The latest Liverpool revival starts here. Those mighty Reds have pulled level on points with Fulham.

Still, you have to start somewhere, and Tottenham are usually ripe for the picking when Liverpool are in town, with Eric Dier this time taking it upon himself to roll out the red carpet and wave Mohamed Salah into the spotlight.

It's nine goals in eight games now for Salah, none of them penalties, and if Liverpool collectively are still far short of where Jurgen Klopp would want them, then at least the manager need not worry about his star forward.

A 2-1 win at Tottenham came as little surprise in many regards, since it means the north London side remain winless in their last 10 Premier League games against Liverpool, drawing three of those and losing seven.

Salah was on the scoresheet the last time Liverpool lost to Tottenham in the league, getting the consolation in a 4-1 humbling at Wembley – Spurs' then temporary home – in October 2017.

That was in the early stages of his first season with Liverpool, and Salah has barely stopped scoring since, though a shaky run of games early this season raised red flags about his form.

Fresh from signing a long-term deal in the close season, and recently turning 30, Liverpool are counting on Salah to remain lethal in front of goal.

Their success under Klopp, that Tottenham can only envy, has come thanks to a host of factors, but Salah's goals have been front and centre.

He was not sure in midweek that he had been awarded Liverpool's opening goal against Napoli, with Darwin Nunez's header having been close to crossing the line before it was nudged out to Salah.

But Salah was in the right place and was given that one, and there was no doubting his claims to Liverpool's two goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the visitors finally picked up a first away league win of the season.

The first was another from the Nunez-Salah collection, their partnership blossoming now, with the Uruguayan finding the Egyptian with a short, smart pass in the penalty area and the finish to the bottom-right corner was exemplary.

Desperate defending from Dier presented Salah with the chance to double Liverpool's lead, with the England international looking to nod Alisson's long kick back to Hugo Lloris but getting it all wrong.

Salah's footwork, running at pace onto the loose ball, was magnificent, and the chipped finish over the France goalkeeper was immaculate.

But what of Dier? Can he be trusted to avoid such blunders by Gareth Southgate at the World Cup? That is a third error leading to a shot committed by Dier in all competitions this season. Only one player from Europe's top leagues has had more: Liverpool's Joe Gomez (4).

Two of those mistakes from Dier have led to goals, and only one Premier League player has made as many errors already in 2022-23 that have proved quite so costly. The trouble for Spurs is that player is Lloris, also with two goal-costing errors.

This was the first time Tottenham had hosted Liverpool while above them in the table since that October 2017 win, and you have to wonder how long Spurs will stay ahead of Sunday's visitors.

They remain fourth for now, seven points adrift of a Liverpool side who have a game in hand on them, and they got what proved to be a classy consolation when Harry Kane rifled home a smart finish from substitute Dejan Kulusevski's pass in the 70th minute.

Kane spoke after the game of there being "tension" in the stands, and admitted Tottenham had been "punished" by Liverpool before building any momentum. The hosts hit the goal frame twice through Ivan Perisic, but Salah also had a glorious second-half chance, squandering the opportunity to seal a hat-trick when he fired straight at Lloris from a handy central position.

He has seven goals in 12 Premier League appearances against Spurs now, but it probably should have been eight.

Antonio Conte's Tottenham team selection had looked conservative, with injuries biting but attacking ambition seemingly in short supply. Kulusevski proved a threat on his return from injury, ripe to be used regularly in the coming weeks if there was not the inconvenience of a World Cup on the near horizon.

Kane's fine goal would have cheered Southgate, while Dier's clumsy error does him no favours ahead of the Qatar 2022 squad selection.

Kane became the first player to score in six consecutive home games for Spurs in the Premier League, but he was fighting a lone battle at times. Like Salah, Kane's class remains unquestionable.

Yet a Tottenham side who have lost three of their last four in the league are in need of a revival. Liverpool's wins over Napoli and now Spurs suggest Klopp's team might be in the early throes of one, but then you remember they lost to Leeds United at Anfield barely a week ago.

After the World Cup, these two sides must resolve their personality crises. More fits, starts and false dawns will mean the mid-table likes of Fulham might not be so easily shaken off.

Harry Kane bemoaned the "story of our season" after Tottenham suffered defeat to Liverpool following another slow start.

Liverpool ran out 2-1 winners at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having taken a two-goal lead in at half-time, the third Premier League game in a row in which Spurs have been trailing at the break, and the fourth in a row where they have been 2-0 down at some stage.

