Mohamed Salah will go down as "one of the best strikers ever", according to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Salah scored twice at Tottenham to give Liverpool a 2-1 win in north London on Sunday, making it nine goals in his last eight appearances in all competitions.
The 30-year-old had a slow start to the campaign, with suggestions he was playing too wide, though he led the Premier League in chances created in the early weeks.
Speaking at a press conference after Liverpool's win, Klopp was effusive in his praise of his player, who seems to have rediscovered his scoring touch.
"Even with a 'slow start', he was involved in most chances in Europe, in football, but we didn’t take them or he didn't take them," he said. "That can happen for a striker, it's a completely normal phase.
"Everybody knows, when you look back on his career in four, five or six years, everybody will remember one of the best strikers you ever saw because the numbers will be absolutely insane.
"Tonight, what pleased me the most, he scored the two goals and then he played like a real, real team player. I am not surprised by it, but it is just important because he gets confronted with these questions as well... [I am] really pleased for him, top performance and showed an outstanding attitude tonight."
It was Liverpool's first away win in the Premier League this season at the sixth attempt (D2 L3), which led to Klopp letting off his signature fist-pumps to the away fans after the final whistle.
"Yeah. It was not my plan actually, I didn't want to do it but I got carried away and I thought the people deserved a little bit [after] tough times," he said. "[The fans] had now to travel a lot in the Premier League until they saw the first three points. So yeah, I got a bit carried away, but it was big, absolutely big.
"Before the final whistle I would not have been able to do that because I was really knackered, it was tough, a really tough game for everybody. Brilliant first half, a really, really good first half. Good football, controlled, top goals, world-class goals, and then we all know, Tottenham is coming back."
Harry Kane scored with 20 minutes remaining to make it a nervy finish for the Reds, but they were able to close it out and seal a much-needed three points.
Liverpool sit eighth in the Premier League after a stuttering start, but Klopp thinks his team can take a lot of positives from the nature of their win in the capital.
"Last year we nearly won all four competitions, but drew twice against Tottenham, so winning here is incredibly difficult," he added. "It is not about now that we have to play all the time like this or whatever. What we have to show is the attitude, the commitment to defending. That's what we have to show all of the time, definitely, 100 per cent.
"What we have to show is that we are not punched too hard when you concede a goal. I liked that tonight; I didn't want to concede a goal, but I thought the reaction afterwards was good... everybody was 100 per cent in and threw everything in and that's what I liked the most.
"You cannot be consistent by just playing all the time outstandingly well, it's all about showing the resilience we showed tonight. This is not the start or whatever, we are in a phase, we realised already and spoke about it, but for tonight we couldn't reach more than three points. We got them and that's massive."
Leicester still have Premier League quality – Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders
Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders believes they will take on a Premier League quality team in Leicester in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The Championship leaders, who look set to vie for an immediate return to the top flight under new coach Enzo Maresca, will make the trip to Anfield for a third-round tie.
Lijnders took over the hotseat from Jurgen Klopp for the pre-match press conference, and he said: “We know we’re going to play against a team that has a lot of individual quality.
“It shows how they are doing in the league. A real clear offensive game idea, very quick installation of this idea with the coach Enzo – he does an unbelievable job. I think each player could play in the Premier League.
“It will be really hard for us to get control of their key players and at the same time put them under pressure. As always in each game we will focus on ourselves.
“Of course we will make changes but we want to put our game into place, we want to be dominant, we want to be in their half of the pitch.”
The game will come too soon for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who Lijnders said “looked outstanding” on his return to training on Monday following a hamstring injury.
Midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who is yet to make an appearance this season, is back on the grass but is working individually.
There could be another chance, though, for 17-year-old winger Ben Doak, who started last week’s Europa League match in Linz.
Lijnders cited his Dutch heritage while discussing Doak’s potential, saying: “He is young so a lot of things can happen.
“I had the privilege to grow up in Holland and we have this culture, a long tactical culture of Johan Cruyff. This idea of having the wingers on the outside, they can create, can really disorganise the opposition, use the speed.
“Then, if you get a young winger from Scotland but only 17 years old and he has this capacity to create and to reach the final line with individual movement, it’s nice to see.
“The good thing about Ben in my opinion is he comes into a squad with so much senior authority. He will never make a sidestep, the boys will already tell him.
“He has this great low gravity and that’s how he can control the ball better. So he’s a really interesting player but loads to come, he needs to mature, he needs to listen to Robbo (Andy Robertson), to Mo Salah, to all these guys that are trying to help him.
“And I think it’s really good for the older players to have young players with this hunger. That combination is what we always had and that’s how we want to construct the squad.”
