Simon Mingolet will have been the choice of most for Liverpool's man of the match on Saturday against Tottenham, but Mamadou Sakho won't have been far back of him. The French international stepped up in Jürgen Klopp's first game as Liverpool manager, turning in one of his stronger performances in Red.
If first impressions are what count most, then Sakho will have done a great deal to nail down a starting position for at least the remainder of the season—and, assuming fitness doesn't rear its head as an issue, potentially for quite a bit longer. Calm on the ball and quick to step up at the right moments, he was Liverpool's best defender as the visitors earned a clean sheet.
With Martin Skrtel and Nathaniel Clyne both having inconsistent outings on the right, it fell to Sakho to cover for his teammates regularly. That Liverpool managed a nil-nil draw despite their struggles was down to Sakho nearly as much as it was to Mignolet in goal, the defender frequently seeming to cover much of the back line by himself.
He was aggressive in the air, quick to spot the danger when his teammates were beaten, and after a few poorly placed early headers were out of his system reliably put Liverpool in a good position to build their own attacks when winning the ball. It was a top performance, one deserving of a close look.
Video by MrBoywunder