Mohamed Salah's first-half brace was enough for Jurgen Klopp's men despite Kane's goal in 70th minute, and the Spurs striker was not happy with his team giving themselves another mountain to climb.

"It's been the story of our season so far, for sure," Kane told Sky Sports after the game. "We haven't been playing well enough in first halves and got punished.

"It was a fairly tight game for the first 20 minutes, they obviously got their goal... then the mistake [from Eric Dier] for the second goal has really hurt us in a big game."

Spurs were booed off by their own fans at half-time, and Kane insisted it was up to the players to not allow themselves to be affected.

"There's moments where there's tension around the stadium when someone maybe gives the ball away," he said. "But to be a big team and big players you have to be able to handle that and not let it affect you for the rest of the game.

"Our home support has been incredible, you saw them in the second half there really pushing us on. Of course there's going to be times when people make mistakes and I think that's the time people need to be behind us, but you have to be able to handle that as a player."

Kane became the first Spurs player to score in six consecutive home appearances in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (13) has scored more goals in home games than Kane (six) in the competition this season.

The England captain was largely tasked with leading the attack on Sunday in the absence of injured pair Richarlison and Son Heung-min, though Dejan Kulusevski returned from his own lay-off to come on in the 68th minute, providing the assist for Kane just moments later.

"We've got players playing in different positions, we've been unfortunate with injuries in the attacking part of our team," Kane added. "But it was great to see Dejan back for 30 minutes, he's been a fantastic player for us.

"Whoever plays we still feel like we can create chances and we did that second half... big moments in big games are what makes the difference and we didn't do well enough on those today."

The World Cup break may be just around the corner, but there remains plenty of life in the Premier League campaign, as another action-packed Sunday showed.

The day was book-ended by two heavyweight clashes, with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal moving back to the top of the table by beating Chelsea in a tense London derby in the early kick-off.

Later on, Liverpool finally clinched their first away win of the Premier League campaign as Mohamed Salah tormented Tottenham.

Elsewhere, Unai Emery made a memorable start to his Aston Villa reign and Newcastle United went third by tearing Southampton apart on the south coast.

Here, Stats Perform looks through the best facts of the day.

Tottenham 1-2 Liverpool: Salah ends Red's dismal away run

Liverpool had failed to win an away Premier League game this season (D2 L3), and needed a result as the prospect of slipping 13 points behind Spurs loomed.

Jurgen Klopp's side may have struggled, but Salah's recent form has been imperious, and he handed the visitors a strong start by drilling home an 11th-minute opener.

Salah then capitalised on Eric Dier's error to double Liverpool's lead, and he has now contributed to 19 goals in 20 games for Liverpool this season (14 goals, five assists). Only last season (28) has the Egyptian recorded more goal involvements in his first 20 appearances of a campaign for the Reds.

Meanwhile, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the 24th different away venue Salah has scored at for Liverpool in the Premier League – only Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen (both 25) have bettered that tally for the Reds.

Harry Kane ensured a nervy finish when he became the first Spurs player to score in six consecutive home Premier League appearances after the break, but Liverpool held firm to claim a huge win. 

Chelsea 0-1 Arsenal: Gabriel earns Gunners another statement win

Sunday's first game saw Arsenal return to the summit with a 1-0 victory against Chelsea, becoming the first team to win 10 away games against the Blues in the competition, and just the second to win on three successive trips to Stamford Bridge (after Blackburn Rovers from 1993-94 to 1995-96).

Gabriel Magalhaes got a touch on Bukayo Saka's corner to decide a hard-fought game – all nine of his league goals for Arsenal have come from corners, and no Premier League player has scored more goals from such situations since he arrived in the division in 2020.

Chelsea looked disjointed throughout, managing just five shots as they slipped to back-to-back Premier League defeats for the first time since December 2020 (under Frank Lampard).

Arsenal, however, look like the real deal. Having beaten Tottenham and Liverpool last month, the Gunners have won three consecutive league games against 'big six' opponents for the first time since April 2012. 

It was a miserable reunion with his former side for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who had just eight touches before being taken off by Graham Potter just after the hour.

Aston Villa 3-1 Manchester United: Emery makes flying start

At Villa Park, all eyes were on Emery as the Spaniard made his Premier League return just under three years after being sacked by Arsenal, and he could hardly have wished for a better start.

Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne put Villa 2-0 up within 11 minutes – the earliest point at which United have trailed by two goals in a Premier League game since October 2018 against Newcastle (10th minute).

Jacob Ramsey's own goal dragged United back into contention before he atoned by making the points safe for Villa, ensuring Emery became just the fourth coach to win his first Premier League game in charge of a team when facing the Red Devils.

