The latest Liverpool revival starts here. Those mighty Reds have pulled level on points with Fulham.
Still, you have to start somewhere, and Tottenham are usually ripe for the picking when Liverpool are in town, with Eric Dier this time taking it upon himself to roll out the red carpet and wave Mohamed Salah into the spotlight.
It's nine goals in eight games now for Salah, none of them penalties, and if Liverpool collectively are still far short of where Jurgen Klopp would want them, then at least the manager need not worry about his star forward.
A 2-1 win at Tottenham came as little surprise in many regards, since it means the north London side remain winless in their last 10 Premier League games against Liverpool, drawing three of those and losing seven.
Salah was on the scoresheet the last time Liverpool lost to Tottenham in the league, getting the consolation in a 4-1 humbling at Wembley – Spurs' then temporary home – in October 2017.
That was in the early stages of his first season with Liverpool, and Salah has barely stopped scoring since, though a shaky run of games early this season raised red flags about his form.
Fresh from signing a long-term deal in the close season, and recently turning 30, Liverpool are counting on Salah to remain lethal in front of goal.
Their success under Klopp, that Tottenham can only envy, has come thanks to a host of factors, but Salah's goals have been front and centre.
He was not sure in midweek that he had been awarded Liverpool's opening goal against Napoli, with Darwin Nunez's header having been close to crossing the line before it was nudged out to Salah.
But Salah was in the right place and was given that one, and there was no doubting his claims to Liverpool's two goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where the visitors finally picked up a first away league win of the season.
The first was another from the Nunez-Salah collection, their partnership blossoming now, with the Uruguayan finding the Egyptian with a short, smart pass in the penalty area and the finish to the bottom-right corner was exemplary.
Desperate defending from Dier presented Salah with the chance to double Liverpool's lead, with the England international looking to nod Alisson's long kick back to Hugo Lloris but getting it all wrong.
Salah's footwork, running at pace onto the loose ball, was magnificent, and the chipped finish over the France goalkeeper was immaculate.
But what of Dier? Can he be trusted to avoid such blunders by Gareth Southgate at the World Cup? That is a third error leading to a shot committed by Dier in all competitions this season. Only one player from Europe's top leagues has had more: Liverpool's Joe Gomez (4).
Two of those mistakes from Dier have led to goals, and only one Premier League player has made as many errors already in 2022-23 that have proved quite so costly. The trouble for Spurs is that player is Lloris, also with two goal-costing errors.
This was the first time Tottenham had hosted Liverpool while above them in the table since that October 2017 win, and you have to wonder how long Spurs will stay ahead of Sunday's visitors.
They remain fourth for now, seven points adrift of a Liverpool side who have a game in hand on them, and they got what proved to be a classy consolation when Harry Kane rifled home a smart finish from substitute Dejan Kulusevski's pass in the 70th minute.
Kane spoke after the game of there being "tension" in the stands, and admitted Tottenham had been "punished" by Liverpool before building any momentum. The hosts hit the goal frame twice through Ivan Perisic, but Salah also had a glorious second-half chance, squandering the opportunity to seal a hat-trick when he fired straight at Lloris from a handy central position.
He has seven goals in 12 Premier League appearances against Spurs now, but it probably should have been eight.
Antonio Conte's Tottenham team selection had looked conservative, with injuries biting but attacking ambition seemingly in short supply. Kulusevski proved a threat on his return from injury, ripe to be used regularly in the coming weeks if there was not the inconvenience of a World Cup on the near horizon.
Kane's fine goal would have cheered Southgate, while Dier's clumsy error does him no favours ahead of the Qatar 2022 squad selection.
Kane became the first player to score in six consecutive home games for Spurs in the Premier League, but he was fighting a lone battle at times. Like Salah, Kane's class remains unquestionable.
Yet a Tottenham side who have lost three of their last four in the league are in need of a revival. Liverpool's wins over Napoli and now Spurs suggest Klopp's team might be in the early throes of one, but then you remember they lost to Leeds United at Anfield barely a week ago.
After the World Cup, these two sides must resolve their personality crises. More fits, starts and false dawns will mean the mid-table likes of Fulham might not be so easily shaken off.
Koeman criticises 'sloppy' Netherlands after meagre Gibraltar win: 'The level has to go up'
Ronald Koeman acknowledged the Netherlands' "level has to go up" after their meagre 3-0 victory over Gibraltar in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Nathan Ake scored twice while Memphis Depay was also on target at De Kuip as Koeman claimed the first win of his second spell in charge, which began with a humbling 4-0 defeat against France three days earlier.
