Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's huge Premier League showdown between top-four rivals Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur!

Both teams come into this match off the back of good midweeks results - in their own games as well as those involving other teams around them in the table - and victory for either would be enough to leave them in the Champions League places at the end of the weekend, so it is all to play for today.

We will have a close look at both a little later, but first let's check out the team news...

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Lovren, Robertson; Can, Henderson, Milner; Firmino, Salah, Mane

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Mignolet, Wijnaldum, Moreno, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ings, Solanke, Matip

TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Dembele, Eriksen, Dele, Son; Kane

TOTTENHAM SUBS: Vorm, Aurier, Wanyama, Winks, Sissoko, Lamela, Llorente

What can we make of those two sides, then?

Well, the headline news as far as the home side are concerned is that £75m man Virgil van Dijk returns to the starting lineup, having been rested against Huddersfield in midweek.

Van Dijk has made a somewhat mixed start to life at the club, with signs that his arrival alone is not going to completely cut out the team's defensive errors, but there is no doubting his quality and he replaces Matip in the starting XI here. That means that Dejan Lovren - who was hooked in the first half of the reverse fixture - keeps his place at the heart of the defence too.

Van Dijk's inclusion is one of only two changes made by Jurgen Klopp from the midweek win over Huddersfield, and the other also comes in defence as Trent Alexander-Arnold is selected ahead of Gomez, who misses out entirely.

Andrew Robertson continues on the left side of the defence despite Alberto Moreno being fit again, with the Spaniard returning to the bench this afternoon. Loris Karius continues in goal ahead of Mignolet, meanwhile.

This match pits the league's two highest scorers against each other, with Liverpool boasting Mohamed Salah in their ranks and the winger is on the verge of creating history for the club if he can maintain his remarkable goalscoring record today.

Salah is already the quickest player to score 25 goals for Liverpool since 1915, and 19 of those have come in just 24 Premier League appearances for the club. The fastest any Liverpool player has ever reached 20 Premier League goals for the Reds is 27 games - with both Fernando Torres and Daniel Sturridge managing that - so Salah has the chance to do something very special if he can find the back of the net once again here.

Liverpool's threat extends beyond only Salah, though, with Mane having scored both goals in the corresponding fixture last season and Firmino also in very good form heading into this match.

Indeed, the Brazilian has been directly involved in 11 goals from his last 11 Premier League appearances, scoring eight times and creating three more. His overall tally of 11 league goals this term is also already equal his joint best ever return in the competition.

When it comes to goalscoring feats, though, Firmino - and even Salah - must bow down to the machine that is Harry Kane, who must be confident of scoring every time he gets out there at the moment.

The England international has already passed the 30-goal mark for the season, and has 18 goals in his last 13 Premier League away games too. He likes playing against Liverpool too, directly contributing to six goals in his six league appearances against the Reds, including a brace in the reverse fixture.

As is the case with Liverpool, though, Kane has not been forced to shoulder the goalscoring mantle all on his own, and Son Heung-min in particular has weighed in significantly on that front.

The Korean has seven goals in his last 14 games across all competitions, so even if the Reds are able to stop Kane this evening, they will still need to keep a very close eye on Son - not to mention Alli and Eriksen too.

Eriksen scored after only 11 seconds against Manchester United at Wembley in midweek, and the Dane will be hoping to have a similar impact this afternoon against a defence which has been far leakier than United's so far this season.

Unsurprisingly considering the impressive nature of that win at Anfield, Pochettino has named an unchanged team for this afternoon's match, with Dembele and Dier once again making up the midfield behind that dangerous attacking trio.

Serge Aurier and Harry Winks are both back amongst the substitutes, but there is notably no place in the squad for deadline day signing Lucas Moura, who only began training with his new teammates on Saturday.

Alderweireld is also still sidelined but is understood to be nearing his return from a lengthy hamstring injury. That means that Spurs once again go with a back four today, with Sanchez and Vertonghen at the heart of that.

