3-6 v Liverpool FC - 22 December 2024 - Home

Liverpool went four points clear at the top of the Premier League as they handed out a merciless thrashing to Tottenham Hotspur in front of their own fans.

Arne Slot's pacesetters were simply irresistible as every frailty in an injury-hit Spurs team was ruthlessly exposed.

Liverpool had already had several opportunities before Luis Diaz headed in Trent Alexander-Arnold's perfect cross after 23 minutes, Alexis Mac Allister doubling their lead with another header 13 minutes later.

James Maddison gave Spurs hope of an unlikely comeback when he curled in his eighth goal of the season four minutes before half-time but that was snuffed out in first-half stoppage time when Mohamed Salah set up Dominik Szoboszlai for a simple finish.

Spurs, with a lengthy list of absentees and fielding an unchanged team having played a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United on Thursday, looked leg-weary, leaving them wide open to further punishment from this smooth Liverpool machine.

Salah drew level with Billy Liddell's record of 228 Liverpool goals when he extended Liverpool's advantage from close range after 54 minutes, then went into fourth place in the club's all-time list of scorers on his own when Szoboszlai repaid the first-half compliment to play the Egyptian in for his second.

Dejan Kulusevski scored for the fifth successive game with 18 minutes left, while another from Dominic Solanke threatened to give the scoreline an unrealistic appearance until Diaz swooped for his second and Liverpool's sixth.

Liverpool have dropped points in each of their past two Premier League games, with draws at Newcastle United and at home to Fulham, but this was as convincing a return to winning ways as possible as they confirmed once again that they are the team to beat in the title race.

Tottenham provided the perfect opponents for a Liverpool team almost groaning under the weight of attacking talent, the 6-3 scoreline hugely flattering to Ange Postecoglou's bedraggled team, who were outclassed from the first whistle.

Salah inevitably got in on the act as he went ahead of Anfield legend Liddell in the club's scoring charts with that second-half double, but there were stellar performances elsewhere, although Slot will ask questions about how his side conceded three goals.

The scale of Salah's achievement is illustrated by the fact he now has 229 goals in 373 games. Liddell scored 228 in 534 games, his 228th goal coming in his 526th appearance.

Diaz and Szoboszlai were the other star turns, the Colombian enjoying a better day at Spurs than last season, when he had a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside in Liverpool's 2-1 defeat.

Szoboszlai relished the freedom Spurs afforded him, racing clear to convert Salah's pass to make it 3-1 right on half-time, effectively ending the contest, then returning the favour after the break.

Liverpool's fans gave their team a rapturous reception after the final whistle, belief growing that the Premier League title will return to Anfield at the end of this season.

'I'm going to stop answering these questions' - Postecoglou argues with reporter There was a mood of discontent around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium even before kick-off when several hundred supporters staged a protest against chairman Daniel Levy, black balloons being released in the 24th minute to mark the number of years the current hierarchy have been in control, with the last success coming in the 2008 League Cup.

If there was hope the performance of the team would lift spirits, this was soon snuffed out as Liverpool set about exploiting Spurs' weaknesses and reduced circumstances from the first whistle.

No-one should be fooled by the scoreline. This was a brutal defeat, three goals providing no consolation, with the only surprise being Liverpool did not score more.

It has been a typically topsy-turvy week for Spurs under Postecoglou, hugely entertaining but showing the two contrasting sides of this team, first in the dramatic 4-3 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United before shipping six goals here.

Spurs and Liverpool meet in the EFL Cup semi-final over two legs and every piece of evidence here suggested it would need a major shift in quality and approach for Postecoglou to fashion a different outcome and reach Wembley.