Where there is football there is analysis and where defeats sit there is reason and blame. Maurico Pochettino could not really offer a full explanation why Tottenham had lost at Liverpool or detail why they performed so badly other than recognising the obvious factor: aggression was absent from his team’s play but present and raw in Liverpool’s.

Though it was an accusation he contested, Tottenham’s high line - deployed in stark contrast to the deeper defences that have been successful in frustrating Liverpool over the last month - contributed towards opportunities for Sadio Mané and Liverpool racing into a two-goal lead within the first eighteen minutes. That the score had not changed by the end meant that Spurs had been behind by more minutes (72) than they’d been since the start of last season (42).

As Anfield’s stadium clock ticked past the hour mark, then, Spurs were in unfamiliar territory. What followed was not encouraging. Pochettino made substitutions but none of them seemed to make sense. Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen were anonymous – Eriksen was one of those removed – while Harry Kane remained isolated. Spurs managed just two shots on target and Simon Mignolet – a goalkeeper with mistakes behind him in each of Liverpool’s two previous games – was tested only once, though his save in the first half from Heung-min Son was a significant one.

While it would be sensible for Jürgen Klopp to spend some time during the next 14 days until their next game analysing why Liverpool have achieved the insane feat of taking 26 points against the Premier League’s top ten teams and only 23 against the bottom ten, this outcome meant that Pochettino had to face questions about why his side had failed to turn up in a pivotal trip to one of their top four rivals; why, indeed, Spurs have won just twice away from home since late September, a run that includes defeats at Chelsea and Manchester United, in addition to draws at Arsenal and Manchester City.

Before Tottenham play their next league fixture, their schedule is rather more taxing than Liverpool’s, with two Europa League games against Belgian side, Gent, and an FA Cup fifth round tie at Fulham. That Pochettino reminded the assembled press of this without the need for him to be asked first suggested he might think this gives Liverpool an advantage in the tussle to secure Champions League football for next season.

Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Show all 23 1 /23 Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 27: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Jurgen Klopp Manager of Liverpool with Mauricio Roberto Pochettino of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on October 27, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) John Powell Liverpool FC via Getty Images Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Alisson - 6 out of 10 Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 27, 2019 Liverpool's Alisson before the match Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. 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JASON CAIRNDUFF Action Images via Reuters Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Georginio Wijnaldum - 5 Tottenham's Moussa Sissoko, left, challenges for the ball with Liverpool's Georginio Wijnaldum during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Jon Super) Jon Super AP Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Fabinho - 8 Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 27, 2019 Tottenham Hotspur's Moussa Sissoko in action with Liverpool's Fabinho REUTERS/Phil Noble EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. PHIL NOBLE REUTERS Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Jordan Henderson - 7 Tottenham Hotspur's French midfielder Moussa Sissoko (L) vies with Liverpool's English midfielder Jordan Henderson during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on October 27, 2019. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images) PAUL ELLIS AFP via Getty Images Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Mohamed Salah - 6 Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 27, 2019 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah in action with Tottenham Hotspur's Danny Rose Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. JASON CAIRNDUFF Action Images via Reuters Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Roberto Firmino - 6 Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 27, 2019 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane in action with Liverpool's Roberto Firmino Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. JASON CAIRNDUFF Action Images via Reuters Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Sadio Mane - 6 Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 27, 2019 Liverpool's Sadio Mane in action with Tottenham Hotspur's Serge Aurier Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details. JASON CAIRNDUFF Action Images via Reuters Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Paulo Gazzaniga - 9 epa07954216 Tottenham Hotspur's goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga (C) in action during the English Premier League game between Liverpool FC and Tottenham Hotspur in Liverpool, Britain, 27 October 2019. EPA/PETER POWELL EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. 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(Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) John Powell Liverpool FC via Getty Images Liverpool vs Tottenham player ratings Davinson Sanchez - 6 Tottenham Hotspur's Colombian defender Davinson Sanchez (L) vies with Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Roberto Firmino during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on October 27, 2019. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. 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His response to a question about the ability of his squad to deal with this period was hardly reassuring. “We will see,” he said. “That is important. We are in a different project to Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal. We are a club fighting for the Premier League with different tools in a different project. We will see if [we] can cope. If we have the squad, we will see. It is important that our project is long-term and we can see if we can cope with all the competitions now.”

There are similarities, though, between Liverpool and Tottenham – in that both teams have suffered from injuries, while Chelsea have not. Equally, neither Liverpool nor Tottenham have the broad title winning experience of the players at Chelsea.

“Sometimes it is not only about pushing the player to train and run and play, sometimes it is about coping with the level and the competition,” Pochettino believes. “It is important now to assess and be calm. Sometimes this happens. It is only our third defeat in the Premier League. Today we were poor and I feel very disappointed but be careful. We are one point above Liverpool still.”

No Tottenham team has qualified for the Champions League in consecutive seasons and Pochettino realises that. He realises too it has been a decade since Tottenham last won a trophy.

Harry Kane was unable to find a solution to Tottenham's troubles at Anfield

“The club is in a special situation, building the new stadium and there are many things which are important when you analyse the team,” Pochettino added. But would he prefer to finish in the top four or win something?