Liverpool 4-3 Tottenham: Diogo Jota scores late winner for Reds in a seven-goal thriller at Anfield

Another one of those normal afternoons, then. You know: the kind where a £60million striker ends a 22-game goal drought, thinking he has salvaged the most unlikely of points, then sees all his good work undone and the opposition pulls a hamstring celebrating.

Yes, this was as chaotic as it sounds and nothing encapsulated the madness more than the 120 seconds in injury time where Richarlison scored his first Premier League goal and thought he had completed a three-goal comeback, only for Diogo Jota to strike back in the very next attack.

Such was the bedlam at Liverpool winning a game they had almost tossed away, Jurgen Klopp went tearing off to roar at fourth official John Brooks but did so in such haste, his hamstring snapped like a piece of old chewing gum and left him hopping in agony.

Here was another reminder that you should never leave a stadium before the final whistle: Tottenham fans were heading for the exits when they went 3-0 down after 14 minutes, Liverpool fans did likewise when Richarlison looked like he had secured a draw.

Simply, this was madness from start to finish. It was one of those crazy matches you get at the end of the campaign, when shortcomings are exposed and minds are tired. Whether Klopp or Ryan Mason will look back on it with any fondness is open to debate but it was fantastic drama..

Mohamed Salah laid it to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who crossed into the back post for Curtis Jones to finish after three minutes

Luis Diaz got his first goal since returning from a long layoff as he finished from a tight angle from Cody Gakpo’s cross 

Mohamed Salah made it three in the 15 minute mark, converting from the penalty spot after Gakpo was brought down

You may have thought Tottenham would have been prepared for opponents starting quickly but here, again, they were stripped bare before some players had even had a meaningful touch of the ball. Criticise Daniel Levy all you want but, sometimes, things come down to a lack of effort and care.

In those first 20 minutes, not one Tottenham player looked like they were prepared to chase or make a tackle or go into the areas that uncomfortable. Liverpool, by contrast, buzzed around, snapping away like piranhas that get the scent of blood.

One episode summed it all up. Kane, midway inside his own half, was looking to play a pass forward, deliberating and dallying. From nowhere, Salah scurried back and picked his pocket, leaving Klopp hollering his delight and demanding those behind him acknowledge what he had just seen.

By that point, Tottenham were as good as dead and buried. The first goal arrived from the first attack, Cody Gakpo and Salah working an angle for Trent Alexander-Arnold to cross, which he did with a sniper’s accuracy, dropping a ball to the back post for Curtis Jones to drill home.

Incredibly, they were two behind quicker than was the case at St James’s Park. In the fifth minute, Liverpool motored forward again, passes zipping between Alexander-Arnold, Gakpo, Salah and Harvey Elliott like a ricocheting pinball before Gakpo reached the byline to square for Luis Diaz.

Starting for the first time since last October, how the Colombian enjoyed this moment. Liverpool have been too wretched at times to attribute things to one man’s absence but there can be no disputing the picture would have been different had Diaz not missed six months.

With their tails up and the crowd becoming giddy, you wondered what damage Liverpool might inflict and it was certainly not out of the question to think they could emulate Newcastle, with Klopp purring about what he was seeing.

Tottenham’s fans found some gallows humour when it reached the 10th minute and the scoreline had not been added to – “how **** must you be, it’s only 2-0!” they sang – but it turned out to be horribly premature, especially with Cristian Romero being as nimble as buffalo trying to ballet dance.

Romero, in the 13th minute, blundered into Gakpo, sending him spinning and giving referee Paul Tierney the easiest decision he has faced in sometime. It was a clear penalty and Salah, after two consecutive misses against Bournemouth and Arsenal, sent Forster the wrong way.

Klopp turned around and playfully tapped his chest to show his relief. Plenty in the stadium thought that was the game done and dusted but, remarkably, Liverpool’s manager would spend the next hour wondering how a stroll had turned into afternoon of agony.

This is one of Liverpool’s biggest issues. When intensity becomes lethargy, they find it impossible to get it back. It happened at Bournemouth and it happened here, with the home fans turning mute, the home players stopped doing what they had done so well and Tottenham started to play.

Harry Kane got one back for Tottenham with a half volley past Allison after being unmarked by Son Heung-min 

The South Korean forward got the visitors within touching distance after racing clear to beat Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson 

Substitute Richarlison got his first Premier League goal for Spurs in injury-time but it proved to be of little value 

They got their reward in the 39th minute. Liverpool allowed Tottenham to play straight through them and, Virgil van Dijk missed a tackle out on the left, and Ivan Perisic crossed for Kane, who was never going to miss from six yards on the volley.

Few do fury like Klopp and the blazing eyes, to go with the waving arms, illustrated how enraged he was that Tottenham had been given a chance to get back into the contest. For all that it has been open season on them, Klopp made a point describing them as the best counter attacking team in Europe over the past five seasons and they had shown why.

With a cause to pursue in the second half, Tottenham did so with vigour. They struck woodwork twice through Son and Romero in the space of 60 seconds early on and eventually Son beat the offside trap to cut the deficit with 13 minutes to go.

Liverpool’s nerves had now gone and it was no surprise when Tottenham’s pressure paid off in the dying seconds, as Richarlison spun around the back of Darwin Nunez and got his foot to a free-kick to leave Anfield stunned.

It was the first since March 1997, against Newcastle, that Liverpool had allowed a three-goal advantage to disappear but, as was the case that night, there would be a sting in the tail and it arrived through Diogo Jota, who burst clear to finish brilliantly.

Tottenham could not believe it nor, for that matter, could Klopp who lost all control. He got a booking for his reaction and he will require some time with the medics this week to patch up his leg. As we said: madness.