Hugo Lloris 3, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 7; Roberto Firmino 9, Mohamed Salah 7: Tottenham v Liverpool player ratings

Champions return to winning ways with 3-1 victory at Spurs

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  TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris - 3. The Frenchman made two good saves from Mane but then it went badly wrong. The goalkeeper should have cut out the cross for the opening goal and he pushed the ball into a danger area for the second. Getty

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  Joe Rodon - 4. An encouraging performance was blighted when the Welshman completely lost track of Mane for the third goal. The 23-year-old will learn from the experience. Getty

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  Eric Dier - 4. The Englishman left the ball to his goalkeeper for the opening goal when he should have taken responsibility. He also gave away possession to allow the attack that led to the second goal. PA

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  Ben Davies - 4. Slow in thought and movement. The left back could not deal with the dual threat of Salah and Alexander-Arnold. The Welshman tried hard but was ineffectual. Getty

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  Serge Aurier - 4. The Frenchman was unable to cope with Mane and allowed the striker a golden chance as early as the second minute. He seemed to switch off in the build-up to the first goal, too. Taken off at half time and replaced by Winks. Getty

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  Tanguy Ndombele - 6. The midfielder started well, supplying a delicious ball for Son for the disallowed goal but he was over-run in the central areas. The Frenchman did not exert enough influence on the game. AFP

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  Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg - 7. The Dane’s powerful strike gave Spurs a lifeline at 2-1 but the team’s setup left the midfielder outgunned in the middle of the park. He struggled to impose himself. Getty

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  Matt Doherty - 3. The Irishman was turned way too easily by Mane for the second goal. He was awful when out of position at left wing back and nearly as bad when switched to the right. Getty

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  Steven Bergwijn - 5. The Dutchman showed flashes of ability in the first half but faded badly in the second period after providing the pass to Hojbjerg to pull back a goal. EPA

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  Harry Kane - 5. Limped off at half time after sustaining an ankle injury and was replaced by Lamella. Spurs are half the team without their captain. Reuters

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  Son Heung-min - 5. The South Korean had a goal ruled out by another ludicrous VAR decision and then shot straight at Alisson. He looked lost playing as a lone forward after the departure of Kane. Getty

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  SUBSTITUTES: Harry Winks - 5. The 24-year-old joined the action for Aurier after the break in a bid to bolster the midfield. He was neat and tidy but showed little inspiration. Getty

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  Erik Lamela – 5. Brought on for Kane at half time and the reduction in threat was substantial. The Argentinian produced one good ball to Bergwijn but otherwise did little to disturb Liverpool. EPA

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  Gareth Bale - 5. Replaced Bergwijn with nine minutes left. The Welshman’s two-goal appearance as a substitute for Real Madrid against Liverpool in the Champions League final in Kiev in 2018 seems a long, long time ago. AFP

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  LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 6. The Brazilian was a little lucky that Son’s goal was disallowed after being beaten at the near post. He distributed the ball well and was quick off the line. AFP

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  Trent Alexander-Arnold - 8. The full back’s crossing was much better than in recent games and he took his goal brilliantly. The 22-year-old’s pass for Mane’s goal was a thing of beauty. Getty

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  Joel Matip - 7. The 29-year-old gave a lesson in the art of the centre back when stopping Son and Kane in the area. Unfortunately he had to be replaced by Nathaniel Phillips at the break after picking up another injury, leaving the team without a senior central defender for the foreseeable future. Getty

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  Jordan Henderson - 8. The captain never gave an inch in his unfamiliar centre-back role. His chipped pass to Mane in the build-up to the opening goal was magnificent. PA

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  Andrew Robertson - 7. The Scot was pinned back and more occupied by defensive duties than usual. His workrate and aggression are vital to the team even when he is showing little creativity. EPA

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  Georginio Wijnaldum – 8. Cut out a lot of danger by providing an extra screen for the defence. The Dutchman was not flashy but he broke up Tottenham attacks and gave his side the initiative going forward. Getty

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  James Milner - 6. The 35-year-old is not as dynamic as he once was and the game bypassed him for spells. Eased back into the match in the second half and showed his experience. PA

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  Thiago Alcantara - 6. The 29-year-old lacks pace and it shows in his late tackling and his propensity to pick up yellow cards. He was bullied off the ball a few times, too, although his passing was precise. Replaced by Jones with 12 minutes left. Reuters

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  Mohamed Salah - 7. The Egyptian’s link play is often overlooked and his ball to set up an early chance for Mane was exquisite. He was unfortunate to have a goal ruled out by VAR and was a constant pest to the defence. Getty

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  Roberto Firmino - 9. The Brazilian was sharp and intelligent, knitting the attack together and causing chaos. His run from outside the box to score the opening goal left the Spurs defence bewildered. Taken off for Origi with three minutes to go. Getty

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  Sadio Mane - 8. The home side’s defence could not cope with the Senegal striker’s wit and invention. He could have had a handful of goals to go with the one he scored with more clinical finishing. Reuters

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  SUBSTITUTES: Nathaniel Phillips – 7. Replaced Matip at half time and was booked almost immediately. The 23-year-old played to his strengths and had few alarms. Getty

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  Curtis Jones - 7. Entered the game when Thiago was withdrawn with 12 minutes left. The 19-year-old produced a bright and direct cameo. Getty

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  Divock Origi – 5. Given three minutes playing time when Firmino departed. The Belgian showed for the ball and put in maximum effort for the short time that he was involved. EPA

Liverpool ended a five-game winless run in the Premier League to move back into the top four with a 3-1 win at Tottenham as Spurs also lost Harry Kane to an ankle injury.

The English champions had not scored in their last four league games, but their front three sparked back into life after Roberto Firmino ended their goal drought in first-half stoppage time.

Goals from Roberto Firmino, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane capped a dominant display by Jurgen Klopp's side who claimed their first league win since a 7-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace on December 19.

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.