There is plenty of talent in both sides, then, and this one promises to be a very intriguing contest - hopefully with a lot of goals if previous meetings between this season's top six are anything to go by.

For Liverpool, they will be relieved to be coming into the match off the back of that win over Huddersfield on Tuesday, which was just what Klopp's side needed following back-to-back surprise defeats at the hands of Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion.

Both of those losses were shocking in their own way, with the defeat at the hands of Swansea coming in the wake of such a thrilling victory over the previously-unbeaten Man City, and the FA Cup exit against West Brom ending Liverpool's unbeaten home run this season.

Indeed, that defeat was Liverpool's first at Anfield in their last 20 matches stretching all the way back to April, and may well have realistically ended Liverpool's hopes of ending their wait for silverware under Klopp this season.

The Reds are, of course, still in the Champions League and will fancy their chances of beating Porto in the last 16, but it would be a major surprise if they were to go all of the way in Europe with the likes of PSG, Man City, Barcelona and Real Madrid also still in the competition.

The FA Cup exit means that the success of their season will once again be defined by whether or not they qualify for the Champions League again next season, and as things stand things are looking good on that front.

Tuesday's 3-0 win over Huddersfield proved to be enough to lift them up to third in the table when coupled with Chelsea's surprise defeat at the hands of Bournemouth a day later, but things are still very tight in that top-four race and Klopp will know that any setbacks could prove very costly.

Defeat today, for example, could see them drop back out of the Champions League places depending on goal difference, and would also hand Chelsea the chance to increase the damage when they face Watford on Monday night.

Liverpool's setbacks so far this season have usually come with draws, and in fairness to Klopp's side they have been very hard to beat this term, losing only three Premier League games all season - a tally only Manchester City can beat.

Indeed, that surprise loss to Swansea is their only one in their last 16 Premier League matches, stretching back to their last game against Spurs when they fell to a 4-1 defeat at Wembley in October.

The Reds are also one of only two teams - alongside Man City - to still be unbeaten at home in the league, although it is at Anfield where some of their more disappointing draws have come this term.

The Reds have been forced to share the spoils on five occasions from their 12 home league games so far this term, meaning that despite what is now a 14-game unbeaten run at Anfield in the league, they would still only be fifth in just home form counted this season.

Liverpool's most recent home league games was that memorable 4-3 triumph over Manchester City, and another victory today would see them win four in a row for the first time this season. Their defensive record is also significantly better in front of their own fans, with the Reds keeping nine clean sheets in their last 14 league games at Anfield compared to only three in their last 13 away from home.

Klopp also has a good record against fellow top-six opposition on Merseyside, winning six and drawing six of his last 12 such games, since a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in January 2016.

Spurs will not need telling that they face an almighty task to topple Liverpool today, but they will be going into the game full of confidence following their own midweek victory.

Defeats for Chelsea and Arsenal helped Spurs just as much as they did Liverpool, and Tottenham also inflicted a 2-0 defeat on Manchester United to bring them almost to within striking distance of the chasing pack too. It was an impressive performance at Wembley, which could have resulted in an even bigger win, and a similar display here at Anfield could see them make it a very good week indeed.

The win over United saw Spurs stay just two points off the Champions League places, and Chelsea's defeat means that the champions are very much in Tottenham's sights now too.

Victory for Tottenham today would lift them above both Chelsea and Liverpool into third place - at least until Chelsea take on Watford tomorrow night - and regardless of the result at Vicarage Road Spurs would end the weekend in the top four if they pick up all three points here.

A draw would not be enough to Spurs to climb into the top four, but it may still go down as a satisfactory result amid a very difficult run for Spurs.

Mauricio Pochettino's side are in the midst of a three-match streak which sees them face Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal in successive Premier League games, so this could well prove to be a pivotal period in their season. Add to that an upcoming FA Cup replay with Newport County and the first leg of their Champions League tie with Juventus and it is a hugely important spell for them on all fronts.

Premier League leaders Manchester City are the only team to have beaten Spurs since November, and Tottenham come into this match unbeaten in their last nine outings since than loss to Pep Guardiola's side - including six wins.

