Liverpool v Tottenham: Premier League – live!

• 7.04pm GMT19:04 Team news
• 6.16pm GMT18:16 Preamble

The players gather round the centre circle to pay tribute to Gerard Houllier with a minute’s applause.

A great stat from the Amazon commentator Jon Champion - Southampton’s draw at Arsenal means that Liverpool and Spurs meet as first and second in the table for the first time in their history.

Here come the players. The Liverpool team receive a lusty welcome from the 2,000 fans at Anfield.

Peep peep! The early games have finished thus:

• Ten-man Arsenal 1-1 Southampton
• Leeds 5-2 Newcastle
• Leicester 0-2 Everton

So Everton, who were in freefall four days ago, are now two points behind the leaders Spurs and Liverpool.

“Evening Rob,” says Yash Gupta. “Huge match which explains why Mourinho has gone back to his pragmatic ways by dropping Reguilon for Davies. No Ndombele and Lo Celso being in starting line-up suggest to me that either Spurs make confident start and get a goal early or Spurs blow this one and lose this inside opening 30 minutes.”

They got a very early goal last year.

There will be a minute’s silence before the game in memory of Gerard Houllier, the man who literally and metaphorically took Liverpool into the 21st century.

Pre-match reading

Joel Matip is out with a back injury, so 19-year-old Rhys Williams makes his Premier League debut at centre-half against Harry Kane and Son. Godspeed, young man.

Tanguy Ndombele is only on the bench for Spurs. Giovani Lo Celso replaces him and Ben Davies is preferred to Sergio Reguilon.

Liverpool (4-3-3) Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, R Williams, Fabinho, Robertson; Jones, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane.Substitutes: Kelleher, Phillips, N Williams, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Minamino, Origi.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1) Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Davies; Sissoko, Hojbjerg; Bergwijn, Lo Celso, Son; Kane.Substitutes: Hart, Reguilon, Rodon, Winks, Alli, Ndombele, Lucas Moura.

Referee Anthony Taylor.

Pre-match entertainment (especially for Spurs fans, given the half-time score)

It’s a big night at Anfield: Liverpool v Spurs, Jurgen Klopp v Jose Mourinho, champions v leaders. But the best way to frame it, if you’re into the whole rivalry thing, is Liverpool v Jose Mourinho. Their mutual enmity goes back a long way. In 2004, Mourinho almost became Liverpool manager. In 2005, he ssshhhed Liverpool fans during the Carling Cup final and later compared their style of football unfavourably to – and you’ll like this - Sam Allardyce’s Bolton (8m58s on this video).

Rafa Benitez’s long-ballers stopped Mourinho reaching two Champions League finals in 2005 and 2007. He denied them a title in 2014, when his evil plan worked so perfectly that Chelsea scored their two goals in time added on for their brazen timewasting. Liverpool had the most recent laugh two years ago, when Mourinho sacked as Manchester United manager after a 3-1 defeat at Anfield. Many thought that was the last we’d see of him at the top table. Instead he returns to Anfield with Spurs top of the table, and with enough confidence to flap his gums before the match over Liverpool’s injury list.

For all connected with Liverpool, the thought of Mourinho ending their 65-match unbeaten run at Anfield is nigh-on unbearable. But that risk comes with the potential reward of putting Mourinho in his place. An emphatic win for Liverpool – who for all their problems have yet to drop a point at Anfield this season – would put them top and remind everyone they are the team to beat. But if Spurs win, and undermine Liverpool in their own fortress, all bets are off.

Kick off 8pm.