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Liverpool retained their six point advantage at the summit of the Premier League by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 at Anfield. But they had to do it the hard way after going behind in the opening minute.

It was only the third time an opponent had scored inside the first 60 seconds of a Premier League game at Anfield, and the first for 20 years. Despite it seeming to be the worst possible start from a Liverpool perspective, the history books suggested they would be able to get back into the match.

In the previous nine league games at Anfield in which the Reds conceded the opening goal, they managed to avoid defeat every time, winning six. They have also now won seven of the 10 league matches since the start of last season where their opponents scored first.

Bear in mind that between 2009/10 and 2013/14, Liverpool conceded the opening goal in 63 league matches and only recovered to win eight of them. No wonder Jürgen Klopp calls his team ‘mentality monsters’.

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Tottenham’s record in tough away games wouldn’t have struck fear into Liverpool hearts either. They had only won one of their four league matches when scoring first away to big six team since August 2016.

Even so, their early goal enabled the visitors to sit back, allow Liverpool to have the ball, and soak up the pressure. To put it into context, it took 20 minutes after their goal for Tottenham to complete their second final third pass of the match.

Prior to Mohamed Salah’s decisive penalty in the 75th minute, the Reds had 75% of the possession. As Spurs then had to try to get back into the game and Liverpool had a lead to protect, that figure dropped to 68% for the match as a whole by full time.

But that’s still higher than Klopp’s team have had in any other home league game against a big six side. It’s in the range they’ve had against the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle and Burnley.

Up to a point, Spurs’ plan worked. Liverpool had plenty of shots, but few high quality opportunities. Though their tally of 10 first half goal attempts was their joint-second most in a league game this season, only one – a Sadio Mané header which the Senegalese star put wide – was deemed as a clear-cut chance by Opta.

And things could’ve got worse for the Reds three minutes after the break, but Son Heung-Min rattled the Anfield Road end crossbar when he should’ve scored. From a Liverpool perspective, Spurs’ number seven got in all too easily.

It was the highest quality chance Tottenham created directly – as in featuring a pass from one player to another, unlike their goal – and it came from their goalkeeper, Paulo Gazzaniga. The away side’s most creative player he might have been, but the Argentine ‘keeper made a far greater contribution with his shot stopping.

In total, Gazzaniga made 11 saves. In Liverpool’s 428 league matches since August 2008, an opposition goalkeeper has only made more twice.

Wayne Hennessey made 12 saves for Crystal Palace in August 2017, after Vito Mannone had kept out 13 goal-bound efforts for David Moyes’ Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in January of that year. As those clubs finished their campaigns 11th and 20th respectively, they aren’t the sort of teams Spurs want to be emulating in the shots on target against column.

And despite Gazzaniga’s 11 saves, he still conceded twice. Liverpool’s midfield can be accused of being too sterile, and while not an unfounded accusation at times, it was a pass from Fabinho to Jordan Henderson which saw the skipper level the match.

The Brazilian was also in the top three players from either side for each of ball recoveries, interceptions and tackles. That shouldn’t be possible for a player whose side has over two thirds of the possession, yet his efforts provided a platform for other parts of the team to be creative. Look at Trent Alexander-Arnold – a defender in strict positional terms, but he created seven chances in this match, just one fewer than Tottenham mustered as a team.

Most Kopites would have been surprised when referee Anthony Taylor awarded their side a penalty. Yet the Manchester-born ref has now awarded Liverpool 10 in the Premier League, at least five more than he has given to every other team.

Salah converted the spot kick to give the Reds the lead, and the home side wouldn’t have another shot in the match. They saw the result out reasonably comfortably though, as none of Spurs’ five goal attempts in the final 15 minutes were from closer than the penalty spot, and Alisson held on to them well when called upon. Another fantastic team effort, another three points.

Having had their club record winning run in the league ended at Old Trafford last weekend, Liverpool began a new streak against Spurs. Let’s hope it extends to three victories at the very least.