Mohamed Salah scored twice as Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-1 on Sunday to maintain their hex over the London club, returning to winning ways after two consecutive Premier League defeats.
Jurgen Klopp's men started the match 10 points behind fourth-placed Spurs, with questions growing over their ability even to mount a challenge for next season's Champions League places.
But they dominated the contest from the start and took the lead in the 11th minute when the impressive Darwin Nunez teed up Salah, who fired into the bottom corner.
The visitors' intensity dropped as the half wore on but they doubled their lead in the 40th minute when Salah took advantage of a horrendous error by Eric Dier, who headed the ball straight into the path of the Egyptian forward.
Harry Kane pulled a goal back in the 70th minute as the decibel count rose among the crowd of 62,000 in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but they fell to a third defeat in four league matches.
Spurs have not beaten Liverpool since 2017 and have now lost seven out of the past nine Premier League matches between the sides.
The result will add to doubts over the ability of Antonio Conte's men to compete at the top of the table after another damaging defeat against a top-four rival.
Tottenham were missing the services of South Korean forward Son Heung-min, who suffered a fracture around his left eye in his side's midweek Champions League win against Marseille.
‘Son will play at WC’
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is confident Son Heung-min will be fit for the World Cup after the South Korean forward had surgery for a serious facial injury.
The Spurs star sustained a fracture around his left eye during their 2-1 win at Marseille last week when he collided with Chancel Mbemba.
The South Korean skipper and talisman had surgery on Friday and is in a race to be fit for the Qatar World Cup, which starts on November 20.
"I sent him a message yesterday after the surgery and Sonny was really, really disappointed for this situation," Conte told reporters.
"But I hope for him he will recover very well and play in the World Cup.
"I was a player and I know the importance of playing in the World Cup."
"I am confident, confident that he can come back quickly and play the World Cup for South Korea," the Italian coach said.
The 30-year-old Son is critical to South Korea's chances of making it to the knockout stages at the World Cup, having scored 35 goals in 104 internationals.
South Korea begin their campaign in Qatar against Uruguay on November 24 and also face Ghana and Portugal in Group H.