Liverpool 1-2 Leeds United – The Final Written Word
By: Collin Hockenbury.
There’s no denying both teams needed these three points.
The Leeds Manager, American Jesse Marsch, was facing more than just Ted Lasso comparisons if he added to the string of his side’s recent defeats. Though Leeds had kept the score lines close by showing the same intensity and desire that formed their identity under Marcelo Bielsa, they’d ultimately come away from their last four Premier League outings with nothing. A draw at Anfield might have sufficed, but a loss meant time was running out for Marsch.
Liverpool had no interest in a draw. After smashing Rangers, getting a key win against rivals Manchester City and following it up with another one-goal win over West Ham, they fell to last-place Nottingham Forest after fielding an unbalanced side depleted by injury. A three-goal away win at Ajax helped curb the sting of the most recent league defeat, but to continue to push for the top four places with the World Cup break right around the corner, three points at home against struggling Leeds was a must.
The Lineup
Jurgen Klopp opted for the 4-4-2 again (or 4-2-4, depending on your interpretation), starting with the current first-choice back five in Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk and Robertson. Just ahead of them, Fabinho and Thiago formed the two-man midfield meant to anchor the side without the ball and recycle play in possession. The four-man diamond in front consisted of Elliott, Nunez, Firmino and Salah—more than enough attacking talent to pose Illan Meslier a serious threat in the Leeds goal.
Here’s how the performance played out.
Another Early Setback
Liverpool couldn’t afford to be insecure in possession against a Leeds team that’s always eager to press, and pretty effective at it. They also couldn’t afford to gift them an early goal, a bizarre theme we’ve seen dating back to the end of last season. Less than four minutes into the game, Liverpool did both of those things. Joe Gomez did well to take the ball off Brendan Aaronson, but, when pinned between Aaronson and the sideline, played a blind outside-of-the-foot back pass which caught Alisson out and drifted into our six-yard box. Thinking danger had been averted, Van Dijk switched off and allowed Rodrigo to run past him before passing the ball into an empty net. It was the kind of goal that brought out a sarcastic chuckle from Liverpool fans who’d seen it all season. Completely avoidable, caused by a simple lapse in concentration involving multiple players, leaving us with a hole to climb out of just moments into the 90. And it gave Leeds all the more reason to pile on the pressure.
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Too Loose in the Middle of the Park
If there’s one area that’s drawn the most criticism this year, it’s the midfield. We’ve missed Naby Keita’s ball-carrying and pressing, we’ve seen Henderson look past his best and we’ve watched Fabinho slump into easily the worst form of his Liverpool career. Thiago has provided a spark when healthy, but he’s lacked effectiveness at times because he’s been sandwiched between a struggling defensive line and an out-of-sync forward line.
If there’s been a bright spot in midfield this season, it’s been the up-and-coming Harvey Elliott. Though he’s limited physically by his size and pace, he’s shown a lot of composure on the ball, an eye for a pass and a desire to take over a game that his older counterparts haven’t shown enough. Elliott had easily his worst performance of the season playing on the right of the four-man diamond. He was easily harried with the ball, giving possession away cheaply rather than playing with limited touches and bringing others into play. Firmino fell into the same trap, often dropping much deeper than he’s used to in the false 9 before being stripped of possession with his back to goal.
Fabinho had another day to forget, and he got a huge earful from Klopp for it. He didn’t look comfortable in the two-man midfield, but to be fair, he hasn’t looked comfortable in a three either. His ineffectiveness without the ball was most striking. Time and time again, he got sucked in by the ball and then blown by for counterattacks. Thiago was the most on his game, but his tidiness rarely led to meaningful attacks, even if it allowed us to keep the ball.
The Forward Line
Darwin had bagged a goal in each of his last four starts and Mo Salah wasn’t a bad bet for a goal either. His opener in Amsterdam opened the floodgates and cemented Liverpool’s place in the last 16 of the UCL.
Liverpool responded with some free-flowing attacking play after conceding, which would have been encouraging if it hadn’t turned out to be their best stretch in the game. Salah’s volleyed equalizer from a pinpoint Robertson cross in the 14th minute left every Liverpool supporter thinking the momentum had turned in our favour, but it was Leeds who looked more convincing for the remainder of the half.
There was one exception. Alexander-Arnold’s best moment of the game, a first-time ball over the top that left Darwin Nunez one on one, saw Nunez bypass his opportunity to loft the ball over the onrushing goalie, instead chopping it back before losing his footing and failing to get a shot off.
The chances didn’t completely dry up for Nunez, Salah or Firmino in the second half. Each found themselves with space in the box, most notably Nunez. When Leeds’ last man back slipped, Salah, pounced and played Nunez in. Meslier was quick off his line to make his best save of the night—one of nine total, the most by any Premier League goalkeeper in one game this season. Had Nunez lifted the ball another foot or so, his powerful inside-of-the-foot strike may have gone on to be the winner.
Salah scuffed a chance at a cross with men in space at the back post, and Firmino missed a volley and header from close range—chances we’ve seen him bury on countless occasions.
The Late Winner
With stoppage time looming, a draw seemed like the fairest result. Leeds rattled the bar through Aaronson in the first half and Patrick Bamford completely blew his first touch when presented with an easy finish in the second.
A lacklustre Alexander-Arnold was replaced by James Milner in the late stages, and it was ultimately Milner and a sub-par Curtis Jones who let a low Leeds cross find Summerhill in the box on 89 minutes. Drawn in by the ball on the wing, Gomez left Van Dijk to deal with the Leeds strikers as the cross came in, which he did unconvincingly before Summerhill took his shot early and it found the far corner.
The away end erupted, Anfield was stunned and Klopp turned away with a wry smile on his face. In the end, Leeds didn’t baulk at the pressure of the game—they took a brave approach at one of the toughest away grounds in Europe and seized the moment. Liverpool were punished for another early goal conceded, more chances wasted and a setup that left them too easy to play through.
With Napoli next, the Reds face arguably the hottest team in Europe. It’ll take a huge effort and virtually no mistakes to get a positive result, let alone the 3-0 win needed to top the group.
