Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham: 3 talking points from emotional title win at Anfield | OneFootball

An emotional Anfield saw Liverpool clinch their first top-flight title in front of fans in 35 years, coming from behind to thrash Tottenham Hotspur 5-1.

The Covid-19 pandemic meant the Reds were denied a proper celebration when they ended their three-decade Premier League drought five years ago.

However, they made light work of getting a long-overdue party started – Dominic Solanke's early Spurs goal quickly cancelled out by strikes from Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo.

Gloss was then added to the scoreline in the second half, Salah smashing in emphatically at the Kop end before Destiny Udogie put through his own net trying to prevent the Premier League's top goalscorer from doubling his tally.

How the game unfolded

Roared on by a vociferous crowd, Liverpool made a strong start, with Gakpo going close courtesy of an overhead kick early doors.

But they were hit by a sucker punch that threatened to ruin the day in the 12th minute, Solanke rising highest to meet a James Maddison corner and nod it past Alisson Becker.

Fortunately for the hosts, they eased the nerves by responding inside four minutes, Diaz tapping in from a Dominik Szoboszlai square pass and a VAR check confirming that the Colombian had in fact been onside.

Mac Allister then added to the joy, smashing home a brilliant left-footed strike from the edge of the area when the ball had broken after a challenge, before Gakpo had Anfield bouncing when he collected a clearance from a corner and coolly dispatched it into the bottom corner.

The half-time break allowed Liverpool to calm things down a little, and they were less ambitious in attack while simultaneously completely limiting Spurs' threat in the second period.

But they still carried enough threat to add a fourth goal, which came a Szoboszlai-led break ended with Salah cutting in hammering a low shot past Guglielmo Vicario.

The Egyptian was then denied a second as Udogie beat him to poking home a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross, not that the home supporters minded one bit as they celebrated a fifth goal.

Mac Allister caps outstanding season

Alexis Mac Allister was at his brilliant best once more / PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages

Thanks to Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, it feels unlikely that Alexis Mac Allister is going to get his hands on Liverpool's 'Player of the Season' award.

But there will be nobody in the Anfield dressing room that does not appreciate that the Argentine World Cup winner is the heartbeat of this title-winning team.

Brilliant off he ball in winning more tackles (four) and duels (seven) than any other player, and just as good on it as he showed with his marvellous goal, Mac Allister is simply an incredible all-rounder.

As such, it was fitting that he got his big moment in this all-important fixture and rapturous applause when he departed the field to be replaced by Darwin Nunez.

Klopp influence is still there

Jurgen Klopp's farewell ushered in the Arne Slot era / James Baylis - AMA/GettyImages

As much as Liverpool have been praised this season for the measured football they have played under Arne Slot, they have not completely forgotten the all-action style seen under his predecessor Jurgen Klopp.

And that proved good news in this one, with Tottenham's early goal meaning the old approach that has blown so many teams away down the years was required.

Spurs felt that wrath as the Reds quickly notched up three goals to end the game as a contest and effectively wrap up the Premier League title before half-time.

That they were able to do that is just one example of how Klopp's influence over this club is likely to prove foundational to the successes that come after him.

Liverpool are deserving champions

Liverpool's players and staff stand in front of the Kop after sealing the Premier League title / Carl Recine/GettyImages

For all the talk of a 'weak league' or that Arsenal and Manchester City's drop-offs have been crucial, there is surely no doubt at this point that Liverpool are worthy Premier League champions.

At the point they have won it, the Reds are going at 2.4 points per game - enough for 92 over a season, a total that would have won it in every Premier League campaign barring the exceptional peak of the Klopp-Pep Guardiola rivalry.

Liverpool have also lost just twice, coping far better than any of their rivals with what is arguably a historically strong middle section of the league. Not that anyone on Merseyside will care what others think, but this team deserves recognition for what it has acheived this year.