Spurs3 - 6Liverpool

The final game in the competition before December 25 was appropriately a Christmas cracker, and despite a late wobble towards the end, Arne Slot's side deservedly emerged victorious.

The Reds had a 3-1 advantage by the break, as Luis Diaz, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister all found a way past Fraser Forster, while James Maddison gave Ange Postecoglou's side a glimmer of hope.

However, Tottenham were being blown to smithereens by Slot's red-hot machine, as Salah bagged a brace for himself before Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke capitalised on the visitors' own defensive failings.

The home crowd found their voice again thanks to Solanke and Kulusevski's efforts, but they were quickly silenced when Diaz struck his second goal of the game late on, capping off one of the most exhilarating Premier League matches in recent memory.

Salah smashes records and becomes Liverpool's fourth-highest goalscorer

Among the notable feats registered in Sunday's game, the scintillating Salah managed an achievement never before done in the Premier League, becoming the first player to hit 10 goals and 10 assists in one season before Christmas.

The Egypt international already had 13 goals and nine assists on his record before Sunday's thriller, but his tally now stands at 15 strikes and 11 helpers, also putting him in the lead in both the Golden Boot and Playmaker Award race.

In addition, Salah has now reached double figures in goals and assists for a sixth different Premier League season, also an unprecedented feat in the competition - Wayne Rooney previously managed it on five occasions.

By tapping home twice in the second half, the 32-year-old also moved onto 229 goals in a Liverpool jersey, moving above Billy Liddell and into fourth place in the men's team's all-time charts.

Salah is now only behind Ian Rush (346), Roger Hunt (285) and Gordon Hodgson (241) in the Reds' goalscoring rankings, and one would not put it past him to also surpass the latter before the season ends.

Postecoglou makes Premier League managerial history in thrilling defeat

Liverpool were already guaranteed to spend Christmas at the top of the Premier League table thanks to Chelsea's 0-0 draw with Everton earlier in the day, and the Reds will be first on December 25 for the 21st different top-flight season.

No team has been top of the first division at Christmas on more occasions than the Merseyside giants, who have gone on to win the league in 11 of the 20 previous campaigns where they have looked down on all their rivals on December 25.

On Spurs' side, Postecoglou has averaged a whopping 3.6 goals per Premier League game since taking charge of Tottenham, the highest rate for any manager to oversee at least 50 games in the competition.

After Sunday's breathtaking affair, Liverpool and Tottenham will meet again in the EFL Cup semi-finals in just a couple of weeks time; the first leg will take place on the week commencing January 6.

Before that knockout tie, the Reds return to action at home to Leicester City on Boxing Day, while Tottenham are away to Nottingham Forest on December 26.

Written by

Ben Knapton