Tottenham striker Richarlison was seen waiting for Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson in the tunnel following Sunday’s match.
The North London side, managed by Ange Postecoglou, suffered a crushing 6-3 defeat at home to Liverpool, marking their eighth Premier League loss in 17 games and highlighting their ongoing defensive issues.
Despite being sidelined with a hamstring injury since November, 27-year-old Richarlison waited to greet Alisson after the final whistle. Their friendly exchange is likely due to the significant time they spent together playing for Brazil.
Even though his team lost, Richarlison seemed pleased to catch up with Alisson, who has also battled injuries this season, as captured on Liverpool‘s tunnel cam on YouTube. Dressed in a large Tottenham winter coat, Richarlison stood in the corridor between the changing rooms.
As Alisson passed by, the former Roma keeper stopped to share a smile and a hug with his fellow countryman. During their embrace, James Maddison, who netted a remarkable goal against Alisson in the first half, also shook hands with the Liverpool goalie.
After a brief interaction, Richarlison and Alisson returned to their respective changing rooms.
Tottenham‘s Richarlison had scant reason for festivities, as his side’s defeat before Christmas pushed Spurs down into 11th in the Premier League rankings. Despite the gloom, hopes are pinned on a pivotal League Cup semi-final against Liverpool – now seen as their prime route to European football.
Tottenham are hampered by an injury plague, particularly in defence, missing key figures including goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and defenders Micky van der Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies. Their manager, Postecoglou, remained defiant.
He stated post-match: « The challenges we have from a squad perspective are as obvious as you want to make them. I get the idea that people think I should just flip a switch and change, and somehow that will miraculously make us a better team.
« It is what it is. I’m just going to continue, stay focused on trying to build this team to be the team we want. In the interim, we are going to accept there are going to be challenges along the way. »
During a tense back-and-forth with BBC Sport, the visibly frustrated coach added: « If you want to discount the fact we’re missing a goalkeeper, two centre-backs and left-back and that hasn’t coincided with what we’re doing… I don’t know what to say anymore.
« It’s fairly significant, if you took out Liverpool‘s goalkeeper, two centre-backs and a left-back – or any team other than Liverpool, they’d find it tough going as well. »
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