Tottenham 3-6 Liverpool player ratings: Trent Alexander Arnold ‘bends it like Beckham’ as Reds are Christmas No 1 | OneFootball

Tottenham suffered a disappointing 6-3 defeat at home against Liverpool in the Premier League this evening.

Ange Postecoglou’s men had previously enjoyed a resounding 5-0 victory over Southampton before an exciting 4-3 triumph over Manchester United in the EFL Cup quarter-final.

However, they were outclassed by the championship leaders in this match. Luis Diaz (brace), Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah (brace) scored for Liverpool, while James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke provided a flicker of hope for Tottenham.

As a result of this win, Liverpool sits at the top of the Premier League table at Christmas for the first time since the 2020-21 season. However, it’s worth noting that the Reds have only won the league title in one of the last seven campaigns in which they were at the top at Xmas, achieving that in the 2019-20 season.

Tottenham player ratings

Fraser Forster: 58%

It’s a week to forget for the former Celtic goalkeeper. After conceding three goals against Manchester United earlier in the week, Forster allowed in six more today. Despite making six saves, his -2.21 goals prevented rating kept him from achieving a higher score.

Djed Spence: 62%

He started well by making two crucial blocked shots (finishing with three), but the young full-back was overwhelmed once Liverpool gained the upper hand. Nevertheless, he gave a credible performance, winning four tackles and regaining possession five times in the defensive third.

Archie Gray: 54%

Gray’s versatility saw him once again take up a position in the heart of Tottenham’s backline amid their defensive crisis. He registered one interception inside the penalty area and achieved an impressive retention rate of 91.46%. However, he won only 50% of his ground duels and none in the air, which allowed Alexis Mac Allister to gain an advantage as Liverpool took a 2-0 lead. Also, being part of a defence that conceded six goals would significantly limit his final rating, preventing it from exceeding his current score.

Radu Dragusin: 50%

There was no nightmare moment when he reunited with Cody Gakpo, but the Romanian centre-back faced another challenging outing against a team managed by a Dutchman. Dragusin won only 33.4% of his aerial duels and did not win a single tackle.

Pedro Porro: 54%

This was an uncharacteristic outing for Porro, who is normally flying down Tottenham’s right flank. Due to Liverpool’s strong performance, the Spaniard was limited to creating just two chances, neither of which could be classified as ‘big chances.’ Additionally, Porro was dribbled past once and completed two of his five attempted crosses.

Yves Bissouma: 52%

Bissouma regained possession six times in the middle third, but that was the highlight of his performance upon returning from suspension after missing Tottenham’s previous league match. Unfortunately, he struggled to perform his key role of advancing the ball, whether through effective dribbling or accurate forward passing. His passing success rate placed him in the 20th percentile among central midfielders competing in today’s Premier League matches.

Pape Sarr: 51%

Sarr’s most notable contribution was a shot taken in anger that was on target, although Alisson had it covered. This moment summed up an ineffective outing, as he struggled to cope with Liverpool’s relentless pressing machine. He also recorded three unsuccessful touches, the same as his midfield partner, Bissouma, which didn’t help the situation. Overall, this was a game to forget for Spurs’ midfielders.

Son Heung-min: 56%

This was arguably one of Son’s poorest performances for Tottenham. The Korean winger did not create a single chance and recorded only one shot on goal, which was off target. It didn’t help that he was tasked with covering the fast-moving Alexander-Arnold. At one point, the cameras captured Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou reprimanding him for not doing a better job defending against the England international.

James Maddison: 74%

He didn’t last the full 90 minutes, but a speculative effort gave Tottenham a brief glimmer of hope by reducing Liverpool’s lead to 2-1. Aside from that, Maddison created two chances, although neither was classified as a ‘big chance,’ and he was unable to complete either of his attempted take-ons.

Dejan Kulusevski: 71%

Kulusevski had another successful outing, scoring a goal and proving to be Tottenham’s liveliest performer. He completed no fewer than eight dribbles, winning three of them, and took three shots on goal, one of which went in for his goal.

Dejan Kulusevski: 68%

Opportunities for Solanke were limited, but when they did arise, he wasn’t going to let them slip by. A difficult finish saw him score Tottenham’s third goal, and he also played a role in Kulusevski’s effort; however, this wouldn’t be classified as an intentional assist, as more was needed from the Swede to complete the goal.

Liverpool player ratings

Alisson: 47%

The Liverpool goalkeeper conceded three of Spurs’ five shots on target today. Maddison’s goal puts a big dent in his score as it was converted from outside the box, perhaps an unfair reflection as Alisson’s view was obstructed by two Reds defenders — something his ‘goals prevented’ score (-0.88) cannot factor in. He made a strong save from Brennan Johnson in the 88th minute but failed to build a higher rating through contributions in possession, completing just three of nine long passes attempted.

