Liverpool couldn't kill off Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane despite being the better side for large portions of the game.
The high-pressing tactics of Jürgen Klopp's side, and their lightning-quick counter-attacks, saw them enjoy the better of the game after surviving a frantic first 20 minutes.
After Philippe Coutinho had spurned a gilt-edged opportunity inside the first few minutes, Michel Vorm denied Coutinho again from a tight angle inside the area after Sadio Mane's set-up.
Half-chances came and went but it wasn't until the 43rd minute, when Roberto Firmino was brought down by Erik Lamela inside the box, that Liverpool finally made it 1-0.
Referee Bobby Madley pointed to the spot, where James Milner stepped up to send Vorm the wrong way and hand his side a deserved half-time advantage.
The Reds were again the better team after the break and had chances to extend their lead. Mane found the back of the net after a surgical counter, only to be denied by the linesman's flag.
Spurs, despite having had few real chances throughout, finally drew level in the 73rd minute after Danny Rose squeezed a shot between Simon Mignolet and the near post.
Neither side could find the killer blow, with Liverpool coming away with just a point to take into the first international break of the campaign. But how did the players fare in north London?
Reds' ratings from White Hart Lane stalemate
Simon Mignolet: Solid for much of the afternoon, but suspicious for his role in Rose's equaliser. Made an excellent stop to deny Toby Alderweireld's second-half header from a corner, which seemed destined for the near post. But he too easily allowed Rose to squeeze a shot past him to make it 1-1, coming off his line to try and close the angle but not making himself big enough to deny the defender. Didn't have all that much else to do, and for the first time this season didn't concede from an opponent's first shot on target. Point docked for the goal conceded, harshly or not. 6/10.
Nathaniel Clyne: Unusually below-par performance from the normally dependable defender. His crossing, and final passes, weren't as good as have been at times in previous games. Looked to be caught out for Rose's equaliser, being dragged over to Vincent Janssen with Adam Lallana, allowing the ball to fall to the full-back in space, though certainly not all his fault. 5/10.
Joel Matip: Overcame a slightly slow start to impress on his first league appeareance. Regularly looked to surge forward from deep when in possession and his passing out from the back improved. Formed a fairly solid partnership with Lovren and fits in well. Brushed the top of the crossbar with a backwards header from a corner and proved a handful for Spurs' defence at set-pieces. Booked. 8/10.
Dejan Lovren: Well too easily beaten off the ball by Harry Kane in an early Spurs break and had his teammates to thank for recovering. Fared better in future battles with the England international, winning a foul out of the Spurs skipper after a physical tussle in the 20th minute. Otherwise kept Janssen and Kane quiet throughout the rest of the game. Booked. 7/10.
James Milner: Easy to see that left-back isn't his natural position, occasionally being caught in the wrong position - as for Rose's goal when he tried to step up to meet a pass, allowing Eric Dier space to pick out cross - but generally did what was expected of him. Made a few crucial interceptions and challenges in the second-half, but penalty was excellent. 7/10.
Jordan Henderson: Much improved after his performance at Burnley, initiating much of the pressing and more economical with his use of the ball. Still struggled to offer the kind of protection the Reds' back-line needed, having often been left alone, but understood his role as the holding midfielder better here. Still feel like he'd be much better off alongside Emre Can. Booked. 6/10.
Adam Lallana: One of Klopp's best pressers, which is arguably to be expected. Recovered well defensively to deny Dele Alli a shot early on and continued to perform well in a midfield role. Deeper position allowed him to pick out some dangerous through balls, a few of which Mane's pace almost allowed him to make the most of. Could be accused of slowing down the play at times, and was very unlucky to be caught offside - a decision which could have gone either way - when Mane found the net, but generally a good performance. 6/10.
Georginio Wijnaldum: Wasn't exactly absent - at least compared to his first two appearances - but wasn't involved enough either. Debatable whether central midfield is where he fits into this team, though he must be afforded time, though he worked well and made some good probing runs from deep. A fraction too slow to release Lallana for Mane's offside goal and that wasn't the only time. A better pass for Lallana in the dying embers on the counter and perhaps Liverpool come away with the three points, but not his fault they spurned a number of opportunities earlier. Room for improvement. 5/10.
Sadio Mane: The Reds' livewire in the first-half. His pace constantly allowed Liverpool to get in behind, with Vorm's interventions the only thing preventing the Senegal international from proving more useful. Found Coutinho in all kinds of space just before the half-hour mark, only for the Brazilian to fire a time side-footer straight at Vorm from a tight angle and his passing and direct style of play kept Spurs busy. Was arguably fortunate to stay on the pitch, picking up a yellow card and getting away with a couple of poor challenges afterwards. A little quieter going forward after the break, but contributed defensively by working hard and tracking back. Unfortunate for Lallana to be millimetres offside for his goal, which was ruled out. Best player in a red shirt. Booked. 8/10.
Philippe Coutinho: The Brazilian returned from a hamstring injury to start and should have made his impact tell inside just five minutes but managed to waste a gift-wrapped opportunity to open the scoring. He fired straight at Michel Vorm from just a few yards out and wasted a similarly promising chance later in the half, firing a tame effort too close to Vorm. The kind of inconsistent performance which is just preventing him from entering that world-class bracket he is well capable of reaching. Booked and replaced by Divock Origi with 20 minutes left. 6/10.
Roberto Firmino: Was very unselfish to square for Coutinho early on and constantly worked hard throughout. Did well to drive down the left-hand side by-line before being tripped for the penalty. Excellent work again to set up Wijnaldum early on in the second-half, slipping a ball into space only for the midfielder to fire over from the edge of area. The kind of typical performance where he only appears in fleeting moments, but where he is dangerous when involved. Industrious as ever. 7/10.
Substitutes:
Divock Origi (Coutinho 68'): Unlucky to come on at a time in the game when Spurs were largely dominant, and was therefore left to largely chase lost causes. Had very little impact and bizarrely, Liverpool looked more disjointed with him on the pitch. 5/10.
Daniel Sturridge (Mane 87'): Liverpool were crying out for his introduction in the dying stages, but it came too late. Had no time to do anything even from his preferred central role. N/A.
Kevin Stewart (Lallana 90+3'): Didn't even get to touch the ball. N/A.
Unused substitutes: Alex Manninger, Marko Grujic, Alberto Moreno, Lucas Leiva.
Manager:
Jürgen Klopp: Arguably questionable decision to drop Daniel Sturrige, who netted a brace in the cup in mid-week, but wasn't all that surprising having opted for Firmino in many of the 'big away' games in his tenure at Anfield.
Though Liverpool looked vulnerable at times, they survived a shaky early start and regularly showed their threat going forward. Soon found some discipline and organisation defensively, as well as pressing from the front and forcing Spurs into mistakes.
Attacking plan was spot on as they regularly preyed on lethargic passing in Spurs' half, only issue is that Liverpool were not clinical enough when they carved out good moves and opportunities.
Perhaps should have been quicker with his substitutions, with Origi failing to have any impact and Sturridge watching from the sidelines until too late.
Could arguably have hooked Wijnaldum for someone such as Marko Grujic to add more in the centre, though hindsight is a beautiful thing.
A solid point to take away, and an even better performance, but could and probably should have been more with slight tweaks. That said, much has to be owed to Klopp's game plan and the 4-3-3 formation which he employed, making Spurs look a much more average team than they are. 7/10