Three lessons from Tottenham’s decisive victory against Liverpool for Arne Slot’s Reds

LONDON— At least for Liverpool supporters, watching Sunday’s Tottenham vs. Liverpool match was a lot of pleasure. From the north London away end, Liverpool’s supporters cheered the Premier League leaders as they pounded and feasted on a dishevelled and exhausted Tottenham to win 6-3. Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz each scored twice for Arne Slot’s team, which leads the Premier League standings at Christmas. Cody Gakpo was a persistent threat, and Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai also got involved. After Liverpool had taken a 5-1 lead, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke both scored late to give the result some legitimacy, and James Maddison momentarily put it 2-1.

Here’s a revised version of the article with paraphrasing, preserving the quotes and italics:

Key Takeaways from Another Classic Tottenham vs Liverpool Clash

Liverpool’s Fluid Attack Without a Traditional Number Nine
It was hard to pinpoint who was leading the line for Liverpool, and that’s a positive for Arne Slot. Liverpool generated nine significant chances, boasted over 4.46 expected goals, and registered 24 shots on target. Much like the days when Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino effortlessly interchanged in attack, Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Luis Diaz did so repeatedly against Spurs. With midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai joining in, often creating a four-on-four during counterattacks, this was Liverpool at their best. Darwin Nunez is struggling up front, but Slot has decided that a traditional number nine isn’t essential. This approach works well, as Liverpool’s dynamic attackers and rampaging midfielders are hard to contain, enabling them to press high and exert pressure. Add Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, and Harvey Elliott into the equation, and Liverpool have a versatile set of players to rotate smoothly within this system. Slot has managed to fit all of Liverpool’s key attackers and midfielders into the starting lineup, making it a thrilling spectacle, with Ryan Gravenberch providing the necessary balance as a true holding midfielder.

Tottenham Depleted and Exhausted

With key absences—two starting center-backs, a left-back, and the goalkeeper—this was always going to be a challenging match for Tottenham. They seemed fatigued from the outset, having played a demanding 4-3 win against Manchester United in the League Cup just days earlier, and it showed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Ange Postecoglou lacks sufficient rotation options, forcing him to field inexperienced players and squad members out of position at the back. Coupled with Spurs’ notorious high defensive line, this setup was always vulnerable. In their past three home games across all competitions, Spurs have conceded 13 goals to Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool. These setbacks won’t define their season, and Postecoglou will take solace in his side’s persistence, as Kulusevski, Son, and Solanke continued to try and create chances, helping Spurs score three goals. However, it’s clear that Tottenham must strengthen their defensive depth, even with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and Destiny Udogie eventually returning. Losing key players should not cause such a drastic drop in performance—building a strong squad, not just a starting eleven, is the next step in Postecoglou’s project at Spurs.

Defensive Vulnerabilities Could Hinder Liverpool’s Title Challenge
The main flaw in Liverpool’s current setup seems to be their lack of pace in defense. Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez are commanding center-backs, but when Tottenham exploited the spaces on the flanks of Liverpool’s central defenders, stretching them with crosses into the box, Liverpool appeared vulnerable. The Reds have now conceded two or more goals in four of their last five Premier League matches. While this hasn’t been an issue as long as they continue to score three or four goals per match, it’s not a sustainable strategy and could cost them valuable points over the course of the season. In the title race, Arsenal have a more solid defense than Liverpool, and if the Reds are to mount a genuine challenge for the Premier League title, they will need to shore up their defensive weaknesses. In simple terms, they may need to adopt a more pragmatic approach. While Slot’s emphasis on attacking play and excitement is admirable, Liverpool must find a way to balance this with defensive stability to secure their success this season.

This paraphrased version maintains the essence of the original article while restructuring sentences for clarity and variety.