It looked as though they may be heading for a slight blip when they were held to successive draws by Southampton and then League Two side Newport County, which made Wednesday's Wembley win over United all the more timely and impressive.

In the Premier League alone Spurs are now unbeaten in seven games, dropping just four points in that spell to keep up the pressure on those above them in the table as they look to break back into the top four.

However, they are not alone in chasing down the Champions League places and there may be one or two concerned thoughts at what his happening across North London after Arsenal's new boys Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan impressed during their thrashing over Everton yesterday - a result which brought the Gunners back to within three points of Spurs.

Tottenham's away form will have been something of a concern for Pochettino towards the end of 2017, but he now looks to have steadied that ship ahead of this daunting visit to Anfield.

Spurs had collected just one point from 15 on offer prior to their recent improvement, which has seen them win two and draw one of their last three Premier League outings on the road. They have conceded just one goal in that time too, scoring five, so their current form is much more akin to a run which saw them win seven away games on the bounce at the end of last season and start of this one.

However, Spurs have lost four and won only those two in their last eight Premier League away games, and across all competitions it is not much better with just three wins from their last 11 outings on the road.

Again, there has been an improvement recent with no defeats in their last four, although their last two away games have seen them held by Southampton and Newport County.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Anfield, which means that it is time for a prediction!

This match has all the recipe for goals galore, and hopefully we will see another entertaining contest between two of the top six - a welcome theme of the season so far. Liverpool will hope to produce a performance like their last league game here - the 4-3 win over Man City - and once again we're backing them to narrowly come out on top in a high-scoring affair.

SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham

Liverpool may also have their sights set on a touch of revenge in this match, having been comfortably beaten in the reverse fixture at Wembley.

Tottenham were two goals up within 12 minutes of that match as Liverpool's defence were all over the place, and despite Salah halving the deficit midway through the first half the Reds went on to fall to a 4-1 defeat.

That result was Liverpool's first loss at the hands of Spurs in 11 meetings, having registered a 10-game unbeaten streak prior to their ill-fated visit to Wembley.

Spurs now have the chance to do the double over Liverpool for the first time since 2010-11, but in order to do that they will have to end a torrid record at Anfield which has seen them fail to win here in any of their last seven visits.

Indeed, Spurs have only ever won one of their 23 Premier League games here at Anfield, losing 15 of those and drawing seven, so it is fair to describe this stadium as a bogey ground for them.

Their poor record extends further back than just the Premier League era too. This is the 150th league meeting between these two sides, and from Tottenham's previous 74 visits to Anfield, they have incredibly only ever won six times - including a 2-0 defeat here last season when Mane scored both goals.

Right, the players are out at Anfield and we're almost ready to get going in this huge Premier League showdown! A reminder of the team news before we get started...

LIVERPOOL STARTING XI: Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Lovren, Robertson; Can, Henderson, Milner; Firmino, Salah, Mane

TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Dembele, Eriksen, Dele, Son; Kane

KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Liverpool get us underway at Anfield!

The fixture seemed to promise goals, and it hasn't taken long to deliver as Liverpool make a dream start!

It is Salah's 20th Premier League goal of the season as a ricochet sends him clean through on goal after some good work from the Firmino and Mane in the buildup. Salah finds himself with only Lloris to beat, and he keeps his composure to slot his finish into the bottom corner!

Both sides have looked to press high up the field in these opening exchanges, and it was that which contributed to the ball finding its way through for Salah for the opener. The Egyptian has now reached 20 Premier League goals quicker than any other player in Liverpool's history.

It is a nightmare start for Tottenham, but they know that there is the possibility to get that this Liverpool defence nonetheless. With Kane in the side they will always be confident of scoring, so the key now is not suffering any further damage.

Van Dijk steps in to make a well-timed challenge on Alli as he looked to get on the end of a Dembele pass forward, but Jonathan Moss pulls play back for an earlier foul from Henderson, much to the chagrin of the Anfield crowd.

