How Tottenham players finally showed they will go the extra mile for fans and Igor Tudor

A lot of focus has been on Liverpool's deficiencies after Tottenham drew at Anfield but the away side's tenacity and hard work showed that perhaps Igor Tudor and his players are up for the fight in the relegation run-in

For all the jeers from the home supporters on the final whistle, Liverpool remain a fairly formidable opponent for any team going to Anfield. Under Arne Slot, they have won 22 of their 35 Premier League home games, losing only four.

Their form this season has not been stellar, granted, but they remain a serious force. In their previous Premier League home match, they had put five past West Ham United.

In the wake of Spurs’ draw with the champions, there was a lot of focus on Liverpool’s deficiencies, but it was a result that had as much to do with Tottenham’s spirit as it did with any opposition shortcomings. It was a single point but it was a performance that carried serious significance in the relegation battle.

When a team has considerably less of the ball, it is inevitable that they will run further - and probably run harder - than their opponents. Slot’s team had just over 63 percent of possession, which obviously meant Spurs spent more time chasing the ball than Liverpool did.

But a difference of 9km (Spurs covered 118.27km in the game, compared to Liverpool’s 109.6) is still quite sizeable. In the categories for walking, jogging and sprinting, Liverpool only beat Spurs in the first of those.

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There were some huge efforts from Spurs players, underlining the fact that they are still playing for themselves, the fans and even the manager. Again, possession has a big influence on running figures but Archie Gray covered a category-leading distance of 12.58km in his central midfield role.

The Liverpool player who covered the most distance was Alexis Mac Allister, who clocked up 10.72km. That means Gray ran for well over a mile more than Liverpool’s hardest-working player. And Solanke (12.01) was not that far behind Gray.

As a team in a single game this season, Spurs have not covered more distance than they did at Anfield. In Thomas Frank’s last stand, the home defeat to Newcastle, Spurs ran eight kilometres less than they did against Liverpool on Sunday.

Considering their injury problems meant they were down, essentially, to having only 13 senior players available, their attitude was impeccable. Perhaps they were riled by the widespread expectancy of a Liverpool stroll.

Perhaps the fact that, from some directions, criticism has developed into ridicule wound up those fit enough to lace up their boots. Perhaps quite a few of those players who gave everything at Anfield are ones whose pay packets take a hit if Spurs are relegated.

Perhaps they quite like Igor Tudor. Whatever it was, Liverpool faced a Spurs team that had something about it.

And in terms of physical and mental indefatigability, Richarlison’s performance typified the resilience that should give Spurs supporters hope. Richarlison gets a hard time at Anfield, he gets a rough ride from Virgil van Dijk, he misses the odd half-chance. But he just keeps coming back for more.

Richarlison (11.1km) also ran further than any Liverpool player. No wonder the travelling supporters gave Richarlison and his team-mates a magnificent ovation.

No wonder the fan group Change For Tottenham has postponed a planned protest before Sunday’s home game against Nottingham Forest.

And that is the right decision because at least these players, for all their faults, showed at Liverpool that they will go that extra mile for the Spurs cause.