tense finale that came to a head with Tottenham defender Romero’s dismissal in stoppage time.

Arne Slot’s side are up to fifth place in the Premier League after extending their unbeaten run to six games in all competitions, further distancing them from the miserable run of nine defeats in 12 that plunged them into crisis.

While Liverpool steadied the ship with a third successive win, Isak’s injury could not have come at a worse time following Mohamed Salah’s departure for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Slot claimed on Friday that Liverpool had “moved on” from the Salah controversy after his explosive interview two weeks ago in which he said he had been thrown under the bus by the club and no longer had a relationship with the Reds boss.

He was dropped from the squad for a Champions League game at Inter Milan but returned as a substitute in last week’s victory over Brighton.

The 33-year-old is now on international duty with Egypt for several weeks, making Isak’s injury an especially painful blow if he is ruled out for a prolonged period.

Slot will spend Christmas sweating on Isak’s fitness, and Tottenham manager Thomas Frank’s festive period will be even more fraught.

Last weekend’s limp 3-0 loss at Nottingham Forest sparked debate over the Dane’s future in his rocky first season in charge.

Tottenham are languishing in 13th place after winning just one of their last eight league games.

Ange Postecoglou was sacked despite winning the Europa League last season to end Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought, and Frank is in danger of suffering the same fate as the Australian if results do not improve soon.

Simons left Tottenham with a mountain to climb in the 33rd minute when he raked his studs down Van Dijk’s calf with an ugly challenge from behind.

Initially booked for the foul, Simons was shown the red card after a VAR review.

Slot sent on Isak for the injured Conor Bradley at half-time and it took the Sweden striker just 11 minutes to make an impact as Liverpool broke the deadlock with a goal 300 million pounds ($399m) in the making.

All three of Liverpool’s costly close-season signings combined as Ekitike picked out Florian Wirtz, and he slipped a perfectly weighted pass to Isak, who timed his run to drill a clinical finish past Guglielmo Vicario from 10 yards.

Ekitike doubled Liverpool’s lead in the 66th minute.

Jeremie Frimpong’s deflected cross looped into the six-yard box, where Ekitike out-jumped Romero to thump his header into the top corner.

Richarlison reduced the deficit with a close-range blast after Reds captain van Dijk miscued a clearance in the 83rd minute.

But, with the visitors wobbling, Romero’s second booking for kicking Ibrahima Konate let Liverpool off the hook.

Follow our live build-up, with full team news coverage, before our text commentary stream of the EPL clash in London.

Frank has endured a difficult start to life at Tottenham since joining them in June after seven years at Brentford, who he guided from the Championship to the Premier League in 2021.

The Dane’s performance had come under increasing internal scrutiny following a home defeat by Fulham on 29 November which came as part of a run of one win in eight, while sections of Spurs supporters have also voiced frustrations with Frank.

However, the manager insists he retains the backing from the club hierarchy.

“I feel supported. I’ve done that the whole time,” said the 52-year-old.

“This is not a quick fix. This will take time. That’s not to say that we’re not going to do everything we can to beat Liverpool.

“I’m very comfortable and confident that I will, how can I say, fix it, but just to make sure it’s not me. When this club comes out on top, there will be a lot of good people working together, aligned at the same time through the years.

“I just know one thing I’m pretty good at – I’m good at analysing things. I know what good looks like and I know where we should get [to], and… I’m 1,000% sure we haven’t seen any club be successful unless they had key people in the right positions for a long time.

“And I’ll back myself to be one of those key people to be in that position.”

Who: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool
What: English Premier League
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, United Kingdom
When: Saturday December 20, at 5:30pm (17:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream. Click here to follow our live coverage.

Defending champions Liverpool will seek back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since September when they visit Tottenham on Saturday, but the Reds’ woes are far from a distant memory.

The pressure building on manager Arne Slot, who last year won the title in his first season in charge, was mounting after a run of nine defeats in 12.

The public fallout between the Anfield club and their star forward, Mohamed Salah, has overshadowed the Slot situation – but it has not gone away. Spurs similarly had a sticky run of six defeats in 10 games during October and November and it has hardly improved since.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a game that sees both managers concerned for their immediate futures.

What is the latest on Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future?

Salah has now departed for Egypt duty at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, but it has not changed his situation at Anfield.

Ever since the 33-year-old claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” by the Reds for their woeful season – after he was dropped to the bench for three consecutive games – rumours had been rife that his time on Merseyside was coming to an end.

The Saudi Pro League have made no secret of their desire to make a move for Salah, who was dropped from Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League match in Milan following his outburst.

The forward did return to the bench for the visit of Brighton in the Premier League last week but his time away at AFCON is likely to be surrounded by speculation that the January transfer window will see a switch to Saudi Arabia.

What happened in Tottenham’s last game?

Tottenham were soundly beaten 3-0 at Nottingham Forest last Sunday, in a game that saw rumours of Thomas Frank’s demise as Spurs manager increase.

Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the first two goals for the home side before Ibrahim Sangare ended any hopes of a Spurs comeback in the 79th minute.

What happened in Liverpool’s last game?

