Richarlison’s last-gasp equaliser earned Tottenham Hotspur a deserved draw at Liverpool as under-pressure interim coach Igor Tudor secured his first point.
Despite delivering their best performance under the Croatian, Spurs looked set to slump to a seventh straight loss in all competitions – their fifth under Tudor – after Dominik Szoboszlai’s 18th minute free-kick put Liverpool ahead.
Richarlison had been a constant menace, forcing Liverpool keeper Alisson into several saves, before he finally pounced on Randal Kolo Muani’s pass to score in the 90th minute.
It was a bitter blow to Liverpool, who looked to be moving back into the top four, but a huge lift for Spurs as they showed real resilience to finally stop the rot, especially after their midweek Champions League humbling at Atletico Madrid.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot dropped Mohamed Salah to the bench, giving 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha his first Premier League start, and how he justified that act of faith.
Spurs, with 13 players missing through either injury or suspension, started brightly but were undermined by another goalkeeping error.
Guglielmo Vicario, starting instead of Antonin Kinsky following his nightmare in the heavy loss in Spain, got his positioning all wrong for Szoboszlai’s free-kick, failing to keep it out despite getting a strong hand on the effort.
And Liverpool came close to doubling the lead before half-time, Vicario this time doing well to turn Cody Gakpo’s shot on to the post.
But Richarlison led the Spurs line with great heart, heading narrowly wide and forcing two important saves from Alisson either side of the interval before finally striking in front of a stunned Kop.
Liverpool analysis: Ngumoha light amid mediocrity
Slot finally bowed to the demands to unleash Ngumoha from the start, and the teenage winger demonstrated what all the fuss and excitement is about with a thrilling display.
Following Max Dowman’s brilliant goalscoring cameo in Arsenal’s win against Everton, Ngumoha showed further evidence of a bright future for England as he stood out, despite being surrounded by the mediocrity of his Liverpool team-mates.
Ngumoha was a constant threat in one-on-one duels and was always willing to shoot at goal, in a performance showing a vision and invention beyond other more experienced players around him.
But the teenager aside, Liverpool lacked urgency and creation and invited the trouble that eventually led to Richarlison punishing Slot’s side at the end.
The equaliser carried a sense of inevitability, and the Brazilian cupped an ear to the Kop who had jeered him throughout for his previous Everton connections.
Liverpool looked set to move into the top four until they conceded, but can have no complaints about the outcome. Anfield let Slot and his players know exactly what they thought with resounding jeers at the final whistle.
