Spurs head to Anfield today for a Premier League meeting which, as a matter of fact, has rather diminished in its importance in recent weeks. What was once billed as a top-four contender acting as kingmaker in Liverpool’s bid to win the title is now anything but.
Three straight defeats have left Ange Postecoglou’s men almost-certain to finish fifth, a position which will no longer deliver them Champions League football. There could be changes to the Tottenham team as a result of their bad run but James Maddison has missed out on a recall to the starting line-up due to a knock.
Liverpool’s dream of winning the league title in Jurgen Klopp’s final season is practically finished with third place now almost a mathematical certainty. Virgil van Dijk has been pronounced fit to play with Mohamed Salah back in their XI. Follow Liverpool vs Tottenham LIVE via Standard Sport’s match blog, with our reporter Dan Kilpatrick on Merseyside to provide his expert analysis.
Liverpool vs Tottenham updates
Liverpool 0-0 Tottenham | 2 mins
16:32 , Marc Mayo
Heung-min Son the central attacker in a 4-3-3 with a pretty flat midfield three patrolling the engine room.
Dan Kilpatrick at Anfield:
This is the fourth different midfield combination Ange Postecoglou has used in as many games. Chopping and changing like that is rarely a positive sign, although perhaps the Tottenham manager is working out who he can trust before a big summer clearout – which he hinted at on Friday.
Aston Villa’s defeat at Brighton has opened up fourth place if Spurs can get something here, although this still feels a little like a dead rubber, with both clubs likely to finish the campaign in their current position.
Nonetheless, it is significant for the managers, as Jurgen Klopp savours his penultimate game at Anfield and Postecoglou looks to ease the pressure after a miserable run of results.
Liverpool vs Tottenham | Kick-off!
16:30 , Marc Mayo
An embrace in the tunnel and a lovely chat between Ange Postecoglou and Jurgen Klopp.
Tottenham in white, Liverpool in red and it’s time to get the ball rolling!
COME ON YOU SPURS! 🤍
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 5, 2024
Here come the players
16:26 , Marc Mayo
Paul Tierney, ever the popular man on Merseyside, is our referee today and he leads out the two sets of players in the Liverpudlian springtime sun.
Five-minute warning!
16:25 , Marc Mayo
Right then, time to wrap up a fine Sunday of Premier League action. Two wins and clean sheets for the home teams so far…
Kick-off up next!
Ange Postecoglou sets out Spurs’ gameplan
16:21 , Marc Mayo
The Tottenham boss has explained the thinking behind packing him midfield today.
“This is the most challenging part of the season for us, you’ve got to be up for it,” he tells Sky Sports.
“The players understand and embrace it, it’s not easy what we’re trying to do but you have to be up for it.
“What a great opportunity for us to try and play some football.
“We’re just going to need some legs today, it’s a short turnaround and there’ll be some intensity early on. The three we have in [the midfield] will be able to do that.”
Liverpool vs Tottenham | Countdown to kick-off
16:17 , Marc Mayo
We are now within sight of kick-off with under 15 minutes to wait.
Spurs haven’t won at this ground since May 2011 when Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart provided the goals.
Let’s hear from Dan in the press box:
Full-time at the Amex
16:15 , Marc Mayo
The full-time whistle goes on the south coast and Brighton have beaten Aston Villa.
That’s a nice little pre-game boost for Spurs, who sit seven points off fourth-placed Villa with two games in hand. It also guarantees Liverpool will finish at least third.
The Reds can go within four points of Man City by winning today, having then played a game more.
Jurgen Klopp gives his pre-game thoughts
16:13 , Marc Mayo
Jurgen Klopp has insisted there was no doubt that Mohamed Salah would start today.
The pair clashed on the touchline at West Ham a week ago but he returns to the XI.
He tells Sky Sports: “You cannot just play against Tottenham, they’ll go through you and cause massive problems.
“[Mohamed Salah] had a good training week, that’s what we all want. There was no doubt he’d start today. That’s it.”
Why James Maddison doesn’t start for Spurs
16:01 , Marc Mayo
Hearing reports that James Maddison picked up a knock in Spurs’ defeat at Chelsea in midweek, which is why he is on the bench again today.
Around the grounds
15:58 , Marc Mayo
Chelsea have romped to a 5-0 win over West Ham, which puts them seventh and into the European qualification places for the first time in a long time.
Brighton have struck late to down Aston Villa via a Joao Pedro goal, a header having seen a penalty saved. Into nine minutes of injury time, that would lift them to 11th and keep Villa within touching distance-ish of Spurs in the hunt for fourth.