Liverpool get in behind again here as Mane blocks a Sanchez clearance and races onto the loose ball down the left flank. He looks up for support in the middle too, but his cross is blocked before it can reach Firmino.

What a signing Salah has been for Liverpool...

Mane has been a real threat for Liverpool so far in this match, getting himself into a lot of good positions already. His end product has been lacking a little so far, but Spurs need to shut that down before he does do some damage.

Tottenham have just started to grow into the game again in the last few minutes, seeing more of the ball and beginning to look more dangerous when coming forward.

The first hint of a chance for Spurs as Trippier plays a clever reverse pass in to Son inside the area, but Van Dijk is quick to react and make a sliding block to deny the Korean.

CLOSE! Almost a second for Liverpool as Alexander-Arnold clips a superb pass over the defence for Milner. The midfielder tries to drive the ball towards the bottom corner, but it takes a deflection off Sanchez which sends it looping over a helpless Lloris and just wide of the far post.

CHANCE! The resulting corner is only cleared as far as Alexander-Arnold, whose shot looks like going a long way wide before Salah almost turns it into something. He cannot react in time to turn it goalwards, though.

This game is being played at a really good tempo at the moment, and there is no quarter being given or asked from either side. Davies flew into a challenge on Alexander-Arnold moments ago and got the ball before wiping out the man, and referee Jonathan Moss allowed play to continue. It was certainly a questionable tackle in this day and age, but it was full-blooded and he got the ball so it is good to see play being allowed to continue.

CHANCE! Another chance for Liverpool as Alexander-Arnold delivers a brilliant ball into the box which Firmino meets with a glancing header, having lost his marker. Firmino doesn't get enough on his header, though, and it goes wide of the target.

Half a shout for a Tottenham penalty as Robertson's mistake almost sees the ball fall to Dier inside the area from a corner. Dier goes down with three red shirts around him, but the referee says no penalty and the replay shows that it was the right decision.

Incredibly, Harry Kane has only had four touches in the opening 25 minutes of this game. Liverpool have done a really good job of keeping him quiet so far, with the striker having very little to feed off.

The opening half an hour or so of this game has flown by. It is being played at a really good tempo, but Liverpool will feel that they need a second here to give themselves a cushion.

Liverpool fans are growing increasingly frustrated with Jonathan Moss here. They feel that they have got the raw end of the deal on a few occasions in this opening half an hour.

Liverpool spring another counter as Mane steals the ball off Dembele before releasing Salah. The winger is forced wide by Vertonghen, who is penalised for a foul, which draws one of the biggest cheers of the game so far.

The resulting free kick is met by a towering header from Van Dijk, but he nods it well over the crossbar.

CHANCE! Van Dijk meets another free kick with a big header, and this time he is able to glance it on target. Lloris is there to make the save, though.

Kane finally gets involved in this game by pinging a beautiful pass forward for Son, although the linesman's flag is up for offside. Play continues until Karius makes a good save to deny Eriksen before the flag is finally spotted, although the replay shows that Son was actually onside.

Liverpool continue to look the most likely to add to the game's second goal here, and you'd have to think that Spurs would be happy just to get to half time with only a one-goal deficit right now.

Henderson sends a brilliant diagonal pass down the right wing, where Lovren of all people is waiting to take it down on his chest and race to the byline. He gets the ball into the middle, but Vertonghen does well to deal with the danger.

SAVE! Karius hasn't had a lot to do today, but this is a good stop from the keeper. Henderson can only clear the ball as far as Dembele, who drills a powerful low strike towards goal. It is skimming into the bottom corner, but Karius gets down well to make a solid stop.

YELLOW CARD! Alexander-Arnold is not pulling out of anything here and he goes flying into another one here, although he got the ball first this time. Nonetheless, Jonathan Moss produces a yellow card. It is a harsh decision, but you can understood why the referee gave it as it looked bad in real time.

Dembele is fortunate to get away without a yellow card himself here as he has a swipe at Mane, hacking the Liverpool man down from behind.

