Liverpool held off a Richarlison-inspired fightback to beat nine-man Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike.

Isak – a second-half substitute – scored and was then forced off injured early in the second half at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Xavi Simons received a straight red card in the 33rd minute.

Ekitike then continued his hot streak with a towering header 66 minutes in, his fifth goal in his last three matches, putting Liverpool in a commanding position.

Yet the reigning Premier League champions relinquished their control when Spurs substitute Richarlison pulled one back in the 83rd minute.

Just as Spurs built up a head of steam, Cristian Romero capped off a poor evening, lashing out at Ibrahima Konate to receive a second yellow card, as Liverpool held on to move fifth, while Thomas Frank’s team sit 13th.

How the match unfolded

A cagey first half was punctuated by Simons’ moment of recklessness as he left his studs in on Virgil van Dijk, and after a VAR review, referee John Brooks changed his decision from a yellow card to a red.

Liverpool needed just 11 second-half minutes to make their numerical advantage count. Romero’s error gifted the Reds an opening, with Florian Wirtz playing in Isak, who coolly finished beyond Guglielmo Vicario.

In the process, though, Isak was slammed into by Micky van de Ven, and rather than celebrating, the forward had to go off with the help of Liverpool’s medical staff.

The Reds’ goal lived a charmed life when Randal Kolo Muani’s effort looped off Milos Kerkez and clipped the crossbar, but Liverpool made their fortune count as Ekitike brilliantly headed home from Jeremie Frimpong’s deflected cross.

But as the visitors seemed to be cruising towards three points, Richarlison swept in following a scramble in the box just over two minutes after his introduction.

Spurs’ hopes received a blow as Romero picked up a second booking in the 93rd minute when he kicked out at Konate, with Liverpool just about holding firm.

Early Christmas cards, but no festive cheer for Spurs

There was little Christmas cheer around Tottenham Hotspur Stadium even before Simons made Spurs’ life much more difficult with his reckless challenge on Van Dijk.

Simons has had a slow start to life at Spurs, though had shown flashes of brilliance in recent home wins against Brentford and Slavia Prague.

Yet there was no need at all for the playmaker to lunge in on his Dutch compatriot, and he can have few complaints that he was sent off.

Romero, though, endured a worse evening than Simons.

The Spurs captain was at least partly at fault for both Liverpool goals, giving away possession with a rash clearance in the build-up to Isak’s opener, before he was towered over by Ekitike when the Frenchman made it 2-0.

For Romero to let his temper boil over when Spurs had Liverpool on the ropes in stoppage time will infuriate Frank, who may have wished he had turned to Richarlison earlier, given the forward’s immediate impact from the bench.

Despite their late flurry, Spurs have won just one of their last eight league games. They head into Christmas in the bottom half and have tasted victory just twice in the top flight at home all season. A trip to Crystal Palace comes next.

Isak’s bittersweet moment

With Mohamed Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations, there was no drama over whether Arne Slot would start the Egyptian, who assisted against Brighton & Hove Albion last week, for the first time since November.

Liverpool was certainly missing a spark in the first half, and in truth, if not for Romero’s mistake, which the defender compounded by then rushing out of the defensive line to try and atone for it, the Reds may well have been feeling Salah’s absence.

As it was, Isak made his mark after coming on from the bench to replace Conor Bradley. His run and finish for Liverpool’s opener was excellent, and he has now netted seven league goals against Spurs.

Yet Isak’s joy was short-lived. No sooner had the ball hit the back of the net, he took the brunt of a desperate attempted block from Van de Ven, and he could not continue.

Ekitike showed his class with what turned out to be Liverpool’s winner, but Slot will be far from pleased with how his team defended in the latter stages, and even after Romero’s dismissal, Spurs still looked capable of snatching an equaliser.

Liverpool got the job done, though, and Slot will hope a home game against lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers proves easier to navigate. (Premierleague.com)

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