On an eventful day for Ramsey, he became the fourth player in Premier League history to record a goal, an assist and an own goal in the same game, after Kevin Davies, Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale.

United have now lost nine away league games in 2022 – their most in a calendar year since 1989 (12).

Southampton 1-4 Newcastle United: Miggy on the mark again as Magpies cruise

Eddie Howe's Newcastle have arguably been the story of the Premier League season to date, and they continued their stunning form by thrashing Southampton 4-1 at St Mary's.

Newcastle have now scored four or more goals four times in their last seven Premier League games, as often as they did in their previous 226 outings in the competition.

Miguel Almiron opened the scoring, becoming the eighth different player to net in four consecutive Premier League matches for Newcastle, and only the second non-Englishman to do so after Papiss Cisse.

Chris Wood and Joe Willock also got on the scoresheet before Bruno Guimaraes bent a 25-yard effort into the bottom-right corner, scoring his eighth goal in 28 league games for the Magpies, having netted just three times in 56 Ligue 1 outings for former club Lyon.

The result piled more pressure on Ralph Hasenhuttl, with Southampton now winless in their last 14 Premier League games against teams starting the day inside the top four (D5 L9).

Mohamed Salah hopes a great week for Liverpool can kick-start their Premier League season after he scored both goals in a 2-1 win at Tottenham.

The Reds finally claimed a first top-flight away win of the campaign at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, moving into eighth place.

Salah continued his magnificent goalscoring run with a first-half double, making it nine goals in eight matches for the Egypt forward.

He rounded off a brilliant move to open the scoring after taking a pass from the lively Darwin Nunez and then capitalised on a mistake from Eric Dier to take his goal tally for the season to 14.

Spurs looked like a different side as they dominated the second half and Harry Kane pulled a goal back with a clinical finish, but Jurgen Klopp's men held on for three precious points.

Liverpool beat Napoli 2-0 in the Champions League in midweek following shock Premier League defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

Salah is optimistic they can kick on following a long-awaited Premier League victory on the road. 

He told Sky Sports: "I think we played quite good and managed to score two goals. In the second half, we could've scored but were unlucky.

"We did well to get the three points. It is always a tough opponent. I'm focused on making a difference and managed to do so today.

"We managed to strike back a few times in the season, have played some good games against City and against Napoli. Hopefully that can give us more confidence to win more games."

Spurs slipped down a place to fourth after Newcastle United moved above them with a 4-1 win at Southampton.

Mohamed Salah scored a first-half double as Liverpool ended their wait for a first Premier League away win of the season with a 2-1 victory at Tottenham.

Salah gave the Reds a deserved early lead and capitalised on a terrible mistake from Eric Dier to double their advantage, taking his goal tally for the season to 14 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Spurs burst into life in the second half and Harry Kane's 13th goal of the campaign halved the deficit, but they are down a spot in fourth place after suffering back-to-back home defeats in the top flight.

This was a first Premier League win in three Premier League matches for Liverpool after being stunned by Nottingham and Forest and Leeds United, moving them into eighth spot.

The Reds started with vigour and Darwin Nunez forced an excellent save from Hugo Lloris before the lively Uruguay striker curled a shot wide of the far post.

Nunez showed great awareness for a brilliantly worked opening goal 11 minutes in, picking out Salah in the box and the prolific forward rounded off a slick move by taking a touch to control the ball before slotting into the bottom-left corner with his left foot.

Ivan Perisic nodded against the post when Alisson failed to deal with a whipped Harry Kane cross, but Liverpool were gifted a second goal by Dier five minutes before the break.

The defender tried to head a long ball back to Lloris but presented Salah with the opportunity to race clear and dink over the Spurs keeper with a clinical finish.

Spurs made a blistering start to the second half after they were booed off at the break and Perisic rattled the crossbar when Ryan Sessegnon pulled the ball back for the Croatia international.

Salah passed up a great opportunity to complete his hat-trick when he shot straight at Lloris and Kane got Spurs back in it with just over 20 minutes to go.

The fit-again Dejan Kulusevski played the England captain in with a clever pass and he fired into the far corner with his right foot from inside the box to give Spurs hope.

Tottenham continued to dominate but Liverpool held on for a long-awaited Premier League win on the road.

Alisson says Liverpool must rediscover their consistency to turn around their poor season, calling on the Reds to draw on the experience of recovering from a disappointing 2020-21 campaign.

