Liverpool verdict: José Mourinho makes victory even sweeter after Reds dominate his thoughts

There is something the Kop want you to know. Well, the 1,500 who were allowed in, at least.

The successful comeback tour of Liverpool fans continues at Anfield as another 2,000 ride to watch Roberto Firmino’s last gasp winner open a lead at the top of the Premier League.

In many ways, it was like old times.

Soccer’s product may have undergone a near-unrecognizable mutation in recent months from issues like global pandemics and overly officious VARs, but when the Kop let out the biggest roar at full time, this so encouragingly felt like something. close to normal.

And normal service certainly resumes as far as Liverpool is concerned, after this engrossing 2-1 win led them to three of the defeated Spurs on top.

The Reds, for the first time since late October, are now quite in the position they assumed in their last term.

The fact that it was achieved with a victory over Tottenham chasing José Mourinho’s title made it even more important. So much sweeter.

Mourinho’s insistence, before the game, that Klopp’s project has been able to breathe much longer than his in North London was his textbook.

Probably no one in world football had ever compared the respective positions of the two revered coaches, given that Klopp has been at Anfield for more than five years and Mourinho is still in his early days.

But that didn’t stop Mourinho from pointing it out in painstaking and meticulous detail Tuesday afternoon.

“We are a good team working hard, but I would say that Liverpool is the result of, if I am not mistaken, 1,894 days of work with Jurgen,” Mourinho said.

“We are the result of 390 days of work, but these 390 days are false, because probably many of these days were not even work days but quarantine days, days of being at home without being able to work.”

It was the trademark of Mourinho, who sought to minimize his team’s chances while trying to put pressure on his opponents in one fell swoop.

However, he highlighted the fact that Klopp’s Liverpool have mastered the thinking within Mourinho’s bubble ahead of his trip to Anfield.

After what is now 1,895 days at Anfield, this is what Klopp’s Liverpool has become. England’s preeminent football team and the toughest day of the season for everyone in attendance.

The undefeated streak here is now 66 games. Sixty-six.

Joel Matip’s back problems kept him out for this one, forcing Klopp to once again wrestle with a central defense problem that has turned into a long-term one.

Nineteen-year-old Rhys Williams got the nod over Nat Phillips for his Premier League debut, as Klopp put his trust in a teenager to handle the duo in the form of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane.

The young defender was impressive, barely taking a wrong step to help chain two of the division’s most fearsome attackers for much of the game.

After a patient probing against Tottenham’s 10-man rearguard, Liverpool had the upper hand when Mohamed Salah held onto a loose ball caused by excellent direct dribbling from excellent Curtis Jones in the penalty area.

The Egyptian’s deviant effort passed Hugo Lloris to give the hosts the advantage they deserved before half an hour.

However, the Spurs’ response was swift and deadly, and it was Son who clinically dispatched Alisson Becker after seemingly jumping the offside trap.

After taking what, at times, felt like forever for several other calls this season, this one only needed seconds at Stockley Park. No additional lines came into play in replays before the goal was scored.

The fast-paced nature of all of this is actually a welcome step forward for those who are tired of seeing incidents dissected to the nth degree at every turn, but the idea that this will be the yardstick down the road will be hopelessly misplaced.

Consistency is only conspicuous by its absence when it comes to officiating in the Premier League.

It was another tough one for Liverpool to accept, who seem to have been on the wrong side of those good margins all season.

The Spurs, in contrast to their first-half display, had several chances after the break with Steven Bergwijn and Kane close behind.

However, it was the Dutch winger’s second chance of the half that really should have stalled when he hit the inside of the post after breaking.

Sadio Mane nearly found the net when he deftly rolled Serge Aurier before hitting the crossbar, but despite Liverpool’s huffing and puffing, the Spurs home held its ground.

The sight of left-back Sergio Reguilon coming through Bergwijn in the final 15 minutes was a neon sign that Mourinho was delighted with what he was holding on to.

Yet the man Liverpool fans love to hate, perhaps more than any other, would be turned away when Firmino rose higher from one corner to put a textbook header in the top corner.

Si Senor’s collective roar showed what the goal meant to fans whose faith has been unshakeable in their number 9, even during some meager moments in front of goal.

Firmino may not have the same type of numbers as his colleagues Salah or Mane, but his strikes tend to be important.

Only last season, the Brazilian was responsible for winning goals in both Club World Cup matches, Wolves, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Chelsea.

However, few were held like this, even with fewer numbers on the terrace.

A false nine? Do not believe it.

Liverpool are proud again and that will be a bad omen for the chasing group.