da fezbet： Joel Matip haplessly scooped the ball into his own net with but moments until the final whistle, but Liverpool will condemn mistakes of a far greater weight as Jurgen Klopp's side rue the ineptitude of officials in defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
da pixbet： The Reds have started the 2023/24 campaign with the strength and solidarity that has been intrinsic to the success of this squad since Klopp's appointment way back when, and while a seven-match winning streak across all competitions and an unbeaten start to the term has been cruelly snapped, there are positives to be recovered from the grimy debris of an inconsolable evening.
Liverpool remain in fourth place in the Premier League and just two points off leaders Manchester City, who lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the day, and indeed, the spirit on display was reminiscent of the formidable outfit that swept the whole gamut of silverware under Klopp's leadership.
Once again, were it not for the heroic shot-stopping efforts of Alisson, Liverpool might not be nursing such a profound sense of injustice, with the Brazilian undisputably the "the best" between the sticks right now, as was said by 90min's Scott Saunders.
How did Alisson perform against Tottenham?
In London, he made a whopping eight saves – including wondrous stretching stops from a curling effort from James Maddison and an instinctive hand from the free-scoring Heung-min Son.
Signed from Roma for £67m in 2018 – a world record for a goalkeeper at the time – the 30-year-old certainly didn't come cheap, but are there truly many Premier League acquisitions for such a lofty fee to have eclipsed the impact he has had behind the rearguard of the Merseyside club's defence.
When the wounds inflicted on a dreary night against the Lilywhites – who continue their resounding revival under Ange Postecoglou – are healed, the Reds will be emboldened in their pursuit of silverware, and with Alisson in goal, they truly boast the armour to achieve such ambitious goals.
While Alisson deservedly received praise for his efforts, the return to full strength of Virgil van Dijk must not go under the radar; after several years of ebbing and flowing from his best for different reasons, the Dutchman looks a dominant force in central defence again.
How is Virgil van Dijk playing this season?
That's not to say he was ever awful, rather, a detrimental injury suffered against Everton in 2020 had hindered his relentless presence at the back, and now, Van Dijk really does look to have hit his zenith again.
Spurs, despite having a two-man advantage for around 25 minutes, failed to truly exert their dominance on proceedings, rebuffed by a resolute Reds defence that simply refused to give up.
Recording a joint-match-high Sofascore rating of 8.4 – alongside Spurs' Pedro Porro – the £220k-per-week colossus made eight clearances, blocked six shots and committed two tackles and interceptions apiece, also winning 100% of his duels and completing 95% of his passes.
On top of his defensive brilliance, the 32-year-old expertly nodded down the ball on the stroke of half-time to hand Liverpool a deserved equaliser after a pivoting strike from Cody Gakpo, who injured himself in the process.
Sustaining such supreme showings, the "world-class" defender, as has been said by pundit Darren Bent, could yet inspire a return to glory for his club this season.
While the bitter defeat hurts, Liverpool have displayed their glittering credentials in the most courageous and stoical of performances, and the sun will shine on Anfield again with this crop of players plying their trade under Klopp's management.