Jürgen Klopp and Maurico Pochettino refused to concede the Premier League title to Chelsea after contrasting evenings at Anfield.

While Klopp was buoyed by victory – Liverpool’s first in the league in 2017, Pochettino spent most of his post-match press conference expressing his concerns at his team’s lack of aggression, especially in the opening 30 minutes when Liverpool’s dominance was overwhelming and Sadio Mané’s goals gave them a deserved cushion.

From his position in a television studio Steven Gerrard’s assessment of the game probably summed it up best. “Liverpool bullied Spurs all over the pitch for the first 45 minutes and then they defended like men for the second half,” he said.

The result means Chelsea will open up a twelve point gap at the summit of the Premier League if they win at Burnley tomorrow. It also means only two points separate Tottenham in second place and Manchester United in sixth.

“I’m not interested in this at the moment because the only possibility is to win football games,” Klopp responded when asked about the possibility of anyone catching the pace-setters. “Chelsea do not look like they will struggle too much over weeks but if they do, maybe there will be somebody waiting.”

Pochettino was unable to explain why Spurs were beaten so comprehensively, warning, “It is difficult to fight for the Premier League title if you show that performance and the lack of aggression.”

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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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 Dejan Lovren - 5 Liverpool's Dejan Lovren, left, jumps for the ball with Tottenham's Harry Kane 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 Virgil van Dijk - 7 Soccer Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - October 27, 2019 Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane in action with Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk 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. 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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. 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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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While Pochettino now faces the prospect of three cup games before his next league fixture, Liverpool have a clear 16 days ahead of their trip to Leicester City.

Klopp plans to use the break in fixtures as a mini pre-season, telling the media that from Roberto Firmino, he’d never witnessed a better performance from a striker without scoring. He was right to be delighted by the application of all his players after a miserable start to the year.

“Really strong, really direct, really clear,” was his view of Liverpool’s start to the game. “We knew we had to show a reaction. You cannot expect the highest confidence so we had to fight.



“The second half was a different game. We had to adapt to the change Tottenham made in formation. We dealt really well with it in terms of our concentration.”

When Liverpool play like this, you wonder how on earth they slump so low – as they have done over the last month.