LIVERPOOL, England -- There were only 2,000 fans inside Anfield to celebrate Roberto Firmino's 90th-minute winner for Liverpool against Tottenham Hotspur, but the noise that the small crowd generated told you everything about the importance of the Brazilian forward's late header. Firmino knew too, as his celebratory run deep into his own half attested, while manager Jurgen Klopp's traditional post-victory fist-pumping tribute in front of The Kop produced almost as much energy as the night he went crazy after that famous Champions League semifinal win against Barcelona.
The fans, Firmino and Klopp celebrated in a big way because they all knew that this 2-1 victory carried great significance in what is likely to be a much closer title race than Liverpool's procession to the championship last season.