Having won both domestic cups and finished as runners-up in the Premier League and Champions League last term, Jurgen Klopp's team have endured a dire start to this season.

Liverpool sit eight points adrift of the Premier League's top four ahead of Sunday's trip to Tottenham, and Alisson says Klopp's men must bounce back in the same manner they did two seasons ago – when they finished an injury-disrupted campaign in third.

"We always have belief," Alisson told Sky Sports. "We have the understanding that things are not going so well for us so far. 

"We have to be realistic. We have to be humble as well, to accept it, to fight more and to recognise what is going wrong and to change it.

"That is part of our team, being humble, fighting. We know that sometimes we cannot be the best on the pitch, but we will be the ones who fight the most. This is what we have done so far, and it worked out in other seasons for us.

"We can't forget the season we had before the last one, when we had to fight a lot. We struggled in the competition because of injuries, because of outside circumstances, but we came back.

"Something we all have in common, something we all agree on, [is] that we have to find our consistency again.

"Everybody is used to seeing it in our team. We, the players, and the people as well. A consistent Liverpool, conceding only a few goals, keeping clean sheets, scoring, winning games."

Liverpool are still yet to win an away Premier League game this season, their worst such run from the start of a campaign since 2006-07 (a sequence of seven), and would slip 13 points behind third-placed opponents Tottenham with a defeat on Sunday. 

Klopp's side are therefore under huge pressure to claim a result in north London, but Alisson says they must shut out the noise as they bid to change their fortunes.

"It [pressure] is part of football," he added. "It is not something that is easy to deal with. But we have all played football for a while now, and I understand that this is part of it.

"You are going to have pressure from the outside world, from the supporters, from the media. Only playing for a big club are you going to have this kind of pressure.

"I see it as normal, but we have to fight back, and our response has to be on the pitch with performances. What we can't do is let the criticism affect us and bring us down more."

Pep Guardiola believes Newcastle United are contenders for the Premier League trophy this season and feels Liverpool cannot be ruled out of the running, naming six rivals for Manchester City's crown.

City are bidding for a third consecutive Premier League triumph and sit two points behind early-season leaders Arsenal ahead of this weekend's fixtures. 

With last season's runners-up Liverpool languishing in ninth place amid a dire start to the campaign, the upper reaches of the table have an unfamiliar look – with Newcastle flying high in fourth.

Eddie Howe's team have won three successive Premier League games and have conceded just 10 goals in their 13 outings in the competition this term – fewer than any other side, leading Guardiola to talk up their chances.

Asked which teams were in contention for the title, Guardiola said: "I would say Arsenal, I would say Man City, I would say Chelsea, I would say Newcastle, I would say Tottenham, I would say [Manchester] United and I would say Liverpool as well. 

"I think these teams can fight for the title."

Pushed on why he viewed Newcastle as part of that conversation, Guardiola highlighted their lack of European football and the high-pressing style instilled by Howe.

"They have incredible physicality," Guardiola said, "they don't play in Europe and when this happens, it's a big advantage when arriving at the decisive moment in terms of energy. 

"They have incredible energy for themselves. Imagine having one long week [to prepare]. A good manager, top-class players, experienced ones, quality in the middle, box-to-box transition team. 

"The way they have the intensity without the ball is so impressive, it's high, and that is a big difference. They have a good momentum and I imagine that they are going to stay there for longer."

Much of Guardiola's trophy-laden spell at City has been characterised by close title battles with Liverpool, and he has refused to write off Jurgen Klopp's side despite their poor start.

"In the past, the same manager and the same squad are able to make 17 victories in a row, 18 victories in a row, 14 victories in a row," Guardiola said.

"Many times in these last years they have done it, why can't [they] do it again? 

"Nobody knows what is going to happen after the World Cup with the transfer window, how the players come back. This is my feeling. 

"The first candidate right now is Arsenal. Why? They are top of the league and the rest are behind. The gap is close. 

"We'll see how we finish in the last two games, but I think many of these teams deserve to be there, and we'll see how they play against all of them. 

"How teams like United and Newcastle have stepped forward, and how Tottenham have done so, they can be there, [there are] no doubts."

Barcelona have reportedly reignited their chase of Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, and are said to be confident in their ability to get the deal done in January.

Silva, 28, has won four league titles with City since arriving at the club in 2017, and is enjoying another strong season after setting a new career-high with eight Premier League goals in the 2021-22 campaign.

The Portuguese international with 72 senior caps has two goals and five assists in his 12 league appearances this season, and has appeared in all six of City's Champions League group stage fixtures.