Big late goal for Brighton! 🔷
Robin Olsen does well to save the penalty but João Pedro heads in the rebound 💥 pic.twitter.com/DURqIlS1Oe
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 5, 2024
Rewind: VAR fumble chalks off legal Liverpool goal
15:51 , Marc Mayo
Just imagine if Liverpool were on course to finish a point off the title…
Earlier this season, Luis Diaz saw a legal goal chalked off for offside after the linesman’s flag went up.
VAR declared “check complete” having failed to notice it was initially ruled out and, well, the rest is history as they say.
Re-live how it all broke down behind-the-scenes:
“Delay the game. Stop the game.”
“I can’t do anything. I can’t do anything.” 😬
The audio recordings of discussions between the match officials around Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal against Tottenham 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/cjw35Uonf9
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 4, 2023
Head-to-head record
15:47 , Marc Mayo
Spurs’ only win over Liverpool in their last 13 meetings came earlier this season, in a win marred by the Reds’ fury over a VAR error.
Liverpool wins: 89
Draws: 44
Tottenham wins: 49
Tottenham make one change
15:40 , Marc Mayo
Ange Postecoglou has bolstered his midfield with a move to a pure 4-3-3 formation.
Richarlison drops back to the bench and James Maddison is snubbed in his bid for a recall.
Rodrigo Bentancur instead gets the call-up.
Virgil van Dijk starts for Liverpool
15:35 , Marc Mayo
The hosts have their captain fit to start after an injury worry.
Virgil van Dijk keeps his place along with Harvey Elliott, who moves to midfield to allow Mohamed Salah to return. Ryan Gravenberch drops out as a result.
Conor Bradley is back on the bench.
How Tottenham line up
15:31 , Marc Mayo
Spurs XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Royal; Bentancur, Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Son, Johnson
Subs: Austin, Dragusin, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Lo Celso, Maddison, Gil, Moore, Richarlison
How Liverpool line up
15:30 , Marc Mayo
Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Robertson; Elliott, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz
Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Konate, Szoboszlai, Nunez, Jones, Gravenberch, Bajcetic, Bradley
Team news up next!
15:26 , Marc Mayo
Social media rumours backing up the talk that Virgil van Dijk will start for Liverpool.
Ange Postecoglou has gone for a little stroll on the Anfield pitch ahead of the Tottenham XI being announced.
We’ll bring you the teams imminently…
Around the grounds
15:22 , Marc Mayo
Midway through the second half at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea are FOUR goals to the good over West Ham.
That won’t impact Spurs or Liverpool too much but Aston Villa drawing at Brighton is a decent result for both. Still 0-0 at the Amex.
Liverpool trio join the squad
15:18 , Marc Mayo
It appears that Liverpool could well have Virgil van Dijk in their line-up today.
He has appeared with the squad along with Conor Bradley and Stefan Bajcetic, the Northern Irish defender having missed last week’s draw at West Ham.
Of course, as club captain it is plausible that an injured Van Dijk sticks with the squad anyway to help oversee preparations.
Will Virgil van Dijk play for Liverpool today?
15:12 , Marc Mayo
The team buses are just pulling up at Anfield and Virgil van Dijk, a doubt today due to injury, was spotted on the Reds’ pre-game walkabout earlier on.
The Dutch defender missed training for much of the week leading up to this game.
In his pre-game programme notes, the Liverpool captain has written about how the team must approach the end to the season.
“The incentives are there for all of us to see so let’s go for it,” he writes. There will be a time to take stock when we can make our own minds up about the season we have had, but that time is not now. The only focus at this point should be collecting as many points as we can from the last nine that are available to us.
“For this to happen we know there will need to be some improvement. We have been inconsistent in recent weeks and that has cost us. So putting this right is definitely an important objective.
“I don’t think we have played particularly badly – in some games we have actually played well but haven’t made the most of our superiority – but at the same time we haven’t got the results that we have been looking for and this needs to change.
“The good thing is we have shown regularly throughout this season that we are more than capable of achieving the kind of consistency that we are striving for. We know what it takes and we know what is required, so it is a question of returning to the kind of standards we have set for ourselves before.
“We don’t need to listen to outside noise or dream it all up again. It’s just about rediscovering something that we have already shown that we can do.”
Ange Postecoglou confident Spurs back him to make ‘drastic change’
15:07 , Marc Mayo
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou believes he has the club’s full support to implement the “drastic change” needed to the playing squad and staff to turn his side into a top team.
In a defiant press briefing sandwiched between Thursday night’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea and the visit to Liverpool on Sunday, Postecoglou said the club had “brought into my vision” but suggested that the squad could eventually be “unrecognisable” from the one he inherited.
Arne Slot delivers Liverpool switch update
14:57 , Marc Mayo
Arne Slot is confident Liverpool will reach an agreement with Feyenoord imminently.
Reports have suggested Liverpool have struck an agreement with the Dutch club but Slot insisted there had been no official movement.
