Roy Keane declares 'something is missing' at Liverpool after Tottenham meltdown

Roy Keane has questioned Liverpool’s performance after the Tottenham draw, suggesting that the Reds are lacking key qualities in a bid to secure Champions League soccer

Roy Keane has taken aim at Liverpool's performance against Tottenham(Image: Getty Images)

Roy Keane questioned Liverpool’s current level after the Reds dropped points against Tottenham.

Richarlison snatched a dramatic 90th-minute equalizer as Tottenham stunned Anfield, earning a 1-1 draw with Liverpool. The match had looked set for a Liverpool win after Guglielmo Vicario, recalled following Antonin Kinsky’s struggles in Spain, allowed Dominik Szoboszlai’s first-half free-kick to slip through his hands.

Tottenham was on the verge of its seventh consecutive defeat in all competitions — and its fifth since Igor Tudor took charge — but failed to capitalize on Liverpool’s vulnerabilities in the second half. Richarlison had four earlier opportunities before finally levelling the score in stoppage time. Szoboszlai urged his teammates to "wake up" after the game.

Keane slammed Liverpool’s performance, insisting the team is “way off it.”

"Liverpool have to defend better," said the former Manchester United captain. The goal they gave away and Szoboszlai's positioning as an experienced player, you can't be on the outside looking back in. You've got to get back in. You're 1-0 up.

"You take your 1-0 victory and move on. We can see the problems. Defend better, whether it be Robertson with your headers, the two centre-halves from a kick from the goalkeeper, that's when you've got to be tucked in.

"There's definitely something missing at Liverpool. They're way off it. There's definitely tension in the stadium, there's nervousness. The players need to take responsibility — the goal they gave away was schoolboy stuff."

Keane praised Tottenham for its resilience, saying the team showed both spirit and fight to gain a point at Anfield. He added: "Spurs dug deep. People have been poking fun at Spurs the last few months, but today they showed that fighting spirit.

Dominik Szoboszlai gave Liverpool the lead with a free-kick against Tottenham(Image: Getty Images)

"It was ugly sometimes, they went direct, the goal came from direct play. It was unlike Tottenham. They showed spirit, fight and quality at the right time. To go a goal down, I thought we'd find out about these lads today. You have to give them credit.

"They deserved it. Toward the end, Liverpool had one or two chances, but Tottenham could have gone on to win it. There are big problems at Liverpool, there's something missing. For Tottenham to take a point, it will lift everyone."

Jamie Carragher also didn’t hold back in his assessment of Liverpool’s latest capitulation. As Richarlison scored the equalizer, Carragher said: "This is an absolute disaster for Liverpool in terms of their Champions League qualification.

"They have actually made Tottenham look like a decent team. The defending was absolutely shocking from Liverpool [for the Tottenham goal]."

And once the final whistle blew, Carragher continued to lay into his former team. "It was an awful performance,” he said.

“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 performance like that. But it's been like that all season.