Barcelona have been linked with Silva for months, but after recent reports claimed they had moved on, a recent development has positively impacted the Spanish giants' financial situation and put the City star back on their radar.

 

TOP STORY – BARCELONA REVISIT CITY'S SILVA AFTER PIQUE RETIREMENT

According to Sport, the retirement of Gerard Pique has resulted in significantly improved financial flexibility for Barcelona, allowing them to revisit their long-standing interest in Silva.

The report claims City may be hesitant to part ways with a key contributor in the midst of a title chase, but that Silva had previously asked to leave the club before the failed sale of Frenkie de Jong muddied the waters.

Meanwhile, Mundo Deportivo adds Barcelona will look at 31-year-old Athletic Bilbao centre-back Inigo Martinez as their top choice to fill the defensive void left by Pique's departure.

 

ROUND-UP

– Calciomercato is reporting Chelsea are preparing to terminate the loan of Denis Zakaria, claiming they can not offer him regular starts and have no interest in activating the €28million buy clause in the deal.

– According to ESPN, Liverpool are the favourites ahead of Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United and City to land Borussia Dortmund phenom Jude Bellingham.

– The Leicester Mercury is reporting Leicester City will not allow Youri Tielemans to leave during the January transfer window, despite his contract expiring at the end of the season.

Milan are keeping a close eye on 22-year-old Spezia centre-back Jakub Kiwior, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting they could make a move in January.

– According to La Razon, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is interested in 25-year-old centre-back Pau Torres, who he coached at Villarreal.

Such is the instantaneous nature of social media that one miss, one innocuous incident can see a player written off as a "fraud" or "finished".

It's up to every one of us how much importance we tie to those individual comments. Maybe they're jokes, maybe they're serious. But when you see thousands of likes or retweets on them, you get a picture of how widespread these quick judgements are, and in that sense it doesn't really matter if they were in jest or not.

This isn't to say we didn't use to be like this, the difference is now many of us have at our fingertips an outlet that reaches thousands of people within seconds.

Darwin Nunez came in for such treatment in pre-season. During a meaningless friendly against Manchester United, the Uruguayan missed a big chance and quickly became the target of ridicule on social media.

Granted, he had recently been signed for a lot of money, but the hysteria – given the game had nothing riding on it – was remarkable. For what it's worth, he scored four in one match nine days later.

Since then, a lot of column inches have been dedicated to Nunez, which is a bit fairer now the season's in full flow.

One thing many agree about is how the striker appears to be one of the most chaotic footballers in existence, but this shouldn't cloud what he's doing well. He's raw, but if you scrape away the surface, the signs for Nunez and Liverpool are very promising.

Untapped potential

Jurgen Klopp hit the nail on the head last week when talking about Nunez's potential. In his eyes, the 23-year-old potentially has an "incredible" ceiling, but he acknowledged there was still so much work for the striker to put in that it was unclear how good he'll eventually become.

"Nobody knows, he doesn't know. Nobody knows, there is a lot [of potential] and it is so exciting, but he has to stay fit, he has to be available all the time," Klopp said. "That's all important in the life of a professional football player. We have to work on all different areas. Then, the potential is incredible. It's not only speed, the attitude is really good, he is a real worker.

"Again, I tell you – and I know there are some people out there who think, 'Technically, not sure, first touch...' – it is incredible. That he doesn't bring it on the pitch all the time, the first touch might be here or there sometimes, is nothing to do with technique, it is just a bit too late, awareness, orientation and all these kind of things, but it is all possible to develop and to learn. That's where we are at, it's really exciting, but where it can go, I have no idea."

There was always going to be scrutiny for Nunez because of the transfer fee, but would there have been as much were it not for Erling Haaland's ridiculous start? Probably not, as they were brought in around the same time and both considered by many as the so-called final pieces of the puzzle for their respective teams.

As the past few months have shown, Haaland is a phenomenon, that's not up for debate. But Nunez taking a little more time to truly settle doesn't make him any less promising than he was deemed at Benfica.

In fact, you could argue his output has exceeded expectations at this point.

Darwin's evolution

"His numbers are incredible, to be absolutely honest," Klopp also said of Nunez last week. "If you speak about xGs [expected goals], I am pretty sure his xGs are pretty high as well. He had a few chances which he missed, but he scored as well. He is involved in a lot of finishing moments, a lot of things."

Klopp is correct here – the data firmly backs him up. While Nunez's tally of three Premier League goals doesn't sound much, we shouldn't forget he's already served a three-match ban for getting sent off against Crystal Palace. His record of 0.6 goals every 90 minutes is bettered by only seven players.

