Liverpool narrowly defeated 9-man Tottenham Hotspur with a 1-2 away win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday on matchday 17 of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

In the first half, Simons was sent off for pushing and stamping on Van Dijk's on left calf. In the second half, Isak scored but was forced off after being tackled and injured by Van de Ven. Kolo Muani's shot from a tight angle was deflected and hit the crossbar, before Ekitike scored with a header. In a crucial moment, Richarlison scored on a rebound. Romero, after being accidentally pushed over by Ibrahima Konaté in a high ball challenge, retaliated by kicking the latter in the chest, resulting in a red card.

In the end, Liverpool secured a 1-2 hard fought away win against 9-man Tottenham Hotspur. Following this round of matches, the Reds, temporarily rise to 5th place on the table with 29 points, closing in on a Champions League spot, after three consecutive wins; Spurs, on the other hand, temporarily drop to 13th with 22 points.

First Half

In the 13th minute, Liverpool earned a free kick. Dominik Szoboszlai took the kick by crossing it into the box from outside the penalty area. Virgil van Dijk rose high and attempted with a header in the box, however his effort was saved by Guglielmo Vicario.

In the 30th minute, Van Dijk was passing the ball back from his own back half when he was pushed from behind and had his left calf stramped on by his national teammate Xavi Simons, causing him to fall. The VAR assistant referee immediately intervened, and after the referee himself went to the sidelines to review the VAR, he ruled that Simons had committed a malicious foul and issued a straight red card to the player, forcing Tottenham Hotspur to finish the match with 10-men!

6 minutes later, Ryan Gravenberch made a straight pass from the left wing. Florian Wirtz quickly followed up, got the ball and took a few steps before volleying with his right foot from the left side of the box, but his shot was saved by Vicario.

At halftime, 10-man Tottenham Hotspur temporarily trailed Liverpool 0-1 during the break.

Second Half

Both teams switched as the match continued. in the 56th minute, Liverpool launched a deadly counter-attack. Wirtz made a straight pass from the attacking third. Alexander Isak quickly followed up and upon receiving the pass, volleyed the ball into the top right corner of the net with a left-footed shot from the left side of the box. Liverpool broke the deadlock first to take a 0-1 lead! However, the Sweden international striker was forced to be substituted after being injured by a tackle from Micky Van de Ven during his shot!

8 minutes later, Rodrigo Bentancur made a straight pass from near the midfield center circle. Randal Kolo-Muani quickly followe up, got the ball and dribbled into the right side of the box before volleying with his right footed from a difficult angle. His shot was deflected by Milos Kerkez and hit the crossbar before bouncing off! Tottenham Hotspur missed a golden opportunity to equalize against Liverpool!

In the 66th minute, Jeremie Frimpong crossed from the byline at the right side of the box. Hugo Ekitike rose high and scored with a header in the box, extending Liverpool's lead to 0-2! This was the French international striker's fifth goal in his last three Premier League games and his 11th goal in all competitions this season!

In the 83rd minute, Tottenham Hotspur earned a corner. Pedro Porro took the corner by crossing it into the box, causing chaos. Virgil van Dijk miskicked while attempting to clear the ball. Upon picking up the loose ball, Richarlison strucked the ball into the bottom left corner of the net from a very close distance in the box with a a right-footed follow-up shot, making it 1-2 for Tottenham Hotspur! This was the former Everton striker's fifth goal against Liverpool in his career!

Three minutes later, Cristian Romero, frustrated by being accidentally pushed over by Ibrahima Konaté during an aerial challenge, maliciously kicked the latter in the chest in retaliation. The referee immediately issued a red card to send-off Romero, forcing Tottenham Hotspur to finish the match with nine men!

Shortly after, Richarlison, while dribbling down the left flank, maliciously elbowed Frimpong in the face, causing the latter to bleed from the nose. He then appeared to choke Ekitike in the in box, escaping punishment on both occasions. The refereeing decisions again sparked controversy! Even more concerning, Richarlison has a history of involvement in controversies in recent Liverpool-Tottenham Hotspur matches!

When the final whistle is in blown, Liverpool narrowly defeated nine-man Tottenham Hotspur with a 1-2 away win.