Andy Robertson: 60%

Early on, it seemed Kulusevski would target Robertson, but he never looked vulnerable, and as the match developed, Spurs had little joy down Liverpool’s left flank. Robertson helped create Mac Allister’s goal with his cross into the box, and over the match, he made two ball-winning interceptions and won two tackles.

Virgil van Dijk: 63%

When needed, the Liverpool captain made several vital defensive interventions inside the penalty area, including one last-man tackle. He ended the game having won four tackles, more than any player on the pitch. That said, Van Dijk could have done more to cut out Solanke’s chipped pass to set up Kulusevski or stay tighter to Solanke for Tottenham’s third.

Joe Gomez: 65%

Gomez played a fantastic line-breaking pass into Szoboszlai in the build-up to Liverpool’s second. He played six successful long-ball passes, the second most successful in the game. He was the busier centre-back of the first half and did not put a foot wrong, earning special praise from Jamie Carragher during the interval. During today’s win, Gomez also made a joint-high of seven clearances.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: 70%

Today’s exhibition in passing range saw Alexander-Arnold complete the most long balls of the game (7). Spurs got a warning early on, too. First came Alexander-Arnold’s raking cross-field pass to Luis Diaz in the 15th minute, turning Porro inside out and leading to a goalscoring chance.

Then came the cross for Diaz’s opener minutes later, inspiring comparisons from commentator Gary Neville to David Beckham, Kevin De Bruyne, and Steven Gerrard. Alexander-Arnold looks a far more mature defender under Slot. He stood up well to the trio of Solanke, Son and Maddison on the left side of Spurs’ attack, making three interceptions that kept possession and seven clearances, the joint-most of the match.

Dominik Szoboszlai: 79%

His aggressive pressing, particularly his aerial prowess, kept the pressure on Spurs’ defence numerous times, notably for Mac Allister’s goal and his own. His scrambled shot kept the ball alive so Salah could score Liverpool’s fourth, too. If the first two were more like ‘FPL assists’, his deft pass for the side’s fifth goal was anything but. Szoboszlai missed two big chances, but his overall output — 15 final-third passes (most), five ball recoveries, and two ‘high turnovers’ — was such that he still managed to score the highest rating of the match.

Ryan Gravenberch: 59%

Today was a rare occasion where Gravenberch was outshined by his fellow Liverpool midfielders. He faced a tough test on paper against Bissouma, Sarr and Maddison — all aggressive players who excel in duels — but helped ensure Liverpool dominated the match, completing the most accurate forward passes (10) across the midfield trio. Gravenberch was dispossessed twice but won two tackles and made two ball-winning interceptions. No midfielder on the pitch won more duels (7).

Alexis Mac Allister: 64%

Mac Allister scored Liverpool’s second with a leaping header and, on the whole, was a ball-winning menace. He made four interceptions that gave Liverpool full possession, the most of the game, including one key intervention inside the box in the 40th minute as Maddison tried to find Son. Immediately, however, he undid this good work by losing the ball to allow Spurs’ No.10 to claw one back.

Luis Díaz: 67%

Once again, while playing a wide-roaming centre-forward role, Diaz netted Liverpool’s opener with a clever header. It was his first goal since scoring a hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen when Arne Slot first used him in this way eight games ago, and he could have had another treble today; Diaz took five shots on target (scoring twice), the most of the game. He also made three ‘high turnovers’, winning possession within 40 yards of Spurs’ goal.

Cody Gakpo: 62%

The only member of Liverpool’s starting front four who failed to score or assist. Gakpo also recorded three ‘unsuccessful touches’, losing the ball immediately after receiving it on more occasions than any Liverpool player. He did manage to create two chances, though, along with nine passes in the final third.

Mohamed Salah: 75%

Salah started brightly with five shots inside the first 15 minutes, then faded, only to play the perfect pass to assist Szoboszlai as Liverpool broke just before half-time. He’s the first player in Premier League history to hit double figures for both goals and assists before Christmas. Salah created three chances overall, registering two assists, while managing three shots on target, with two of them leading to goals. His score would have been higher had he been more effective with his dribbling, completing just one of five take-ons attempted.

How do Squawka player ratings work?

Squawka’s new player rating system is wholly stats-based. Player scores are based on the numbers they put up across a range of on-ball events, from goals scored to tackles won.

We tailored each score to the players’ respective positions using extensive research and expertise. For example, forwards are rated on metrics like shots on target, touches in the opposition box, and big chances created. Meanwhile, centre-backs are rewarded for winning aerial duels, making blocks, successful long-range passes, etc.

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