The Oranje's three goals came despite recording 50 shots and having 101 touches in the opposition box - more than they have managed in any other match since Opta began collecting this data in August 2013.
They also registered a remarkable 5.04 expected goals (xG), and Koeman was disappointed by his side's general lacking of a clinical edge.
"I didn't see enough goals tonight," he told NOS. "The opponent obviously didn't co-operate, but we were way too sloppy at times.
"From the beginning, we were inaccurate, and we didn't have the form to create big, good chances. Okay, there was a lot of blocking, but with more sharpness, we score much more often.
"The game and result against France was not good. Now we win, but that makes sense. But overall, it was far too little.
"Aspects such as positional play, ball circulation, taking the right positions - as a winger or defender - really needs to be improved. The football and level has to go up."
Ake's double was the undoubted highlight for the hosts, the defender recording more shot involvements than any other player (nine shots, seven chances created), with only Depay registering more in a single Netherlands match since Opta began collecting the data.
And the Manchester City man drew positives from the fact he and his team-mates were able to conjure as many opportunities as they did.
"Of course, the main aim was to win the match and, besides that, we wanted to score as many goals as possible. Obviously, that didn't work out," Ake added.
"That we created so many chances was good, but maybe we should have been calmer in how we tried to convert them.
"It doesn't happen very often that I score twice in one game. But it was very crowded where our forwards were, so maybe that created a little more space for the rest of us. At some point, I was even considering the possibility of a hat-trick, but it wasn't to be."
Netherlands 3-0 Gibraltar: Ake nets twice as Koeman gets first win of second spell
Ronald Koeman claimed the first win of his second spell in charge of the Netherlands as the Oranje dispatched 10-man Gibraltar 3-0.
Nathan Ake scored twice in a game that saw the Netherlands have 50 attempts without allowing one at the other end, as Koeman's team got up and running in Euro 2024 qualifying following last week's heavy defeat to France.
Ake's second-half double came after Memphis Depay had put the Dutch ahead against the Group B minnows in Rotterdam on Monday.
It marked a 19th straight defeat in Euro qualifying for Gibraltar, who had Liam Walker sent off for a rash challenge on Dutch debutant Mats Wieffer.
In need of a response following their hammering in Paris, the Netherlands had control from the off, and the lead came in the 23rd minute.
Following a patient move, Denzel Dumfries – back from suspension – supplied an inviting cross that Depay glanced in.
Georginio Wijnaldum volleyed just over while Wout Weghorst twice went close – spurning a great chance when he shot wide from eight yards out before Dayle Coleing produced a smart reflex save to deny the Manchester United striker.
The Dutch doubled their lead five minutes after the break, Dumfries helping a deep cross back into the centre for Ake to head home.
Gibraltar were reduced to 10 men less than 60 seconds later. Walker caught Wieffer with a dangerous challenge, leaving referee Morten Krogh with little choice but to brandish a straight red.
Coleing denied Donyell Malen and Cody Gakpo while Roy Chipolina blocked Weghorst on the line, but Ake's deflected strike eight minutes from time added gloss to an easy victory.
Republic of Ireland 0-1 France: Pavard piledriver the difference in Dublin
Benjamin Pavard produced another stunning long-range strike for France as they beat Republic of Ireland 1-0 in Euro 2024 qualifying.
France crushed Netherlands 4-0 in their opening qualifier last week but needed a moment of brilliance from Pavard to seal a hard-fought win in Dublin.
Pavard famously scored a sublime goal in France's 4-2 win over Argentina back in 2018 in a last-16 win during their victorious World Cup campaign in Russia.
This effort carries less significance but was one for the Bayern Munich full-back to remember as he made it six points from two games for France in Group B.
An uneventful first half produced just one shot on target, but the second of the match in the 50th minute sent the travelling France fans into raptures.
Josh Cullen's slack pass was intercepted by Pavard, who unleashed a fierce right-footed drive that flew past the helpless Gavin Bazunu and in off the underside of the crossbar.
Ireland never threatened a response and were grateful to Bazunu for keeping the score 1-0 when he produced a diving save to deny Moussa Diaby.
Bazunu got down low to his left to frustrate Adrien Rabiot as France continued to push to put the game beyond doubt, and their failure to find a second would have proved costly had Mike Maignan not made a fantastic late stop to keep out Nathan Collins' header.
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