Mohamed Salah reaction says plenty as Liverpool reality after testing spell clear

ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Liverpool has found some form again. With its strong performance against Tottenham, the Reds cemented third spot in the Premier League table and lifted the mood after a testing few weeks.

Here are the three moments Liverpool.com picked out from the Reds' 4-2 win over Spurs. With only Aston Villa (A) and Wolves (H) left this season, the end of the campaign is edging nearer.

The Good: Liverpool started well, went ahead, and then scored a second goal. That is exactly what has been needed for weeks! Mohamed Salah was excellent, which is great news, and Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott were the standouts across the full 90 minutes.

READ MORE: Darwin Núñez 'eyed for major transfer' while Liverpool 'prepares big contract' for defender

READ MORE: Arne Slot responds to clear message by Feyenoord fans before leaving for Liverpool

Gakpo, with his fellow countryman Arjen Robben watching on at Anfield, produced the kind of performance that needs to become more regular heading into next season, by which time there will be a Dutch head coach in charge.

Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold were superb on the day as well, while Jarell Quansah was his usual assured self. There were loads of positives for Liverpool and they need to carry those into the final two games of the campaign. Finishing strong is important for two things: the narrative throughout the summer, and the momentum ahead of the start of 2024/25.

The Bad: Well, it might have been handy had Liverpool come up with a performance like this a few weeks ago. There are two schools of thought: that it is easier to play without pressure now the Premier League title is gone, and also that it is easier to play after a full week's rest rather than a relentless schedule.

The reality is that both of those things are true. So too is the fact that Manchester City and Arsenal are now too far gone and Liverpool will finish third this season. It is progress, and it wasn't a million miles away from being even more than that.

Elsewhere, the substitutes that Liverpool made didn't do a great deal. Darwin Núñez missed a big chance (and Salah's frustrated reaction after setting the Uruguayan through on goal said plenty; he should have simply gone around the goalkeeper rather than firing straight at him) and Stefan Bajčetić, Klopp said, was like 'being on the motorway with a bicycle'. The Spaniard will benefit from getting half an hour under his belt.

The Ugly: Some of Tottenham's defending was abysmal, frankly. One or two of Paul Tierney's decisions were baffling on the final occasion that he will take charge of a game involving Klopp. But there was nothing of serious note from a Liverpool perspective that was ugly.

There were no injuries, and there was no miracle comeback that some Spurs players, for a few seconds, at least, felt was on at one stage. This was a routine enough victory for Liverpool, despite it being Tottenham that the three points would have mattered more to.