Mohamed Salah scored twice in the first half as Liverpool secured their first away victory in the Premier League this season with a 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur.
Salah broke the deadlock after only 11 minutes to score for the fourth successive match in all competitions, with the Egypt forward ruthlessly dispatching the ball into the bottom corner from Darwin Nunez's pass.
Ivan Perisic almost equalised after a decent response from the hosts, but the Croatian saw his header from point-blank range diverted onto the post by Alisson Becker.
Salah doubled the visitors' lead five minutes before the interval as he punished Eric Dier's woeful attempted backpass by racing through and delicately lifting the ball over the onrushing Hugo Lloris and into the back of the net.
As has often been the case in recent weeks, Antonio Conte's side were a different beast after the break, pinning the Reds back for large periods as Perisic struck the woodwork for a second time.
The return of Dejan Kulusevski from injury 22 minutes time lifted a largely flat home crowd, with the Sweden winger making an instant impact by playing a pinpoint pass into Harry Kane's stride. The England forward, who had been starved of service until that point, fired a low strike into the far corner from a pretty tight angle to well and truly bring the game alive.
However, despite building significant pressure and completing countless excellent switches of play to bring Perisic and Kulusevski into the game, Jurgen Klopp's side held on for a vital victory as they moved to within seven points of their opponents - and the Champions League qualification positions - with a game in hand.
Brett Curtis
