Tottenham defenders Emerson Royal and Cristian Romero starred as they helped their side earn a well-contested 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday.
Both sides arrived at Anfield desperate for three points in the encounter, with the Reds needing a win to keep the pressure up on Premier League title rivals Manchester City, while Spurs were keen to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
Heung-min Son’s opener early in the second half gave Antonio Conte’s men a dream scenario in their hunt against Arsenal, but it was eventually cancelled out by a deflected Luis Diaz strike 16 minutes from time.
Tottenham fought valiantly at the home of one of the best teams in Europe, but two players in particular stood out as the visitors’ resilience earned them a solitary point.
Right wing-back Emerson, who has come under scrutiny at points this season, produced arguably his best performance of the season while having to contend with Liverpool’s live wire in Diaz.
The former Barcelona man was defensively astute winning all his tackles when required, losing just one of eight duels on the ground, while making five recoveries and clearances each.
He also had a decent display going forward with 73 total touches while completing four of five long balls, with one meeting Kane in the build-up to Son’s tap-in.
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A similar story could be said for fellow defender Romero, who maintained his strong run of form at the back for Spurs since the turn of the year.
The Argentina international also endured a busy evening defensively on Merseyside and was required to make nine recoveries, eight clearances and make one crucial block to keep Liverpool at bay. He was also solid in the air by winning three of his four aerial duels contested
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It was great to see Emerson put in a great shift against Liverpool and it could have led to much more if his crossing was a little better.
Either way, that performance should give him some confidence heading into a very important final few games of the season.
Romero also played well, particularly in the second half, and he showed exactly why Spurs are planning to shell out a lot of money for him this summer.
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