With that in mind, Nunez's 432 Premier League minutes is fairly low, but he's managed to pack a lot of action into that limited period – hence the "chaotic" appraisal earlier.

He ranks inside the top 10 for goal involvements per 90 minutes (0.8) and minutes per goal (144), but it's in the shooting metrics where Nunez's productivity really shines through.

No one is registering more attempts on a per-90-minute basis than Nunez (6.7), while only Haaland (2.6) is getting more shots on target than the Uruguay forward (2.5) each game.

But perhaps crucially, and back to Klopp's point, his non-penalty xG (per 90) is 0.76, only fractionally behind Haaland's league-best 0.81.

Of course, the issue here is Nunez isn't finishing as many chances as the average player would be expected to given the quality of the openings, while Haaland has been exceptionally ruthless with his opportunities.

But it would be more concerning if he wasn't getting chances at all.

Nunez's struggles could be explained by any number of factors such as confidence, adaptation, the roles he's being asked to play, maybe even a desperate need to impress, and that might explain some of his more erratic decision-making.

But the expectation is that with time and composure Nunez's figures will eventually level up with his xG. On the evidence of his attributes until now, when they do, Liverpool will have an exceptional striker on their hands.

Liverpool are an example to follow for Tottenham coach Antonio Conte, who has no issues with Jurgen Klopp's disparaging comments on Spurs' style of play.

Spurs host Liverpool on Sunday, with the sides separated by 10 points.

While Conte's team are third, five points adrift of Premier League leaders Arsenal, Liverpool head into the clash on the back of successive defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, leaving them ninth.

Last season, both league meetings between Liverpool and Spurs finished all square, with a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December, while the Anfield fixture in May ended 1-1.

After the latter match, in which Spurs had only eight shots to their hosts' 22 but finished with a similar expected goals (xG) value to Liverpool (1.3 to 1.4), Klopp was frustrated by Conte's defensive approach, saying: "I don't like this kind of football... I cannot coach it. I think they are world-class and they should do more for the game – world-class players block all the balls."

Conte shrugged off Klopp's comments, insisting there is no bad blood between himself and the Liverpool manager, though the Italian was quick to note it was a result that ultimately played into the Reds falling short of the title.

He said in a press conference: "Yeah, but if you remember he lost the Premier League for this result.

"I understood his frustration. They lost the title for these two points. But you know, instead we reached the Champions League with that draw.

"It's OK, every coach has to speak for his team – and for every coach it's important to understand the best strategy to reach a good result.

"Honestly, I have seen again the last game we played against Liverpool and, if there was a team that deserved to win, it was Tottenham, not Liverpool.

"But I understand after a game when you felt you lost the Premier League to say something wrong against another team, but he has said sorry because he understood.

"No problem for me. When you are angry, it's very difficult sometimes to control your emotion."

Spurs splashed the cash in order to bolster Conte's squad heading into his first full season in north London - business which seems to be paying off, with Tottenham having also progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League.

And Conte sees Liverpool's model as an ideal one to follow.

"I think that Liverpool have to be proud because in the last five years they were the big, big rivals for Manchester City," Conte said.

"Without Liverpool, I think it could be like Italy with Juventus.

"For this reason, they have to be proud to reach this level and I think they improved a lot in these years. Sure, they spent money, but Klopp has changed Liverpool and the club gave him the possibility to invest.

"We are talking about an important club in the world with the possibility to spend a lot of money, but it's important to spend the money in the right way.

"I think it was really difficult to become the rival to City and you need the important players, you need the players to be really strong if you want to win. Otherwise you have to be honest and say you have other ambitions."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp lamented the fact the World Cup will be held in Qatar and said the media should have done more to hold FIFA to account.

The tournament is due to begin on November 20 after Qatar won the right to stage it in controversial circumstances 12 years ago, when FIFA also announced Russia as the 2018 hosts.

Those decisions came under heavy scrutiny amid allegations of corruption within world football's governing body, which has since undergone a reshuffle following the exit of embattled former president Sepp Blatter.

Critics have cited several reasons why Qatar is not a suitable host nation, with its human rights record, treatment of migrant workers and laws against same-sex relationships of particular concern.

For its part, FIFA has urged competing nations to "focus on the football", but that will do little to assuage the fears of the tournament's most impassioned critics, which includes human rights organisations such as Amnesty International.

Klopp felt it was too late to effect any change now and suggested the media should have done more and acted sooner to prevent the situation from unfolding the way it has.

