Liverpool (Away) 06.02.2025

There were 6,000 in the away end to see Kevin Danso start the match making his debut, while Mathys Tel joined the numerous other teenagers on our bench as our injured players were not returning in time for matches that could have turned our season into something more successful than it might end up being.

So, two minutes in and van Dijk elbows Richarlison under his chin and VAR looked at it, but no announcement and no decision against the Liverpool captain. What a surprise.  This Is Anfield, as they say.  Had it been Richarlison or Bissouma, you can bet there would have been red flashed in their direction.

The first save of the match came on six minutes, with Kinsky claiming a blocked shot from Salah that had a lot of the power taken off it.  The knowledgeable home crowd shrieked for a penalty when Szobaslai was tackled, but he had taken too long to decide what he was going to do with it and it was Nunez who went down needing treatment after he had slid in on Richarlison and got caught by van Dijk, who had gone through the back of the Spurs striker.

From a Liverpool corner, the ball went Bissouma’s head and Kinsky came for it, Konate made no attempt to go for it and Kinsky went over him, catching Ben Davies on the way down, leading to the Welshman needing attention as blood dripped down his face – a point that Salah was quick to point out to the ref to ensure that our number 33 had to leave the field.

The home side had a lot of possession in the Spurs half, but when the ball was picked off, Kevin Danso made a move out of the back with the ball leading to a corner and form that Liverpool tried to break away, but Szoboszlai couldn’t gather the ball in.  In their next break, Salah looked for a ball into the box but Bissouma got a touch on it that took the ball wide of the Spurs goal.  Danso made a great block to stop Gakpo getting a shot on goal and Spurs broke with Richi playing it to Kulusevski, who made a one man attack that won a corner, although Robertson disputed this with a huge piece of dissent that the ref did nothing about.

Gakpo’s cross gave Nunez a free header, but it lacked power and direction allowing Toni to catch it easily and when the Spurs keeper was beaten, Szoboszlai drove past Kinsky from the right side, but he had gone too soon and was offside.  Salah had a chance but volleyed way over the bar from a narrow angle.  Bissouma passed behind Sarr in midfield and the ball was moved forward to be put across the box for Gakpo to put it past Kinsky first time.

Having levelled the aggregate score, Liverpool pressed on and Kinsky played into their hands with a poor pass out to Bentancur, but thankfully nothing resulted from it.  Four minutes before half-time, Kulusevski had a shot but couldn’t keep it down and when Richi chased a ball up the line, it went out for a throw and the Brazilian went down.  Liverpool played on finding Salah at the far post from where he hit a volley down into the ground that bounced up and Toni got a touch on it to take it just over the bar for a corner.  Richi’s game was finished as Mathys Tel came on from the bench for his debut.

Having crowded Kinsky from a corner, the ball was lumped back high into the box with van Dijk moving away from the ball and it would have been a simple catch for Toni, but whether he had not known that he was not going to be challenged, but he opted to punch the ball and did so, only to put it out for another corner.

Spence and Gray swapped sides and Djed did well to get to a cross before Jones in added time to head out for a corner. Despite going a goal down, the Spurs contingent were noisier than the home support as the game headed towards half-time.  Spurs couldn’t get near the ball in the final minute, but the half-time whistle prevented Liverpool taking a corner that they had won.

Pressure came straight away at the start of the second half, as Salah made space in the box but couldn’t get a full connection on his shot so, Kinsky had time to push the ball aside for a corner, that was won at the near post for another.  This one went in fast to the near post that Szoboszlai glanced at goal and with Gakpo in front of Toni and both got there at the same time, with the ball being hacked away.  A minute later, Salah played Nunez into the box and Kinsky rushed out, catching the forward as he prodded the ball on. So, penalty, Salah, goal.  Top right corner of the keeper’s goal as Toni went left. 

It meant that Spurs had to score to take the tie to extra time and keep the home team out.  Having not had a shot on target to that point, it looked a tall task.  It was difficult for Tottenham to find space to play in, as every time it looked like a player was going on a run, a red shirt blocked their way.  When Mathys Tel got space on the right his cross was blocked for a corner, which was headed out and only a great tackle by Pape Matar Sarr stopped Salah making more of the space he had inside the Tottenham half.

It was about the last thing that Pape did as he made way for Bergvall and Porro came on for Bissouma, so that pushed Spence further forward on the right, while Archie Gray dropped in at left back.  Just before the hour, Spurs worked the ball forward and Bentancur hit a rising shot that cleared the bar and went high into the crowd behind the Liverpool goal.  Kinsky made another routine save from Szoboszlai’s header from 12 yards out, but Spurs were losing the ball inside their defensive third that was inviting pressure.

With space opening up in front of them, Liverpool worked the ball left and Gakpo’s cross-shot was finger-tipped by Kinsky against his far post.  Djed made himself a bit of space on the right and tried a shot to beat the keeper at his near top corner, but it went off wide before it reached the goal.  Spurs got the ball in the Liverpool half and moved the ball across the box, with Danso involved high up, but the move broke down and the break ended with Gakpo putting a shot across Toni and off the base of the post.  The respite was brief when Bradley came inside to put a pass inside to Szoboszlai who slid the ball past Kinsky for 3-0.

Spurs struck the woodwork when Tel played in Son on the left of the box and his shot from a narrow angle bounced away off the crossbar.  Corner from McAllister and van Dijk had a free header to make it 4-0 because Konate was holding off Danso, who had been trying to track the run by the central defender.  The remaining ten minutes were a bit of a procession, with time being played out and although Son had a shot in the 91st minute, it went weakly over the bar.

The hysterical reaction by the Sky Sports pundits was only to be expected, as they have to crucify someone and at the moment it is us.  Yes, it is disappointing to lose 0-4 in the second leg of a cup semi-final, but let’s give this some context please.  Spurs 10 players out injured – Liverpool 1.  Spurs struggling while Liverpool lead the league by six points and yes this was a one off, but let us not forget that one month ago, Tottenham became only the second English team to beat Liverpool this season.  Admittedly, the Reds didn’t play very well that day, but they still had to be beaten and coming after they had won at the THS 6-3, it was not a foregone conclusion that the same would happen again.  For the first half an hour of the match, Spurs had kept their first leg lead intact, but once level, it was going to be difficult to stop the home side who had dominated possession.

Without our usual options it wasn’t possible to play Ange’s preferred type of game.  It is only when players are missing that you realise how much they do for the team.  Our pressing was sporadic, with no co-ordination and we missed Solanke’s hard work which upset the Liverpool defence in the first leg.  We missed the ball retention that Maddison brings, as turning over possession brings on pressure and that builds until the inevitable happens.  We miss Micky and Cristian at the back, as well as Udogie being a player who covers a lot of ground and provides an out ball when we play it out from the keeper.  We may well miss Wilson Odobert, although he had only a few minutes before he got injured, as his trickery could be a useful weapon to move us up the pitch.  Having to rely on a core of players is tough on them, as two games a week come around quickly and there is little recovery time between matches.

But the most disappointing thing is that we didn’t have a go.  Circumstances dictated that, but not having a shot on target in the whole game isn’t like us at all.  Now, a greater weight of importance is placed on Sunday’s Fourth Round FA Cup match at Villa.  There is still the Europa League waiting to resume, but I feel that the result in the Midlands will determine whether the already febrile mood of sections of the Spurs crowd, who are waiting for any reason to escalate the rapidly becoming toxic atmosphere at our matches.  A win could put a different face on the rest of the season, but I, for one, will be getting behind the team – win lose or draw.

Burton Coggles

• Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel make their Tottenham debuts.