“Nothing has been officially confirmed yet,” he said ahead of his team’s clash with PEC Zwolle this evening.
“I’m sitting here with the Feyenoord emblem on my chest, so in principle the intention is that it’s all about Feyenoord.
“I have said before that I am confident that it will be done. I don’t know when that will be. But I expect an agreement will be reached.”
Mohamed Salah issue settled, says Jurgen Klopp
14:48 , Marc Mayo
Jurgen Klopp insists his spat with Mohamed Salah is “completely resolved”.
“Completely resolved, it’s not a problem,” said Klopp. “If we wouldn’t know each other for that long, I am not sure how we would deal with it. But we know each other for that long and respect each other too much. That’s really no problem.
“I think we have the right to deal with these kind of things, completely independent of any expectations from the outside. So we are absolutely fine with it, that’s a non-story.
“But in general, the best situation would be everybody is in a best possible place, we win the game, we score loads of goals and yes, then the situation would probably have not been like that because Mo wouldn’t have been on the bench in the first place.”
Liverpool vs Tottenham | Countdown to kick-off
14:40 , Marc Mayo
We are now within two hours of kick-off at Anfield.
Team news should drop at 3.30pm.
Around the grounds
14:31 , Marc Mayo
A couple of 2pm kick-offs are underway in the Premier League.
Chelsea lead West Ham 2-0 after goals from Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher.
Brighton and Aston Villa are goalless down on the south coast, a result which would guarantee Villa can’t catch Liverpool for third place.
Match odds
14:22 , Marc Mayo
Liverpool to win: 4/9
Draw: 9/2
Tottenham to win: 9/2
Odds via Bet365 and subject to change.
Ange Postecoglou makes demand of Tottenham players
14:15 , Marc Mayo
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou says his struggling side’s “need to go through” tough spells to develop, as they prepare for another big game at Liverpool.
Spurs have lost to their two biggest rivals this week after Sunday’s 3-2 home defeat to Arsenal was followed by Thursday night’s 2-0 reverse at Chelsea, sealed by headed goals by Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson either side of the interval.
Fifth-place Spurs still trail Aston Villa by seven points with a game in hand but their hopes of a top-four finish are fading ahead of the trip to Anfield.
“I’m sure [the players are] hurt but it’s also part of the process,” Postecoglou said on Friday morning.
“Every job I’ve taken has had tough bits sometimes at the start, sometimes in the middle, sometimes at the end.”
Score prediction
14:09 , Marc Mayo
It’s difficult to know what to make of Liverpool, although they do have the attacking talent to hurt a Spurs team dealing with defensive injuries.
Liverpool to win, 2-1.
Our prediction for the Spurs XI
13:59 , Marc Mayo
Predicted Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Royal; Bissouma, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Richarlison
Injuries: Werner, Davies, Udogie, Sessegnon, Forster, Solomon
Early Tottenham team news: James Maddison could return
13:53 , Marc Mayo
Spurs will be without Timo Werner, Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies for the rest of the season – as well as Fraser Forster, Manor Solomon and Ryan Sessegnon.
James Maddison was dropped for the defeat at Chelsea on Thursday and could come back into the starting line-up.
How we expect Liverpool to line up
13:47 , Marc Mayo
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Konate, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz
Doubts: Van Dijk
Injuries: Jota, Matip, Thiago, Doak
Early Liverpool team news: Virgil van Dijk a doubt
13:40 , Marc Mayo
Virgil van Dijk is a doubt for Liverpool, after missing training this week with an unspecified injury.
It will be fascinating to see whether or not Klopp turns to Mohamed Salah following their clash on the touchline during last week’s draw with West Ham, even if the Liverpool boss has insisted the matter is now resolved.
Conor Bradley is back in contention after returning to fitness, but Diogo Jota remains out. Stefan Bajcetic should once again make the squad, while Joel Matip, Ben Doak and Thiago Alcantara are all still out injured.
“Virgil wasn’t [training] the whole week yet, probably part of parts of team training today,” Klopp revealed at his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“So we have to see what we can do there.”
Where to watch Liverpool vs Tottenham
13:33 , Marc Mayo
TV channel: The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR. Coverage begins at 4pm.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Sky Go app.
Liverpool vs Tottenham LIVE!
13:26 , Marc Mayo
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s coverage of Liverpool vs Tottenham!
Kick-off from Anfield comes at 4.30pm BST as the Reds and Spurs look to improve on what has been a pretty poor run-in for both teams so far.
Third place is likely to be Liverpool’s destination for Jurgen Klopp’s final Premier League campaign whereas Tottenham are heading towards fifth and qualification for just the Europa League, having lost their last three games.
You can follow all the build-up, team news, match action and reaction right there – and we’ll even have our reporter Dan Kilpatrick on Merseyside this afternoon to provide his expert analysis.
