Tottenham responds to Tudor’s defiant call with a deserved draw at Anfield

Spurs had shown this new spirit even before they were hit by Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick in the 18th minute, a good strike but one that should have been saved by a poorly positioned Guglielmo Vicario, who returned to goal for the unfortunate Kinski.

In Vicario’s defence, he later made a great save when he turned Cody Jacobo’s shot onto the post. That moment kept Spurs in the game when a second Liverpool goal could have killed them.

Richarlison, the pantomime villain, had the last word, as he responded above all to Tudor’s call to action.

He still maintains hero status at Everton due to his impressive performances and efforts as they retained their Premier League place in 2021-22.

Tottenham will need him to do the same now, as he showed here how important it is to prove his presence alongside the tireless Dominic Solanke.

Richarlison’s goal took him to 100 goals (73 goals, 27 assists) in the Premier League. Roberto Firmino (132) and Gabriel Jesus (118) are the only Brazilians to reach this milestone.

As for Liverpool, there was little relief in this result as they missed the chance to return to the top four in the Premier League, and felt the full wrath of their fans in the end.

The only ray of light was the impressive performance of 17-year-old Rio Ngomoha, who was chosen ahead of Mohamed Salah. He received a standing ovation when he was substituted after 64 minutes, unlike the Egyptian, who simply couldn’t do anything right when he came on.

As for Tottenham, it remains to be seen whether this excellent display was the exception rather than the rule – but for the first time in a long time there was light at the end of what had been the darkest of tunnels.