Liverpool ended their streak with a win over Tottenham

Sadio Mane's double helped the Anfield team beat Tottenham 2-0, ending their unbeaten streak in the Premier League since the beginning of 2017.

Goals: Sadio Mane 16, 18.

The fate of the match at Anfield was decided in the first half, when Mane scored a quickfire double. The Senegalese striker received a pass fromWijnaldum, skillfully handling Ben Davies and finishing the ball into the visitors' net in the 16th minute. Just 138 seconds later, before they had time to recover, Tottenham conceded a second goal. This time, Mane was there at the right time to finish, after two teammates Lallana and Firmino were denied by Hugo Lloris.

Tottenham's defense was helpless against Sadio Mane's speed, power and accuracy. Photo: PA.

Tottenham did not look like a title-chasing team. They rarely threatened the home goal and had only one clear-cut chance, which came shortly after the second goal. But Son Heung-min's thunderous cross-angle shot was not beaten by goalkeeper Mignolet.

Liverpool’s victory, without exaggeration, easily evokes the image of a phoenix rising from the ashes. The Anfield team entered the crucial match of round 25 of the Premier League in the worst possible situation. From the position of a strong candidate for the championship, they slipped into 2017, with only one victory (against lower-ranked opponent Plymouth in the FA Cup) in 10 matches.

In the Premier League, Liverpool have been winless since the turn of the year, with three draws and two defeats, including a humiliating defeat at the hands of bottom-placed Hull City in the most recent round.But at the moment when their honor was most damaged and their ability was most doubted, Liverpool returned by defeating Tottenham, a team that was unbeaten in the last nine rounds and had only lost two matches in the Premier League this season.

In terms of points, the top team Chelsea is the team happier with the result at Anfield. Liverpool has three more points to temporarily surpass Man City, the team that plays the latest round with the match at Bournemouth on February 13, to take the fourth position. But Klopp's team is 10 points behind the top team, very difficult to threaten Chelsea's chance of winning the title.

Meanwhile, with this 0-2 defeat, Tottenham seems to have shot themselves in the foot in the championship race. If they win against Burnley today, February 12, Chelsea will widen the gap with Tottenham and Arsenal (both with 50 points) next to them to 12 points - a huge gap, even though there are still 13 rounds left in the season.

Tottenham’s collapse at Anfield also showed they lack the consistency required of title contenders. Having conceded just three goals in the Premier League since the start of 2017, Pochettino’s men could have conceded four, or even five, not just two, in the first half hour because of their unbelievable defensive sloppiness. They also had more than 70 minutes to turn the game around, but they gave up and went home empty-handed.

Liverpool meanwhile have once again shown they can be feared against the big teams. The game against Tottenham is the eighth time this season that Klopp's men have gone unbeaten against teams in the top six, with four wins and four draws.

Klopp and his students regained joy and pride after a long period of gloom due to Liverpool's poor results. Photo: Reuters.

Sadio Mane was the biggest inspiration for Liverpool's transformation at Anfield yesterday. It was no coincidence that Liverpool's decline since the beginning of the new year coincided with the Senegalese striker's absence, on national duty at the African Cup of Nations - CAN 2017. Without him, Liverpool slipped from the position of closest challenger to Chelsea to fifth place, and were eliminated from both domestic Cups (FA Cup and League Cup).

After two matches getting into the rhythm (as a substitute against Chelsea in round 23, starting against Hull in round 24), Mane has truly returned to being the main striker on the front line, and explains why Liverpool struggled, lacking his speed, strength and finishing skills.

Without Mane, Liverpool struggled to penetrate the opposition defense. With Mane, they tore Tottenham, the team with the best defense in the league with only 16 goals conceded before round 25, into pieces in just under 20 minutes of play. Tottenham seemed overwhelmed, unable to keep up with the home team's speed of thinking and playing speed during this time.

Mane had a brilliant night, giving the opposition nightmares. This was the first time since the 2003-2004 season that Tottenham had eight shots on target in the first half alone. Photo: PL.

Mane once scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history, with a record of two minutes and 56 seconds in Southampton's 6-1 win over Aston Villa in May 2015. Yesterday, he almost scored a similar lightning-fast hat-trick, if Lloris hadn't made a miraculous save from the center of the penalty area in the 22nd minute.

Against a Liverpool team that has been inspired by Mane, Tottenham have clearly exposed the major weakness that they have struggled to fill recently - the absence of two key defenders Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen due to injury. Without these two stars, a series of large gaps in Tottenham's defense have been exposed to Liverpool's fast and unpredictable attacks. Never since the beginning of the season has Lloris felt so alone and isolated when facing opposing strikers.

Up front, Harry Kane was completely isolated, as the midfield with explosive midfield players like Dele Alli and Eriksen seemed paralyzed by Liverpool's power. Throughout the match, Tottenham only had two shots on target, and barely troubled Simon Mignolet. Tottenham's helplessness and frustration became more evident in the second half, when four of their players received yellow cards.

Tottenham fell flat on their faces in a match where they needed to show the character and spirit of a championship candidate. Photo: Reuters.

At the moment when they needed to prove their mettle the most, Tottenham once again collapsed in one of the most crucial matches. Since September 24, the team under coach Pochettino has won only two away games, and had poor results when visiting opponents in the top 6, including defeats at Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool, and draws at Arsenal and Man City.

According to VNE