Premier League: Team of the Week XXXI feat. Liverpool and Tottenham stars

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Right-Midfield: Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)

Coutinho had only been named on the Liverpool bench on the morning of the match following illness during the week, and with the Reds trailing at the interval, Jurgen Klopp would have to call upon the Premier League’s new Brazilian top scorer before long. His introduction, along with compatriot Roberto Firmino, swung the game in Liverpool’s favour.

His first-time strike which stung the hands of Lee Grant as he flung to his left to punch the ball out of play was a warning shot, and Stoke refused to heed it as Coutinho found himself with a pocket of space and gratefully arrowed in a first-time equaliser from Emre Can’s pass.

The goal epitomised everything the Brazilian adds to Liverpool’s attacking arsenal. He possesses not only the ability to score from anywhere, but has a speciality for finding spaces in and around opposition boxes and making things happen. Liverpool needed that influence, and all credit to him for getting to the Potteries and making himself available for selection having not travelled with the squad prior to the game. What a show of commitment.

Centre-Midfield: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur)

Were Chelsea not so far clear in the Premier League title race, Dele Alli would be far more of a bet for Player of the Season in the Premier League. Though he is more than deserving of the accolade for his contributions to the Tottenham cause as it is, the Blues’ exploits will likely dictate that the award go to Eden Hazard or N’Golo Kanté.

He has been involved in 14 goals in a mere 13 Premier League games since the turn of the year alone, and he broke the deadlock against Tottenham in quite incredible fashion, firing a curler from distance beyond the despairing dive of former Spurs shot-stopper Heurelho Gomes to put his side, still without Harry Kane in the starting line-up, at relative ease before the interval.

Left-Midfield: Roberto Firmino (Liverpool)

Another enforced super-sub by Jurgen Klopp on the day, Firmino’s importance to the Liverpool cause has been highlighted by the fact that he has now been involved in five goals in his last five appearances (no wonder he’s been struggling with fatigue!), and this latest was one of his best of the campaign.

The Brazilian did superbly in timing his run to latch onto Georginio Wijnaldum’s ball over the top whilst remaining onside, and having watched and received the ball over his shoulder, allowing it to sit-up in front of him on the bounce, he had a split-second decision to make. He could either take the ball forward and take goalkeeper Grant on, or aim to lob the ball over the Stoke shot-stopper having spied him off his line. He went for the latter, executing the half-volley with such skill and precision that it flew over the helpless Grant and dipped into the net, sending the travelling Liverpool supporters into raptures, and leaving watching Stoke fans flabbergasted.