There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

CHANCE! Chance with the final action of the half as Liverpool again win the ball high up the pitch. Mane is on it and exchanges passes with Salah, but the goalscorer's return ball is too heavy. It was a relatively simple one too!

The first half comes to an end at Anfield, then, and it is Liverpool who take the lead into the interval - although it could have been worse from Spurs and in the end they will be relatively happy with only being a goal down.

Spurs have actually seen more of the ball, but Liverpool have had the vast majority of the chances in this game and look most likely to get the game's second goal.

The opening goal took just three minutes to arrive as Mohamed Salah made history with his 20th Premier League goal for the Reds, becoming the fastest player to reach that milestone for Liverpool.

It stemmed from a misplaced pass by Dier, who inadvertently sent the winger clean through on goal. From there it never looked like Salah was going to miss, as he took his time before firing a low finish past Lloris and into the bottom corner.

Liverpool have had a number of other chances too, with Milner seeing one deflected drive loop narrowly wide of the far post while Hugo Lloris was beaten.

Firmino has also sent a glancing header wide and Van Dijk has been a threat from set pieces, but arguably Liverpool's next best chance came with the final action of the half when Salah put too much on his pass towards Mane from a very dangerous position.

In reply, Spurs have come up with very little. Kane has been kept quiet, while the likes of Eriksen, Son and Alli have also struggled to make much of an impact so far.

Tottenham have seen plenty of the ball, but the only time they have tested Karius so far came when Dembele drilled a low strike towards goal which the keeper got down well to save.

KICKOFF: Tottenham get us back underway for the second half here at Anfield!

Not much appears to have changed in terms of shape and formation at the start of this second half, with Spurs keeping two up front and a midfield diamond behind them. It hasn't really worked for them so far.

Some more good pressing from Liverpool earns them a free kick from a good crossing position. Van Dijk has been dangerous from these situations so far...

This time the free kick is floated to Lovren at the back post and he wins it in the air, but Spurs eventually get it clear.

Better from Spurs as they come forward quickly down the left. Davies opts against throwing the ball into the box for Kane, instead cutting a low pass into the path of Eriksen, but he can't make anything of it.

CHANCE! Liverpool win the ball back and immediately Salah is on his bike. Henderson finds him and the winger is up against Vertonghen on his own, but he cuts inside before looking for an overlapping run and only giving the ball straight to the Tottenham defender. Once again the wrong option from Salah there!

This has been better from Tottenham in the last few minutes as they begin to look more and more dangerous. Spurs have had a whopping 83% of the ball in the last five minutes, although there is always the threat of a Liverpool counter too.

CHANCES! Big chance for Tottenham, but Karius pops up with a big save! Son is released through down the left channel and finds himself with only the keeper to beat, but he makes himself big and thwarts the Korean from close range. The ball bounces back out to Alli, but he drags his subsequent effort wide of the target.

YELLOW CARD! Milner goes into the book here for a heavy challenge on Trippier.

Eriksen plays a clever free kick in behind the defence for Kane, who sends his header straight at Karius when unmarked in the middle of the box. The flag is up for offside so it wouldn't have counted anyway, but Kane should have done better regardless.

The signs are looking a little ominous for Liverpool right now. Tottenham are very much on top at the moment and look the most likely to level things up here.

Once again Spurs almost catch Liverpool out from a free kick, but Kane is again flagged offside. These are fine margins, though!

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Klopp clearly wants to change the course of this match now, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Georginio Wijnaldum replacing Mane and Henderson.

Tottenham's dangermen are seeing more and more of the ball now, finding space in the holes between the Liverpool lines. There is a growing angst in Anfield, with Liverpool hanging on at the moment.

YELLOW CARD! Alli goes down in the area and Jonathan Moss blows his whistle - not for a penalty but to give a free kick and a yellow card against Alli for simulation. Lovren pulled out of the challenge, but Alli still went to ground.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs make their first change of the afternoon as Erik Lamela replaces Sanchez, which should see Dier go into defence.

