Frantic but worth it! Isak and Wirtz prove quality as Reds beat nine-man Spurs

It took them so long, it took them a whole couple of months, but Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz are finally proving they are anything but flops.

On the contrary, Arne Slot's attacking duo pushed the Reds to a vital 2-1 away Premier League win at Tottenham on Saturday night. Wirtz with a lovely assist, Isak with a resolute opener.

What made it a bittersweet experience, however, is the fact that Isak got injured while making that shot, as Spurs' defender Micky van de Ven took him down quite brutally in the attempt to deny Isak's effort, ten minutes into the second half.

Still, we have to go back a bit, before the break, when Tottenham's Xavi Simons was sent off due to a reckless, shameful tackle on his compatriot Virgil van Dijk. The VAR review showed us he caught the back of Van Dijk's Achilles with his studs.

Ten-man Spurs struggled, but the visitors were unable to capitalise on the advantage before Cuti Romero made an awful pass, intercepted by Mac Allister. The ball reached Ekitike, and Wirtz used his pass to put Isak in a perfect position for a composed finish, 0-1.

Unfortunately for the visitors, Slot's ecstatic celebration on the touchline didn't last long, because Isak, who came on during the break, was seriously injured. Frimpong had to come on, but even he couldn't stay until the end due to a punch he conceded in the dying minutes of the game.

Randal Kolo Muani was millimetres away from levelling the score some ten minutes after Isak's opener, but his shot, deflected off Kerkez, ended on a crossbar.

Unlike him, Hugo Ekitike buried a header to make it 2-0 on the other end, and at that point, it seemed to kill the tie.

Alas, this is Liverpool we're talking about.

Another Van Dijk's defensive howler resulted in Richarlison's goal, which led to a frantic finish of the game out of the blue. The hosts pushed for the equaliser, but got another red card instead, as their captain, Romero, kicked Konate while on the ground for the cherry on top of his horrible day at the office.

Despite being one goal up and with two men more on the pitch, the Reds were shaking until the very last of 101 minutes, when the final whistle put an end to their worst fears.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 17

Saturday

Newcastle - Chelsea 2-2 (2-0)

/Woltemade 4, 20 - James 49, Pedro 66/

Bournemouth - Burnley 1-1 (0-0)

/Semenyo 67 - Broja 90/

Brighton - Sunderland 0-0

Manchester City - West Ham 3-0 (2-0)

/Haaland 5,69, Reijnders 38/

Wolverhampton - Brentford 0-2 (0-0)

/Lewis-Potter 63, 83/

Tottenham - Liverpool 1-2 (0-0)

/Richarlison 83 - Isak 56, Ekitike 66/

23.00: (6.75) Everton (3.80) Arsenal (1.63)

23.00: (2.60) Leeds (3.25) Crystal Palace (2.75)

Sunday

19.30: (2.20) Aston Villa (3.75) Man.Utd. (3.25)

Monday

23.00: (2.50) Fulham (3.30) Nott.Forest (2.85)

***odds are subject to change***