Liverpool stormed four points clear at the top of the Premier League heading into Christmas with a thrilling 6-3 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
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Having been buoyed by Chelsea’s earlier draw at Everton, Liverpool took full advantage of the Blues’ slip-up with a dominant display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Spurs did briefly offer hope of a fightback.
Liverpool led 3-1 by the interval – Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai on target, with James Maddison having scored for the hosts.
Mohamed Salah helped himself to a deserved double early in the second half, and though Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke made matters interesting, Diaz made sure for Liverpool with a goal in the 85th minute.
The Reds will top the tree at Christmas for the first time since the 2020/21 season, while 11th-placed Spurs must lick their wounds ahead of a tough trip to in-form Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
16 | +21 | 39 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
17 | +18 | 35 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
17 | +18 | 33 |
| 4 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
17 | +4 | 31 |
How the match unfolded
After seeing a glut of chances fall by the wayside – including Salah hitting the woodwork – Liverpool deservedly went ahead in the 23rd minute when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s exquisite cross was headed home by Diaz.
Liverpool added a second 13 minutes later – Mac Allister gambling on a loose ball to send a looping header over Fraser Forster – though the Argentinian was at fault when Maddison robbed him of possession and bent in a low finish.
Yet Liverpool’s two-goal cushion was restored on the stroke of half-time when Salah slipped in Szoboszlai, who finished coolly, and the Egyptian turned from provider to scorer nine minutes after the restart as he tapped into a gaping net following a blistering counter-attack.
Salah scored again just after the hour, slotting in from Szoboszlai’s neat pass, though Spurs rallied, first through Kulusevski’s excellent volley and then Solanke’s close-range prod.
Liverpool had too much, though, and Diaz swiftly assured there would be no comeback for the ages.
Rampant Reds get their Christmas wish
Liverpool will top the table on Christmas Day for the first time since the 2020/21 season, though it is worth noting that only once in the last seven top-flight campaigns in which they have sat at the summit on 25 December, have they gone on to win the title.
The Reds were held to frustrating draws by Fulham and Newcastle United in their last two league outings, but when they are on top form in attack, they can be unstoppable, and at times on Sunday they were just that.
They set the tone early when Salah pounced on Forster’s error, only to fire into the side netting. He then saw an attempt clatter the crossbar and two efforts blocked by Djed Spence, before Alexander-Arnold delivered a sensational cross from which Diaz could hardly miss.
This Liverpool display was different to many that have come so far under Arne Slot, though. They exposed Spurs’ high line time and time again, in counter-attacks reminiscent of the very best of the Jurgen Klopp era.
Salah was, as he has been all season, supreme – his two second-half finishes took him fourth on Liverpool’s all-time goalscorer list.
If not for Forster, it could have been more, too. Spurs’ second-choice goalkeeper denied Alexander-Arnold twice, first from a fantastic free-kick and then from a shot from a tight angle.
That full-throttle approach from Slot did leave Liverpool fragile at the back, but they took on Spurs at their own game and came out on top.
Spurs given something to cheer, but form must pick up
At 5-1 down, matters really did look grim for Ange Postecoglou, who was left shaking his head on the sideline as his makeshift back line missing his first-choice goalkeeper, left-back and both centre-backs struggled.
Ultimately, this is the risk that the Australian takes with his style of play.
However, the fans stood by their team, and were rewarded with something of a resurgence, led by Kulusevski and Solanke.
It was Solanke’s clever chip that was deflected on into the area for Kulusevski to volley home, before the former AFC Bournemouth striker diverted Brennan Johnson’s header beyond Alisson Becker. But in the end, Liverpool’s attacking prowess just proved too formidable.
Postecoglou will not change his approach – that much is certain – but the fans may not be as forgiving as they were on Sunday, when Spurs did come up against what is arguably the best team in Europe as it stands.
A trip to the City Ground is no small challenge for Spurs next, and they are far from where they want to be in the standings. Indeed, a defeat at Forest would see them drop 11 points adrift of the top four, so the time for Spurs to show some consistency is now.
Club reports
Spurs report | Liverpool report
What the managers said
Ange Postecoglou: "It’s obviously a painful one for us. Credit to Liverpool, they were too good for us. They're in a great moment, great form, feeling confident. It was a bridge too far for us, We looked like we lacked energy which is understandable."
Arne Slot: "For 60 minutes we did everything we had to do, we were comfortable and good with the ball. The main thing is we worked very, very hard. But then the same players with the same quality thought that 10 or 15 minutes of not working as hard was good enough.
“Tottenham have enough quality to score goals if you give them chances. You have to be on top of your game for the whole game and we didn’t do that.”
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Key facts
This will be the 21st time Liverpool have been top of the English top-flight on Christmas Day; the most of any side. They’ve gone on to win the title in 11 of those previous 20 seasons (55 per cent).
Nine goals is the joint-most that have been scored in a league fixture between Spurs and Liverpool, along with a 7-2 win for Spurs in April 1963 and a 7-2 win for the Reds in October 1914.
Spurs' Premier League matches under Postecoglou have seen an average of 3.6 goals scored per match (both teams combined). Among those to take charge of 50+ matches in the competition, this is the highest goals per match rate for any manager.
Spurs have conceded the opening goal in 14 different home matches in the Premier League in 2024; the joint-most ever by a team within a calendar year in the competition (also Crystal Palace in 2017, Ipswich and Spurs in 1994).