Firmino feels like he is through on goal momentarily, but the linesman's flag eventually goes up. It is a late one, though, and Lloris and Firmino end up colliding with each other due to that.

CHANCE! Very important interception from Lovren at the near post as he slides in and cuts out Son's dangerous low ball into the box. The resulting corner is inswinging and Karius is very unconvincing as Kane beats him in the air, but he can't keep his header down.

Liverpool break quickly again here as Salah wins the ball before finding a really good pass forward for Firmino. The Brazilian keeps hold of it for too long, though, and his eventual pass back to Milner is too short.

LIVERPOOL SUB: A third and final change for Liverpool here as Joel Matip replaces Milner, which could see them go to three at the back.

TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs respond with a change of their own as Victor Wanyama replaces Dembele.

Oh my word. What a strike this is! It is a surprise the goal stayed rooted in the ground, such was the ferocity Wanyama hit this one with!

Just seconds after coming on as a sub the Kenyan unleashing an absolute thunderbolt right into the postage stamp of the top corner. Karius came out to punch a cross clear and it wasn't exactly a terrible punch either, but Wanyama met it with one of the most powerful shots you will see all season. It rips into the top corner for one of the goals of the season.

Incredible strike.

That goal had been coming, in truth, and now Liverpool must look to stem the momentum which has been growing throughout this second half.

Just over five minutes remaining here as Salah tucks the ball home from an offside position. It is all to play for here, but Spurs have been by far the better team in this second half.

There is a lengthy discussion between the officials here over whether this penalty will be given or not. Kane was offside when the ball was played through to him, before taken the ball around the keeper and gogin down under the challenge.

Anfield really is the place for drama at the moment! The officials did not seem certain at all over that penalty, with the main confusion surrounding the possible offside. It shouldn't have been given, but Jonathan Moss sticks with his initial decision. Kane lines up the spot kick, but hammers it straight at the keeper, who redeems himself with the save!

Where is VAR when you need it? It stole all the headlines in the last Anfield outing, but the officials could have done with it there!

There will be four minutes of added time at the end of this match!

Incredible scenes as Anfield as Mohamed Salah surely wins it for Liverpool at the death with a stunning solo strike!

The winger needs a little bit of luck as he collects the ball on the right flank, with his initial cross being blocked before he collected the ball again and danced his way past two defenders with a brilliant piece of skill. From there he lifts it over Lloris from close range to send Liverpool fans into raptures!

TOTTENHAM SUB: A change from Spurs in the wake of that goal as Fernando Llorente replaces Son.

Oh my word, this is quite incredible.

As if there wasn't enough drama in this final 10 minutes or so, Kane tucks away a penalty moments after missing one himself. It is an extraordinary ending to the game as Lamela goes to ground inside the area following a swipe from Van Dijk. Jonathan Moss initially says no, but the linesman - who almost cancelled out the first penalty - overrules him and flags for the spot kick.

Kane again steps up, and this time keeps his nerve, sending Karius the wrong way.

Well, that ws a completely bonkers, bizarre and incredible end to the contest at Anfield, but ultimately the spoils are shared between these two top-four rivals.

Spurs deserve at least a point from this game having been much the better team in the second half, but the manner in which it arrived will leave Liverpool feeling very hard done by. Salah gave the hosts the lead after only three minutes, but Spurs were on top for the second half and eventually got their equaliser through a truly incredible strike from Victor Wanyama 10 minutes from time.

That was only the start of the late drama, though, as Spurs were then awarded a controversial penalty after lengthy discussions between the officials, only for Kane to see his resulting spot kick saved. Salah then restored Liverpool's lead in the first minute of stoppage time with a stunning solo effort, but Tottenham were awarded a second penalty - again in controversial circumstances - in the 95th minute, which this time Kane tucked away.

Got that?

Well, it was a difficult ending to keep up with, so for a full recap on a madcap showdown at Anfield be sure to check out our match report. That is all we have time for in this commentary, but we will have reaction for you on site shortly so be sure to stick around for that too.

From me, though, it is goodbye for now!