Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur Timeline & H2H Stats

In spite of the fact that Liverpool have had rivalries with other London clubs over the years, the most notable of which was against Chelsea during the Rafa Benítez/José Mourinho era, it would be untrue to say that the Reds have ever had any real rivalry with Tottenham Hotspur. Given the enmity held between Liverpool and Everton as well as Manchester United, to say nothing of the more modern dislike of Manchester City, there is little room for supporters to properly hate Spurs, whilst Tottenham fans are busy enough disliking Arsenal and Chelsea to get overly upset about what it is that Liverpool are up to.

Having said that, there have been a few occasions in which the clubs have battled it out in important moments. The most obvious of these was the League Cup final at the end of the 1981-1982 season, with the Red beating Ipswich Town to make the final and Spurs overcoming West Bromwich Albion. The game ended 1-1, which resulted in a period extra time in which Liverpool scored twice without reply. The 1921-1922 First Division was also won by the Reds with Spurs in second, missing out by six points, with Tottenham also trying to stop Liverpool from winning the 1989-1990 First Division title but ultimately finishing third.

Refereeing Controversies

If there is something that is worth pointing out about the rivalry between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, particularly in the modern era, then it is that the two clubs have been involved in some refereeing controversies over the years. The first of these happened at Anfield in 2021, with match referee Jon Moss speaking to his assistant Ed Smart and demonstrating a lack of knowledge about the rules of the game. Harry Kane had been put through on goal when he was in an offside position, but Dejan Lovren, the Liverpool defender, might’ve touched the ball. Whether he did or not was what would have dictated if it made Kane onside or off.

Moss wasn’t sure, appearing to ask the fourth official if he’d seen anything on the monitor in the days well before VAR, eventually declaring ‘I’m’ giving the penalty’, even though he had no proof. That, though, was as nothing compared to what happened at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium two years later. Luis Diaz scored a goal for Liverpool that was adjudged to be onside. When the replay was shown he looked onside, which was confirmed by the Video Assistant Referee. The problem was, the decision wasn’t clearly explained to the match referee, who played on without awarding the goal in a game that Liverpool lost 2-1.

Liverpool’s Full Match History Against Spurs