Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur shared the spoils in a dramatic 1-1 draw in the final game of Sunday’s Premier League programme.
Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Galatasaray heightened the pressure on Arne Slot ahead of Liverpool’s return to the Premier League, where they trailed fourth-placed Aston Villa by three points before kick-off.
With their Champions League ambitions hanging by a thread, securing a fourth-place finish is the bare minimum the Anfield chiefs expect from the manager, who won the title in his first season at the helm.
However, the Reds entered this fixture amid a rough patch, having also lost their last league outing away to relegation-bound Wolverhampton Wanderers after three consecutive wins beforehand.
Despite Liverpool’s disappointing title-defending campaign, Tottenham would probably trade places with their hosts in a heartbeat, as Spurs find themselves embroiled in a desperate battle to avoid relegation.
Locked together on 29 points with Nottingham Forest and West Ham United, Igor Tudor’s men were desperate to avoid another humiliation at Anfield after conceding at least four goals on their last four visits.
Four defeats from as many games in charge, including a 5-2 rout at the hands of Atletico Madrid in midweek Champions League action, have already placed Tudor under heavy scrutiny.
Tudor embarrassed himself at the beginning of the game, as he mistook Alan Dixon for Slot shortly before the first whistle (via the Daily Mirror).
Meanwhile, Spurs had to avoid defeat at all costs, but the game could not have started any worse for the visitors, as Dominik Szoboszlai powered home another stunning long-range free kick to open the scoring in the 18th minute.
Ryan Gravenberch wasted a glorious chance to put clear daylight between the sides only three minutes later, sending his shot from the edge of the box a whisker wide of the right post.
Liverpool continued to dominate the game in the first half, yet Tottenham came closer to finding the net as the half-time break approached, with Richarlison squandering two massive opportunities in only three minutes.
Teenage winger Rio Ngumoha could’ve punished the Brazilian’s misses at the start of the second half, but he failed to hit the target from point-blank range despite being left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box.
Richarlison’s wasteful afternoon continued in the 55th minute. He broke one-on-one with Alisson Becker and fluffed his lines again, allowing his compatriot to make a comfortable save.
Given Liverpool’s packed schedule before March’s international break, Slot left Mohamed Salah on the bench (via Sports Illustrated), introducing the left-footed forward just after the hour mark.
However, the 33-year-old’s disappointing finish in the 73rd minute perhaps best summarised his underwhelming campaign, with the Egyptian star wasting a golden chance to extend the Reds’ lead.
Although it looked like Slot’s charges were closer to scoring the second, Tottenham stunned the home crowd by drawing level, with Richarlison finally making amends for his earlier misses to level the score in the 90th minute.
With only five minutes in the second-half stoppage time, Liverpool had very little room to muster another chance, but they did find space on the counter, only for Hugo Ekitike to produce another wayward moment.
Held winless for the second league match on the trot, the Reds now find themselves trailing Villa by two points and bereft of confidence ahead of the return leg against Galatasaray.
As for Tottenham, they’ve steered a point clear of 18th-placed West Ham, with Tudor picking up his first point since arriving in North London, but Spurs’ battle for survival is far from over.
Still, it didn’t stop the Croatian manager from celebrating this draw as a much-needed step in the right direction.