Liverpool moved back to the top of the Premier League table - despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.
Son Heung-min opened the scoring for Spurs as he finished off a neat move by Antonio Conte's side 11 minutes into the second-half. But Luis Diaz equalised for the Reds when his shot deflected off Rodrigo Bentancur with 16 minutes remaining.
Both sides had chances in the closing stages, but neither managed to find that elusive winning goal. Jurgen Klopp’s side moved top on goal difference, although Man City have a game in hand on the Reds, against Newcastle United at the Etihad this afternoon.
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And below is a look at how the national media, and the ECHO’s Paul Gorst, reported on the game at Anfield as Liverpool saw their 11-game winning run come to an end.
'Quadruple was always an impossible dream'
Oliver Holt of the Mail of Sunday wrote: “Maybe the Quadruple was always an impossible dream. Maybe it was always an insane ambition foisted on this Liverpool team by others. But as it slipped a little further away from Liverpool at Anfield last night, Jurgen Klopp's side fought against the dying of it with every ounce of energy and every moment of fury and every bit of defiance they could muster.
“Trailing to a quite brilliant Son Heung-min counter-attacking goal from Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool drew level through Luis Diaz and then threw everything they could at their visitors in search of the winner. But Spurs would not yield and as Liverpool supporters pleaded and beseeched and begged for the winner, time ran out. Manchester City, licking their wounds on their retreat from Madrid, are that bit closer to winning the Premier League.
“Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Antonio Conte's side took them back to the top of the table but only on goal difference. And if City, who have a game in hand, can recover from the shock of that traumatic Champions League defeat in the Bernabeu and beat a resurgent Newcastle United at the Etihad this afternoon, they will be three points clear with three games to play.
“This was just a game too far for Liverpool, who looked low on energy and invention against a well-drilled, clever Spurs team for whom this draw was a fillip in their battle with Arsenal for a Champions League place. That battle may be decided at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday in the North London derby and this result means Spurs will go into it in good heart.
“Liverpool gave everything – and we will wait to see quite how damaged City are by events in Spain – but this was the first time either of the two teams who have been duelling for the league had blinked. Win had followed win had followed win. It was relentless but in Spurs, Liverpool came up against an opponent who would not yield and would not be overawed.”
'Were Real Madrid watching?'
Ian Hawkey of the Sunday Times wrote: “Were Real Madrid watching? If so, they would have been mildly encouraged to see a team dominated for long spells by Liverpool show that a well-engineered counterattack can burst the balloon of England’s Champions League finalists. Were Manchester City watching? For the result, certainly. City can today take a lead of three points over Liverpool into the last three games of the Premier League title joust. Yesterday morning the gap was one point.
“Perhaps the race to be league champions did soften with this gripping, high-octane, tense share of the points, Tottenham Hotspur going 1-0 ahead through Son Heung-min after withstanding sustained Liverpool pressure. An equaliser from the in-form Luis Díaz meant the Anfield aura was only damaged — Jürgen Klopp’s team had won their previous dozen home league games — and not horribly stained. But neither side could reflect too favourably on what a point yields. Had they held on to their winning position, Spurs would have leapfrogged Arsenal into fourth.”
'Liverpool salvaged what could yet prove a vital point'
Andy Hunter of the Observer wrote: “Rarely have a team reached the Premier League summit in May accompanied by such ruefulness. Jürgen Klopp thumped his chest with pride in front of the Kop, as though reinforcing the message that Liverpool will never give up, but the regret inside Anfield was almost tangible.
“In the most demanding and unforgiving Premier League title race they have blinked first. The draw was fair and, in normal circumstances, a point would feel rewarding for Liverpool amid a relentless schedule and having fallen behind to a supremely well-organised and resolute Tottenham side.
“Antonio Conte’s visitors led through a fine Son Heung-min goal and could have won it in stoppage time had Pierre-Emile Højbjerg directed a free header goalwards and not in the direction of Harry Kane. Ibrahima Konaté intervened and Conte lamented the missed opportunity to leapfrog Arsenal into fourth ahead of Thursday’s north London derby.
“Liverpool salvaged what could yet prove a vital point courtesy of Luis Díaz’s deflected strike but after 12 successive league wins at Anfield it was a bad time to falter in the 13th. Manchester City may be on the floor following their astonishing Champions League collapse at Real Madrid but this was the fillip Pep Guardiola’s men needed ahead of Sunday’s home game against Newcastle. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s reaction to the final whistle, dropping to his knees in despair, was arguably a more realistic appraisal of Liverpool’s chances than his manager’s attempt to remain upbeat.”
'A game in which Klopp’s players threw everything at Spurs'
Sam Wallace of The Telegraph wrote: “There are many ways to lose a place in a title race although this was not how Liverpool will have imagined it slipping away, if indeed that is to be their destiny, against a Tottenham Hotspur side rekindled by Antonio Conte to defy the old flaws that have blighted Spurs for years.
“And what pressure it was, exerted over 96 minutes of striving by Jurgen Klopp’s players to bend the game to their will in the usual traditions. They had won 12 straight games at home going back to October before this evening and in all the categories that matter – passing, possession, shots on goal – they were far ahead of Spurs, but there was always something to stop them. Conte has tightened the bolts on this Spurs squad. He has closed down the vulnerabilities and appealed to the competitor in all his players.
“What emerged was a game in which Klopp’s players threw everything at Spurs, and Spurs threw everything back. Everything, apart from that equaliser from Luis Diaz in the 74th minute, was headed out, blocked, hacked away. There was always someone in the way of the great thrusts that were built up by Liverpool, and their midfield controller Thiago Alcantara, and gradually Anfield came to be gripped with the anxiety that it might never come. These are joyful days for them watching what some say is the club’s greatest team pursue the final three of a quadruple of trophies, but they are also tense days.”
'Pep Guardiola will be breathing a big sigh of relief'
Paul Gorst of the Liverpool ECHO wrote: “They say all good things must come to an end. And while Liverpool's 11-game winning run at home certainly has, the biggest question now is whether or not their Premier League titles hopes have.
“Only time will tell on that score, but it has handed back all the initiative and all the impetus to a Manchester City side who will likely believe their name is on the title if they emerge unscathed at home to Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
“Rarely can going top of the Premier League in May have felt so deflating.
“But if some might have expected the mood to have been funeral after this absorbing but ultimately frustrating 1-1 draw then they were sorely mistaken.
“The full-time whistle was greeted with a huge applause from supporters who are keenly aware of what this football team has done for them this season; one that still promises so much in its final days.
“In a week when a third final was booked for Liverpool fans, there was to be absolutely no criticism of the team who have given them trips to Paris and London to look forward to this month, even if there might be some gentle lamenting when they wake up on Sunday.
“How this result is viewed will only be truly known when the Premier League title is held aloft but a frazzled Pep Guardiola will be breathing a big sigh of relief when he aims to bounce back from a tough week at home to Eddie Howe's Magpies.”
