Tottenham boss Conte may drop four players after Liverpool loss

Spurs v Liverpool: Pictures

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A late flurry of pressure was not enough to save Tottenham from falling to a 2-1 defeat by Liverpool on Sunday. Mohamed Salah’s first-half brace helped the Reds climb the Premier League table, with Harry Kane halving the deficit in the second half. 

Express Sport looks at four players who struggled for Spurs. 

Eric Dier

This was a game to forget for England World Cup hopeful Eric Dier. The 29-year-old, who harbours dreams of starting for the Three Lions defence in Qatar, made a costly mistake to gift Liverpool the lead. 

Dier misjudged a headed backpass, with the ball bobbling off his shoulder and landing perfectly into the path of Mohamed Salah. The Reds forward bore down on goal and lifted his effort over Hugo Lloris.

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Emerson Royal

You never quite know what you’re going to get from eccentric wing-back Emerson Royal, and this was one of his poorer outings. Liverpool enjoyed plenty of success down their left-hand side, with Royal struggling to contain the likes of Andy Robertson and Darwin Nunez. 

Nunez twice got in behind Royal in the first-half, first drawing a good save from Lloris, before firing off target. Antonio Conte withdrew the Brazilian midway through the second half and Spurs immediately improved. 

Royal’s replacement, Dejan Kulusevski, set up Harry Kane within seconds of being brought on. 

Clement Lenglet

Spurs seriously missed Cristian Romero, who missed this game through injury. Summer loan arrival Clement Lenglet played in his place and did not have the same impact as the Argentine defender. 

Lenglet and Dier, in particular, struggled against Liverpool’s attack. The Frenchman then missed an excellent chance to equalise with 10 minutes remaining, but ballooned his header from a corner over Alisson Becker’s goal. 

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Ryan Sessegnon

There were a couple of decent moments from Sessegnon, who, like Dier, will wonder if he features in Gareth Southgate’s plans for the World Cup. The former Fulham prodigy felt he should have had a penalty when Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to nudge him in the back inside the box. 

But there was not enough decisive end product from the left wing-back. On the few occasions he was presented with the opportunity to create a scoring chance, the 22-year-old failed to choose the correct option. 

What next for Tottenham?

Conte’s side travel to bottom-placed Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Given their relatively toothless attack against Liverpool, they will hope to have Son Heung-min back for their final two games before the World Cup. 

Spurs then host Leeds next Saturday before domestic football pauses for the tournament.

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