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Roberto Firmino (Getty Images)
José Mourinho said Tottenham must learn to kill matches if they want to win their first league title in 60 years later. Roberto Firmino The latest winner gave Liverpool a 2-1 victory over their team on Wednesday.
The Brazilian’s impressive header ended an 11-game unbeaten league streak for Mourinho’s men and opened up a three-point lead for the defending champions at the top of the Premier League table.
Liverpool enjoyed 76 percent possession and had 11 shots on goal against Tottenham’s two, but Mourinho still believed that Spurs would have deserved winners had they taken their chances early in the second half.
Steven Bergwijn hit the post and Harry Kane unusually headed in a great opportunity at 1-1.
“We were so close to a win, not so close to a draw,” said Mourinho, who had an exchange of words with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp at full time.
“A draw would be a bad performance-wise result, so you can imagine how we feel about the loss.
“Of course they had more ball, but when we had it, we knew how to hurt them. We have to score, the second, third goal, we have to score it to kill the game.
“In games like these where you don’t have 10 chances, just three or four, you have to score three and kill, which we didn’t do.”
Liverpool are now 66 games unbeaten in the league at Anfield and showed why they remain favorites in an open title race with their ability to consistently win close matches at the end.
“Totally deserved,” Klopp said of his team’s victory. “A really good game against a high side, a counter-attacking monster.
“You lose a ball and you end up with an 80 percent chance in your own box, so you have to really focus.”
Before kick-off, Liverpool support, players and officials paid tribute to former coach Gerard Houllier, who passed away this week at age 73.
Unusually kicking towards 2,000 fans in the Kop in the first half, Liverpool got off to a violent start when they pounced on Spurs and could be considered unfortunate for not being out of sight at halftime.
Liverpool earned their luck for the first goal when Mohamed Salah’s shot deflected hugely from Toby Alderweireld and went over the defenseless Hugo Lloris at the far post.
Curtis Jones should have done better with a great opportunity to double the home team lead moments later, as Lloris was again well-positioned to make a comfortable save.
But the moment Tottenham was waiting to launch the counterattack that has pushed them into the title contest, beating Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal in recent weeks, came at 33 minutes.
Giovani Lo Celso’s brilliant pass opened up an impromptu Liverpool backline with 19-year-old Rhys Williams accompanying midfielder Fabinho in central defense.
Son Heung-min timed his career to perfection to stay in play and coldly outpointed Alisson Becker for his 14th goal of the season.
Having weathered the storm, the Spurs continued to enjoy better opportunities early in the second half.
Bergwijn opened from a narrow angle after Williams showed his inexperience by getting caught under a simple ball down the middle.
The Dutch international had an even better view of the goal just after the hour mark when he struck the base of the post on passing clean and from the resulting corner, Kane headed in a glorious opportunity.
Liverpool continued to enjoy more possession and were about to open the lock on Tottenham’s defense when Sadio Mane spun Serge Aurier and crashed an upward shot from the bar.
But Mourinho will be bitterly disappointed that his team was finally undone by a set piece as from Andy Robertson’s corner, Firmino climbed higher to silence criticism of his scoring record with what could be one of the most important all season.