"I watched an old documentary about the whole situation when it got announced that Russia and Qatar are the places for the next two World Cups," he said on Friday.

"I think it was the first time in history that they announced two in one. And the whole situation around it, we all know how it happened and how we still let it happen and no legal thing afterward. It was still hidden everywhere. And you think, wow, how could that all happen?

"It's 12 years ago and now it's here and it's coming. It has nothing to do with Qatar, they won the World Cup and it's now it's there.

"We talk about human rights in a sense of the people who have to work there in circumstances, which are, say it nicely, difficult. So, we couldn't play the World Cup there in the summer, because of the temperature. It's now pretty hot. And there was not one stadium in Qatar or maybe one.

"They have to build stadiums and nobody thought about that. I don't think everybody mentioned it that day. That is what makes you angry. How can it not? Again, I watch it from a football point of view and I don't like the fact that now players from time to time get in a situation where they have now to send a message.

"You are all journalists; you have should have sent a message. You didn't write the most critical article about it or not about it because it's Qatar. 

"Now it's there and I'll let them play the games. Let them just play the games...and don't put Gareth Southgate constantly in a situation where he has to talk about everything. I'm not a politician who has an opinion. And he's not a politician.

"He's the manager of England, let him do that and if you want to write something else about it, then do it but by yourself without asking us and all these kinds of things. And Klopp said and Southgate said, and all these kinds of things as if it will change anything. We all, you more than I, let it happen 12 years ago."

Klopp continued to rail against the lack of intervention when the tournament was first awarded and conceded this would be "different from other World Cups".

"Do you really think that we did enough in the first place? Now making a story of it when it's happened...and getting players under pressure questioning these kinds of things," he said.

"Things are organised by other people and I don't say you let it happen. But we all let it happen. At that time, everything was on the table. Everything was on the table. It was that long ago when we really could have sorted it.

"It's not to say anything about Qatar. They won the World Cup. I can understand for whatever reason, it's fine. I want a lot of things and don't get them and carry on with it. I will watch games, of course. But yes, it is different from other World Cups."

That Football Association (FA) will appeal against the sanction imposed on Jurgen Klopp for his red card during Liverpool's win over Manchester City last month.

Klopp was shown a red card for furiously charging towards assistant referee Gary Beswick and berating the official late in a 1-0 Premier League win for the Reds at Anfield on October 16.

The Liverpool manager admitted he "lost it" after he also confronted referee Anthony Taylor for not awarding a foul for a challenge on Mohamed Salah by Bernardo Silva.

Klopp was fined £30,000 by an independent regulatory commission but avoided a touchline ban.

He apologised for his actions and accepted the initial FA charge before discovering what his punishment would be, but the governing body on Friday revealed it will appeal against the commission's decision.

"The FA can confirm that it is appealing against the independent regulatory commission's sanction in relation to the recent case involving Jurgen Klopp after reviewing its written reasons," an FA spokesperson said.

"The independent regulatory commission fined Jurgen Klopp £30,000 for breaching FA rule E3 during Liverpool's Premier League game on Sunday 16 October 2022 against Manchester City."

Antonio Conte accused football's organisers of demonstrating a lack of care for players after Son Heung-min joined Tottenham's mounting injury list ahead of the World Cup.

Tottenham have the chance to move 13 points ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League table when they host the Reds on Sunday, but have been beset by fitness concerns in recent weeks.

With Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski already sidelined, Spurs suffered a huge blow on Tuesday when Son sustained a fracture around his left eye in their Champions League win at Marseille, throwing his chances of featuring in Qatar into doubt.

Defender Cristian Romero, meanwhile, has missed Tottenham's last two games with a calf problem, and will not be fit to return against Liverpool.

Speaking at Friday's pre-match news conference, Conte said the game's organisers were paying lip service to concerns over player welfare.

"It's better to start with a smile. We need to face this situation, we need to try to finish these three games in the best possible way," Conte said.

"We have these injuries; Richarlison is not available for the game, it's the same for Romero.

"About Romero, I can tell you if he has the possibility to play with one leg, he will play with one leg. I tell the fans that we have players really committed to the club. 

"Maybe Romero has an injury because he wanted to take a risk, but for sure, many teams are having big injuries, because we are playing every three days.

"We are seeing this situation is impossible for the future. Many times, I hear about the welfare of the players, but [talking] is only a polite way of showing they care. 

"They're not really worried about the welfare of the players if the schedule is this, if the most important thing is that the show must go on. 

