
Jamie Carragher described Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham as a “disaster” in their pursuit of a Champions League spot this season.
Richarlison’s 90th-minute leveller at Anfield cancelled out Dominik Szoboszlai’s first-half free-kick, as the Reds failed to capitalise on the results around them.
Arne Slot’s side missed the chance to leapfrog Aston Villa and into fourth with a win, after Unai Emery’s side’s earlier defeat to Manchester United, and instead moved up a place to fifth after Chelsea’s defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday.
Liverpool have now dropped seven points from winning positions at Anfield in the Premier League this season, their most since the 2016-17 campaign (also seven).
And that Achilles heel has seen the Opta supercomputer give them a 34.2% chance of finishing in the top four, though a fifth-placed finish looks likely to see them qualify for UEFA’s flagship competition, which bumps up their probability to 59.5%.
Carragher, however, was less optimistic, telling Sky Sports: “This is an absolute disaster for Liverpool in terms of their Champions League qualification.
“They have actually made Tottenham look like a decent team.”
Richarlison’s equaliser means Liverpool have now conceded eight Premier League goals in the 90th minute or later this season, which is their most in a single campaign, overtaking seven in 2010-11.
The Brazilian profited from some slack defending between Andy Robertson and Virgil van Dijk, which allowed Randal Kolo Muani to tee him up to finish past Alisson.
“The defending was absolutely shocking from Liverpool. I’ve been saying all half that Liverpool have been sleepwalking into this,” Carragher added.
“It was an awful performance. No disrespect to Tottenham, but they are the worst team in the Premier League now, probably for the last couple of months.
“They are exactly who you want to play, playing at home, the incentive of your results this weekend, and to put in a performance like that. But it’s been like that all season.
“And the big question on everybody’s lips is that down to the manager or the makeup of the squad?
“Could a new manager completely revitalise these types of players and bring that energy and sort of intensity back into this team? I’m not sure.
“I think a lot of it goes back to what happened in the summer, the profile of the players that came in, and there’s just too many who just want to play when the ball’s at their feet.
“They don’t want to dig in and make it difficult. That’s why it’s so easy to play against this Liverpool team.”



