Liverpool boosts self-confidence with six-goal win against relegation candidate Leeds
NOS Soccer–
Liverpool, after a difficult first half, eventually won handsomely over Leeds United. In Leeds, Jürgen Klopp’s team won no less than 6-1. For the standings the victory makes little difference, Liverpool remains the number eight in the Premier League.
It was easy to see in the first half that neither team was overflowing with confidence. Leeds are fighting relegation and Liverpool are in a disappointing eighth place for the Reds. Consequently, there were few clear-cut chances in the opening stages.
It was Leeds that could have scored early in the match, but Rodrigo headed in free position straight into the hands of goalkeeper Alisson Becker. Little happened for a long time after that. Liverpool had the ball, without creating any major chances.
Cody Gakpo
Until minute 35. Junior Firpo of Leeds lost the ball in midfield to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who, after a one-two with Mo Salah, served the free Cody Gakpo. The Dutch striker signed for the 0-1 with his fifth goal of the season.
Leeds still protested, as Alexander-Arnold took the ball by hand on his interception, but both the referee and VAR found that there was no intent and so the goal stood.
Less than five minutes later, Salah doubled the lead. He cleverly pegged the ball into the short corner from the edge of the penalty area: 0-2.
Shortly after halftime, Leeds took advantage of lax ball loss by Ibrahima Konaté. He lost the ball to former Feyenoord player Luis Sinisterra and the Colombian passed Alisson in a controlled manner. Thus, the home team got back into the game.
But the celebration was short-lived. Three minutes after Sinisterra’s goal, the margin was two again. Curtis Jones served Diogo Jota with a fine cross, who finished beautifully to put the 1-3 on the board.
Salah makes his second
After an hour of play, Liverpool looked to be heading 1-4 from a rehearsed free kick. Van Dijk laid a free kick from Jones perfectly back to Salah. The Egyptian scored, but Van Dijk was offside when Curtis Jones sent his pass. This kept the home club in the match.
Not much later, Salah still scored the 1-4. This time he got the ball from that other Liverpool Dutchman, Cody Gakpo. It was the crowning glory of a quick counter on the left.
At embattled Leeds, Crysencio Summerville was allowed to fill in after Salah’s second, but he had to watch as Liverpool compounded his club’s worries. Diogo Jota rounded a Jordan Henderson cross via the inside of the post to increase the margin to four.
The remainder of the match was mostly substitution time for Liverpool, which brought in five new players. One of those substitutions was Darwin Núñez, the Uruguayan rounded off a fine pass from Alexander-Arnold in the last minute of regular playing time in a controlled manner and thus ensured a veritable six-hit win for Klopp’s troubled team.
