Tottenham Hotspur defeated nine-man Liverpool with an own goal from Joel Matip deep into stoppage time in an eventful and contentious Premier League match.
The Reds were jeopardised by two controversial red cards, the first given to Curtis Jones after only 26 minutes for a foul on Yves Bissouma after a VAR intervention, before half-time substitute Diogo Jota followed him down the tunnel with more than 20 minutes remaining after picking up a quickfire double booking.
In a game in which the Reds clearly felt betrayed, an opening goal by Luis Diaz was ruled out by another contentious VAR decision, as officials quickly ruled the Colombian offside without showing the customary offside line graphics.
PGMOL has since issued a statement acknowledging that a “significant human error” occurred, calling the decision to rule out Diaz’s goal “a clear and obvious factual error.”
They claim that VAR should have intervened but did not, and that a “full review” will be conducted to determine why.
After good work from summer signing James Maddison, captain Son Heung-min put Spurs ahead from Richarlison’s pass nine minutes before halftime.
But the visitors equalised in first-half stoppage time when Cody Gakpo scored on the turn from Virgil van Dijk’s header down, but the Netherlands forward was injured in the process and did not return for the second half.
Spurs, understandably, had the better chances in the second half, and Liverpool keeper Alisson kept the Reds in the game with outstanding saves from Maddison and Son, and it looked like their tenacious defence would earn them a battling draw until the final seconds of drama.
As Spurs launched one final attack, Matip could only turn Pedro Porro’s cross high past the helpless Alisson, inflicting Liverpool’s first defeat of the season and keeping manager Ange Postecoglou’s unbeaten Premier League record intact.
Spurs knew they had to find a winner against a team that had joined them as one of the early Premier League pacesetters.
It’s to their credit that there was no panic in their approach even as the seconds ticked away and Liverpool’s red wall of defensive defiance kept them at bay, aided by keeper Alisson’s tenacity.
Spurs demonstrated their newfound confidence throughout the game, and despite some groans when Dejan Kulusevski played the ball back to Porro at the end of six minutes of stoppage time, their patience was rewarded with a large slice of good fortune when Matip’s attempted clearance deflection carried such power that even Alisson was rendered powerless.
It was a climax that sparked wild scenes in and around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the atmosphere has changed since Postecoglou’s arrival.
Maddison was once again pulling the strings, playing a key role in Son’s opener, while the intensity and determination is eliciting applause from Spurs fans who have suffered under the stodgy styles of previous managers Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
This was a fortunate late victory against nine men, but a three-point swing over this increasingly formidable Liverpool team will send Spurs’ confidence skyrocketing.
Matip’s misfortune was the final straw for Liverpool after a game in which manager Klopp and his players were convinced that officialdom and fate conspired cruelly against them.
Klopp was furious that Jones and Jota were sent off, and the decision to rule Diaz’s first-half goal out for offside was clearly a blunder.
Their sense of injustice will have been heightened by the manner in which they organised themselves in a 5-3-0 formation, with keeper Alisson providing a world-class last line of defence to keep Spurs at bay once they were reduced to nine men.
Liverpool have shown they can get results with fewer players this season, beating Bournemouth and Newcastle United despite being reduced to ten men, but this time it proved too much.
Klopp, on the other hand, will be rightly proud of how Liverpool rallied to come within seconds of a crucial point.
The Reds’ attacking prowess is well known, but this was a display of quality and character on the other end of the pitch, only for all of their efforts to be undone by Matip’s unintentional late intervention.
Photo by EPA/NEIL HALL
