Why Spurs' miserable Anfield record is a tad misleading

BBC News

26-04-2025

The title is won - or so the prevailing wisdom seems to be.Liverpool simply need turn up against Tottenham on Sunday and red ribbons will be applied to the Premier League trophy.In many ways, it is a fair assumption.Anfield has not been a happy hunting ground for Spurs.It is 14 years since Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric inspired the north London side to victory there, as Liverpool stuttered under Sir Kenny Dalglish.Since then, it has been one joyful result after another for the Reds.Even this season, trailing 1-0 from the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg at Tottenham, Liverpool simply steamrollered their visitors, utterly untouched in a 4-0 procession to the final.And that was just six weeks after smashing Spurs 6-3 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League.Then there is the Arsenal factor. Delaying Liverpool's coronation would only help Tottenham's bitterest rivals. And no Spurs fan wants that, surely?The graph below underlines just how much more success Liverpool have had points-wise than Tottenham in this fixture.
However, for those who like a bit of jeopardy,... despite the stats, Liverpool have not had it all their own way against Tottenham on home turf.For the past two seasons, they have hosted Spurs at this time of year and hit four in both games - but also been leaky at the other end.Indeed, Richarlison famously thought he had rescued a point in the 93rd minute in 2023, only for Diogo Jota to ruin away hopes.In 2022, it was a May match - and Antonio Conte's side dealt a significant blow to Liverpool's title hopes with a 1-1 draw at Anfield.During the Covid-affected season before, Roberto Firmino scored in injury time to nick a win for Liverpool and deny Spurs a deserved point.And that's just the past five seasons.Who can forget Victor Wanyama's ridiculous strike and Harry Kane's late penalty to grab a point in an enthralling 2-2 draw in 2018?Or a crucial winner from Mario Balotelli in a 3-2 thriller in 2015?In other words, games against Tottenham are usually a pretty wild ride - but with the right outcome as far as Liverpool are concerned.So buckle in for Sunday's title opportunity. It is perhaps not as straightforward as it seems...