Liverpool put aside the Salah saga and the speculation about Slot’s future with a 2-0 win against Brighton at Anfield last Saturday.

Hugo Ekitike scored both goals, the opener in the first minute of the match, while Salah was an early first-half substitute and assisted for the second from a corner kick.

Whether that was Salah’s last game as a Red remains to be seen.

How have Tottenham fared in the Premier League this season?

Tottenham began their Premier League campaign, Frank’s first in charge, with a run of only one defeat in their opening seven games. The North Londoners have since lost five of their last nine in the league.

The run of six defeats in 10, in all competitions, has been followed by two wins, and the defeat by Forest, in their last four in all competitions. It is just one win in seven, however, in the league – a run that has seen Spurs slip into the bottom half of the table.

How have Liverpool fared in the Premier League this season?

Liverpool won their opening seven games of the season in all competitions, excluding the preseason Community Shield defeat on penalties against Crystal Palace.

Four straight defeats followed, which began the run of nine defeats in 12. In Premier League terms, the Reds have only won three of 11 games – losing six. On the back of winning their first five league games of the season, the Anfield club have been able to hold onto a top-half position in the league, and they start the latest round of matches in seventh position – 10 points of leaders Arsenal, who travel to Everton Saturday evening.

How much pressure is on Tottenham manager Thomas Frank?

Tottenham lifted the UEFA Europa League last season, but that was not enough to stop Ange Postecoglou from being axed at the end of the campaign. The recent run of matches has resulted in huge pressure being placed on Frank.

The biggest rumour to mount has been that former Spain and Barcelona midfielder, Xavi, is being lined up to replace Frank.

Spurs have been renowned for being a sacking club, with Frank being the fifth permanent manager since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in 2019.

Should Frank be shown the door, his would not be the shortest tenure of a Spurs manager in recent times – Nuno Espirito Santo lasted only four months and two days during his 2021 stint in charge.

What happened the last time Tottenham played Liverpool?

Liverpool thumped Tottenham 5-1 in the Premier League at Anfield in April when the sides last met.

Dominic Solanke gave Spurs a 12th-minute lead before Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo responded for the Reds by the break.

Mohamed Salah and a Destiny Udogie own goal completed the rout in the second period.

What happened in the corresponding fixture between Tottenham and Liverpool last year?

It was a Premier League double for Liverpool last season as they won the first meeting of the last campaign with a nine-goal thriller at Tottenham on December 22.

The 6-3 win for the Reds saw Diaz and Salah both hit braces in a game where the away side led 3-1 at the break, and 5-1 by the 61st minute.

When did Tottenham last beat Liverpool?

Tottenham did actually manage to beat Liverpool last season in the first leg of their League Cup semifinal. The 1-0 home win wasn’t enough for Spurs, however, as the Reds had the last laugh, winning 4-0 in the return fixture at Anfield.

Lucas Bergvall scored the only goal in London, while the aggregate score was level at the break in the second leg after Gakpo’s first-half strike. Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk settled matters in the second period.

When did Tottenham last beat Liverpool in the Premier League?

Tottenham’s last league win against Liverpool came in September 2023, courtesy of a 2-1 home.

Curtis Jones saw red in the 26nd minute with Son Hueng-min netting Spurs’ first 10 minutes later.

Gakpo levelled for the Reds on the stroke of half-time but the second half went from bad to worse as Diogo Jota was given his marching orders in 69th minute before Joel Matip put through his own net in the final minute of the game.

Head-to-head

This is the 186th meeting between the sides, with Liverpool winning 90 times and Tottenham emerging victorious on 50 occasions.

The first match was in November 1909 on the old Division One (now the Premier League) with Spurs winning 1-0 in London. Liverpool won the return match that season 2-0 in March 1910.

Tottenham team news

James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski are all injured, while Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin are still deemed short of match fitness as they make their returns from knocks.

Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are both at the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning Frank is set to be without eight players for Liverpool’s visit.

Liverpool team news

Salah is the number one absentee for Liverpool, although the Egyptian did start the last four league games on the bench.

Cody Gakpo, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo are all injured while Conor Bradley is suspended.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez both picked up knocks in the Brighton game and are a doubt, but Jeremie Frimpong is close to a return following a hamstring injury.

Predicted Tottenham starting lineup

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Simons, Kolo Muani; Richarlison

Predicted Liverpool starting lineup

Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Chiesa, Jones, Wirtz; Ekitike

Johnson was Tottenham‘s leading Premier League goalscorer last season with 11, and etched his name in Spurs folklore by scoring the winner in their Europa League final triumph over Manchester United in Bilbao, ending the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy.

But the departure of Ange Postecoglou and arrival of Thomas Frank as new head coach has meant Johnson has played more of a peripheral role this season.

Johnson, 24, has made only six top-flight starts under Frank this season.

As a result, a number of clubs have been alerted to his potential availability before the January transfer window.

Given his lack of action and the prospect of a World Cup on the horizon with Wales, a move away from Tottenham may suit Johnson next month.

Johnson joined Tottenham from Nottingham Forest in a deal worth £47.5m in the summer of 2023 and has scored 27 goals for the club.