The Reds were damaged by two contentious red cards: the first was given to Curtis Jones for a foul on Yves Bissouma after only 26 minutes as a result of a VAR intervention, and the second was followed by halftime substitute Diogo Jota down the tunnel after receiving a quickfire double booking with more than 20 minutes remaining.

The Reds had a goal by Luis Diaz disallowed in the first minutes of the match due to another contentious VAR decision, as the officials promptly deemed the Colombian offside without using the normal offside line visuals. Spurs, predictably, had the better opportunities in the second half, and Liverpool keeper Alisson kept the Reds in the match with excellent stops from Maddison and Son. Up until the dramatic last seconds, it appeared as though their strong rearguard would win them a fighting draw.