It was always going to be a chance for one of them to make a statement.
And never more so on the day that Manchester City slipped up and lost at Wolves. If Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions are to be overthrown in this season’s title race then it will still take another team to step forward and show they are good enough to take their crown.
This felt like it was like something of an audition as to whether it would be Liverpool 2.0 or Ange Postecoglou’s new-look Tottenham. It ended up being a fabulous contest, a game only the Premier League can deliver in terms of drama, controversy and taking points.
But you are never going to do it with nine men left on the pitch. It says much for Liverpool’s resilience and battling qualities that they were eventually only beaten in the seventh minute of injury time and by Joel Matip’s own goal.
But Liverpool have now had four red cards in their opening seven Premier League games and you cannot overcome those sorts of odds. Tottenham, meanwhile, have found a new belief and optimism under Big Ange and the roar at the final whistle told you everything. What a dramatic, last gasp win.
This is the loudest this magnificent new stadium has been since it opened in April 2019 as the players were dancing in celebration at the final whistle. It was tough to read too much into a game which was so lopsided but one thing is for certain: Postecoglou has given the Spurs fans their club back.
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They are playing with a passion, fearlessness and attacking flair which has catapulted them into the lofty heights of the Premier League table where no-one expected to be. Liverpool can rightly point to injustices. Curtis Jones got his marching orders courtesy of VAR upgrading his over-the-top challenge on Yves Bissouma from yellow to red. The TV pundits did not agree.
Diogo Jota then went in the second half for a second yellow which looked harsh. Liverpool had Virgil van Dijk sent off at Newcastle and still won at St James’s Park after a brilliant fightback.
Both times Liverpool keeper Alisson Becker has shown that he is arguably the best No1 in the Premier League with a string of brilliant saves to underline his importance at Anfield. It looked like they would pull off another miracle until Matip got it horribly wrong but still you have to admire Liverpool’s battling qualities.
Liverpool's home shirt for the 2023/2024 campaign pays homage to Bill Shankly and the legendary Reds manager's final season in charge at Anfield. The Nike shirt features a bright red design with a bold white contrast on the colour and cuffs.
Alexis Mac Allister was also sent off earlier in the season but common sense prevailed and that was overturned on appeal. But Klopp must address the issue if he is to build on the progress that he is making.
It might not feel as strong as the momentum that Postecoglou is building. Big Ange has brought a new attacking style designed to entertain which is full of energy and intent. Everything is coming together from summer recruitment, the fans are back onside and they have a manager who is fearless.
James Maddison creates in midfield, Bissouma covers every blade of grass and, at left back, Destiny Udogie looks a star in the making. Son Heung-Min has rediscovered his goalscoring touch and Dutch defender Micky van de Ven and keeper Guglielmo Vicario have been two fantastic bits of business with a combined price of just over £50m.
You could easily have written Tottenham off as a team in transition with a new manager, they had sold their best player, and yet it is almost as if they have been motivated by the low expectations. It was Postecoglou who admitted he might not have got the job had the club been in a better place, but the players have backed him with their performances.
These are still early days for Tottenham. We are only seven games into the season but the hope and optimism is back. If they are not title challengers then the very least you expect from them is to be back among the Champions League places.
