Liverpool v Tottenham: Four key factors that give Spurs an edge over the Reds

They may have reached the Premier League summit by different means but presently there is little to split Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

Both have won seven and drawn four of their 12 games so far. Both have emerged with barely a scratch from their encounters with top six rivals along the way. Most meaningfully of all, both are looking highly efficient on a weekly basis, displaying a consistency that is sorely lacking elsewhere as teams struggle to make sense of a unique and unsettling season.

Yet if all this lends itself to the belief that Mourinho's Spurs and Klopp's Reds will be the main protagonists in this year's title scrap it also brings us to the big difference between the sides, that of perception.

"It's very early in the season". That's how Mikel Arteta responded when it was put to him that Arsenal's arch neighbours could go all the way and the Spaniard is hardly alone in regarding Tottenham's early charge with a touch of scepticism. "We are not fighting for the title. We are going to lose matches and draw matches". That was Jose Mourinho pouring icy water over their impressive results a few weeks back.

Three points at Anfield on Wednesday evening however and that perception will surely change so let's get ahead of the curve here and declare them to be genuine contenders.

Let's proclaim them as the real deal.

What's more, it can even be said that Spurs have several key advantages over the ever-brilliant Liverpool; advantages that will serve them well on Merseyside this week and across the season as a whole.

Gruesome twosome

The input from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min so far this season, both individually and working together as a pair has been nothing short of phenomenal and though an awful lot has been made of their incredible contributions frankly not even an acreage of newspaper columns does them justice. Their stats deserve to be plastered on the side of buses nationwide.

Between them the devastating duo have scored 79% of their team's league goal-haul to date while their 12 assists for one another is just one shy of a Premier League record with many months to spare. Kane has shown unerring accuracy, putting away nine goals from 19 shots on target. His South Korean partner in crime has scored a goal every 100 minutes.

The England international has assisted as many as Arsenal have scored for goodness sake.

Their hosts this week have their own formidable attacking unit too of course but currently just one from their famed trio is firing on all cylinders. Mo Salah's explosive start to the campaign may not have received the same attention as his London counterparts - perhaps we are simply getting used to his prolificacy? - but this is the quickest the Egyptian has reached double figures since joining Liverpool.

Around him though there has been a notable decline with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane bagging just six between them, equating to a goal every 313 minutes. Last season one of the pair would convert every 213 minutes. The season before it was 167 minutes.

Spurs have two forwards on fire right now whereas Liverpool have just the one. That's basic maths.

Kane is 6/1 to break the deadlock and the same odds to score last.

Mean streaks

Even in Mourinho's darkest days at Manchester United he could still organise a miserly back-line when the situation demanded it. This is evidenced by two consecutive goal-less stalemates at Anfield which we will get to shortly.

At Spurs, blessed with superior chess pieces to move around he is clearly enjoying a renaissance in an art-form where once he was the master, guiding his side to five clean sheets in their last seven games. All told, Tottenham boast the meanest defensive record in the league and pertinently the ten they have conceded is the same amount as Liverpool at this stage last term, on course to their first title for decades.

It's also relevant that Mourinho's men have made three times fewer individual errors leading to goals in 2020/21 than their opponents this week.

As for the Reds they deserve huge credit for how they've reacted to the prolonged loss of Virgil Van Dijk, relinquishing just five in seven since the Dutchman's injury at Goodison. The fact remains however that his substantial absence further weakens a fear factor that was already destabilised when Aston Villa trounced them so shockingly in October.

Travel well and bring home the silverware

With an imposing home record a must for any successful side it is how a team fares on their travels that ultimately determines who lifts the trophy and who must settle for sifting through a series of what ifs. The amount of dropped away points from the past three champions has been just 30 from a possible 171.

To this point Liverpool have been uncharacteristically brittle on the road, picking up a costly habit of drawing and winning just the once at Stamford Bridge.

Spurs meanwhile will be heading up the M1 hoping to extend on a nine-game unbeaten streak and by doing so top their Premier League best established in early 2018 under Pochettino.

Mou's Anfield magic

The Special/Humble One has previously described Anfield as 'beautiful' and it's hardly surprising that he holds the ground in such high esteem considering his fine record there.

Across his career Mourinho has taken 14 teams into the Scouse den and lost on only four occasions, masterminding six clean sheets in the process.

His affection for the place almost certainly goes beyond mere results however. Anfield's ferocious atmosphere in normal times has typically brought out the best in him, and by 'best' read 'worst'.

Famously, Mourinho revels in being cast as the pantomime villain. He thrives as the spoiler in chief.

Precisely how the shortage of fans affects this remains to be seen but from a tactical standpoint it's worth noting that on his last five visits Jose has gone with a 4-2-3-1 whether that be with Chelsea or Manchester United. With Tottenham committing to the fewest number of crosses in the Premier League this season and scoring the third most from outside the box expect to see Alisson tested from range in central areas throughout.

Tottenham are 18/5 to prevail in this top two clash.