I got it wrong – Jermaine Jenas apologises after using abusive term towards ref
Former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas has apologised after branding referee Robert Jones a “complete s***house” during Sunday’s north London derby at Arsenal.
The 40-year-old, now a television pundit and presenter, took to social media during the thrilling 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium after the Gunners were awarded a controversial penalty, prompting a backlash from other users.
Responding to the criticism on Monday, Jenas wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I hold my hands up, I got it wrong yesterday.
“I should know, more than most, the responsibility we have as fans, players and pundits and the impact our words online can have as it’s an area I’ve been vocal in.
“My emotions got the better of me and I apologise to The FA and to all match officials.”
Jenas’ initial post came after Jones had been advised by the Video Assistant Referee to take another look at an incident in which the ball had hit the arm of Spurs defender Cristian Romero from close range.
The referee had not initially awarded a penalty, but did so after the review and Bukayo Saka promptly dispatched the spot-kick to make it 2-1 to the home side, although Son Heung-min levelled almost immediately to ensure the game finished all square.
Jenas, who was part of the Football Association, Premier League and EFL’s Love Football, Protect the Game campaign ahead of the new season, wrote: “Complete sh**house off a referee! They’re all ruining the our game!”
The charity Ref Support UK accused Jenas of encouraging the abuse of match officials.
The organisation said on X: “This is a disgraceful tweet and you should be ashamed. Your tweet encourages online abuse of referees and considering your role on TV your employers need to give their head a wobble.
“Remember Anthony Taylor and his family were attacked at an airport because of antics such as yours.”
James Maddison believes Tottenham are pushing away from their ‘Spursy’ tag
James Maddison believes Tottenham are starting to shed their ‘Spursy’ tag after they continued a fine start to the new season with a battling 2-2 draw at rivals Arsenal.
Spurs had lost on their last three visits to the Emirates and not won there in the Premier League since 2010.
Tottenham’s losing streak to Arsenal could have continued after Cristian Romero’s own goal and Bukayo Saka’s penalty twice put the hosts ahead in the north London derby, but Son Heung-min equalised twice – both from Maddison assists – to earn a share of the spoils.
A lengthy trophy drought coupled with frequent collapses on the biggest of occasions contributed towards the ‘Spursy’ tag growing during the past few years, but the club’s new number 10 hit back following another strong showing by Ange Postecoglou’s team.
“We’re not in there celebrating a point, I think there was a few little moments at the end especially in the dying minutes where we could have maybe won it from a set-piece,” Maddison told talkSPORT.
“I think winning late last week and coming back twice (here), when you hear fans and neutrals talk about Tottenham they often say, ‘soft, weak, they’ll bottle it, Spursy’, all that rubbish. I think the last couple of weeks shows that we might be going in a slightly different direction.
“We scored in the 98th and 101st minute against Sheffield United to win late on when it looked like it was going to be one of those days.
“Here we go behind twice at arguably one of the best teams in the world, we pull it back and we’re still fighting right until the end. Hopefully we can continue that.”
Maddison was crucial to Tottenham leaving the Emirates with a point after he set up both of Son’s goals to make it four assists in six league matches since his summer switch from Leicester.
It could have been a different story had Gabriel Jesus made it 2-0 in the 32nd minute when he robbed the ball from Maddison on the edge of Spurs’ penalty area, but the Arsenal forward blazed over.
Postecoglou continued to encourage his team to play out from the back and that bravery was rewarded with a fine display where Tottenham enjoyed 53 per cent possession, a marked improvement on the 35 per cent they had under Antonio Conte at the Emirates last season in a humbling 3-1 loss.
Maddison added: “I was really proud of how courageous the lads were and how brave we were. There were a couple of occasions in the first half, myself included, where we gave the ball away.
“I gave the ball away edge of the box, they nearly scored and it is so easy to sink and not carry on playing the way the manager wants us to play, but that’s what bravery is.
“It is having big b**** to take the ball under pressure. I gave it away but the manager makes me feel so good that I can get it again and if I give it away, it’s OK because that’s how he wants us to play.
“He won’t be cheering if I keep giving it away on the edge of the box, but it was only once and once was enough to remind me to be a bit quicker because these derby games are a rapid pace.
“After that I thought we passed the ball really well and had spells where we dominated.”
Meanwhile, Maddison was happy to give back some stick post-match to England team-mate Saka, who mimicked Maddison’s own darts celebration for both of Arsenal’s goals, but was turned by the Spurs playmaker for Son’s first goal.
Maddison, who was forced off with a slight knee injury, quipped to SpursPlay: “Me and Bukayo had a bit of banter and a bit of trash talking if you like on international duty.
“I got told he did the dart celebration and he must have still been doing it when I turned him for the first goal.”
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