"In the future, I don't want to hear or speak about the welfare of the players, because this is not true."

Conte offered more positive updates on the conditions of Rodrigo Bentancur and Kulusevski – the latter having not featured since September after sustaining a hamstring injury – but Lucas Moura's participation against Liverpool appears uncertain.

"Bentancur is much better and was part of a training session," Conte said. "It was the same for Kulusevski, he had half a training session with us.

"The problem is Lucas Moura is having different phases with his pain. Today it was really bad, and they told me he was really worried about this. I asked him to try to be available."

Sunday's match will represent the first time Tottenham have hosted Liverpool while above them in the Premier League table since October 2017, when they posted a 4-1 win over the Reds.

That, however, remains Spurs' most recent league victory against Liverpool, who are unbeaten in the teams' nine subsequent meetings in the competition (W6 D3).

Jurgen Klopp does not know how the protocol around concussions in football can be improved, but he is sure temporary substitutions are not the answer.

The issue of head injuries has come to prominence again in the past week, most notably after Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez initially played on in the 4-0 defeat to Newcastle United having collided with Tyrone Mings' knee.

Liverpool themselves had to use a concussion substitute – a sixth permanent change, which also grants the opposition another switch – in the Champions League win over Napoli in midweek.

James Milner went down early in the second half, having previously thought, like Martinez, he would be able to continue.

The idea of a temporary substitution, giving medical professionals further time to assess potential concussions, has been floated as a possible solution.

But Klopp, speaking in his news conference on Friday, pointed out the signs of some injuries can be delayed so long players would still be allowed to return to the pitch with a concussion.

"What else shall we do? I know you say 'temporary subs'; I am fine with the concussion sub, absolutely fine," he said before Sunday's match against Tottenham.

"Take him off and bring another player – it means you can still change five times after that, and the other team has an extra sub. I think that's the best we can do.

"You say it takes quite a while between getting the concussion and it really kicking in; I'm not sure then 15 minutes is really the time to wait for it.

"People will tell you after an hour it kicks in. I think how we do it is the right way.

"And it doesn't happen that often, to be 100 per cent honest. I can't remember one before [at Liverpool]. It was the first time with the way Milly got hit, but when did we have a concussion before? I can't remember it.

"We can talk about it like it happens all the time and the boys are constantly in danger. They are not. They are well-trained athletes and it doesn't happen that often.

"But if it happens, we have a solution for it, which is much better than ever before in football's history.

"Is there space for improvement? Probably, but I don't know how."

Milner will not play against Spurs but can return to non-contact training on Monday and a full session on Tuesday "if everything goes well".

Liverpool are at least boosted by Jordan Henderson's recovery from injury and Fabinho's return to form against Napoli.

"The game was a clear sign of Fabinho how we know him," Klopp said of his struggling star. "It was a good game and we defended in all positions on a different level to the week before. It felt good.

"For him, it was very important to realise that that's possible. It was a good start in the right direction."

Jurgen Klopp believes the problems arising from a "crazy" mid-season World Cup should have been addressed long ago amid a swathe of injuries affecting big-name players.

Debates around the scheduling of the tournament, which begins when hosts Qatar face Ecuador on November 20, have intensified after several players' hopes of featuring were thrown into doubt.

England trio Kyle Walker, Reece James and Ben Chilwell are fighting to be fit for the tournament, while South Korea's Son Heung-min is also a doubt after suffering a fracture around his left eye in Tottenham's Champions League win at Marseille on Tuesday.

Liverpool great Jamie Carragher responded to that injury by calling the World Cup's timing an "absolute disgrace", but Klopp says football missed the chance to challenge it.

Asked about the situation ahead of Liverpool's Premier League meeting with Spurs, Klopp interjected: "I hate this subject. These problems were so clear, so clear.

"Nobody mentioned it once until three, four weeks before the World Cup, when all of a sudden a player gets injured and we think, 'Oh, he cannot play the World Cup'. 

"This specific problem that players who were injured late in the season cannot play the World Cup is not new. After a long season, it happens everywhere in the world. 

"But now, starting the World Cup a week after the last game, that's a bigger risk. Crazy.

"Nobody cares about us, how we deal with it. You ask me a question as if I can give you all the answers; what do you think I should do? Ask the players before Southampton or before Derby [County]: 'Really? [Do you] want to play?' 

"We are all guilty – you more than I am guilty – for letting it happen, for letting it happen in the first place. 

"Now it's happened, and now we have this situation, and that's it. For the players who get injured and cannot play, it's a disaster. But how can we change that?"

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