Sadio Mane ‘carrying Liverpool on his shoulders’ says Garth Crooks after Tottenham win

Sadio Mane has been “carrying Liverpool on his shoulders” this season, in the eyes of pundit Garth Crooks.

Mane was pivotal again as Liverpool beat Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday.

Despite going 1-0 down inside 47 seconds to Harry Kane’s header, the Reds bounced back to remain unbeaten this season and remain six points clear of Manchester City at the Premier League summit.

Captain Jordan Henderson fired the hosts level before Mohamed Salah hammered a penalty past Paulo Gazzaniga at the Kop end after Mane had been fouled by Serge Aurier.

It was the second time in the space of a few weeks that Mane has won a late penalty in a game that Liverpool have gone on to win, having also done so against Leicester in the 95th minute before the international break.

The Senegalese winger, among those up for this year’s Ballon d’Or, boasts nine goals and three assists after 14 games for the European champions this season, with five of those strikes coming in the league.

He is looking to beat the tally of 22 goals he mustered last term to share the Premier League Golden Boot with team-mate Salah and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

And BBC Sport’s Crooks, who included Mane in his Team of the Week, believes the 27-year-old has been Jurgen Klopp’s star man this term.

So much so, the former Stoke City, Spurs and Manchester United forward thinks Mane is “carrying” his top-of-the-table team.

Crooks wrote: “Two seasons ago it was Mo Salah who was carrying Liverpool. 

“Last season it was Virgil van Dijk who had a massive influence on the success of the team. 

“This season it’s Sadio Mane who is carrying Liverpool on his shoulders. 

“His speed, power and strength have been a feature of Liverpool’s play this season and without the Senegal international, life at the top would be considerably less comfortable. 

“It was Mane who caused mayhem in Tottenham’s ranks the entire match and the reason they lost. With a little help from Serge Aurier, of course.”

Goalscorer Henderson said Liverpool’s official website post-match: “We worked hard for it but deserved it, I thought.

“The performance was good and the chances we created were very good; the keeper made some top saves. We kept going, showed great mentality and deservedly got the three points.

“It’s always nice to score, especially at Anfield in front of the Kop. It was to get us back in the game, which was important.

“I was disappointed with the goal we conceded because I gave the ball away in a sloppy area. I was delighted to react in the right way and manage to get on the scoresheet.

“The performance was brilliant from the lads, we deserved the three points and it’s a big win for us.”

source: express.co.uk