Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota each netted a brace as Liverpool rolled to a 6-1 road victory over Leeds United Monday evening at Elland Road. The Reds have now garnered a result in 3 consecutive EPL matches.
First Half
Rodrigo tested Alisson in the 7th minute off of a set piece, but the Reds' keeper was up to the challenge. Liverpool enjoyed a lot of the possession early, but they could not generate any chances, the first opportunity came in the 15th minute, but Cody Gakpo's header went wide.
Ibrahima Konaté came away with a key challenge in the 22nd minute to keep the match scoreless. The Reds went on to have a long spell of possession in the final third, but they could not finish. Liverpool finally broke through the Leeds defense in the 35th minute when Gakpo scored on a tap-in thanks to an assist from Trent Alexander-Arnold. A second goal came in quick succession when Mohamed Salah finished off a fast break with a lovely strike to put the Reds up 2-0 at halftime.
Second Half
A bad giveaway in the back by Ibrahima Konaté early in the second half led to a Leeds goal by Luis Sinisterra to cut the advantage in half, 2-1. Diogo Jota restored the two-goal advantage in the 52nd minute with a shot from outside the box after an assist from Curtis Jones.
Liverpool nearly added to their lead at the hour mark as Salah put the ball in the back of the net, but an offsides call made on the pitch was upheld by VAR. That did not stop Salah from bagging his brace in the 64th minute. Gakpo fed the Egyptian King who fired in a left-footed shot for a 4-1 lead.
Jota also garnered a brace with a left-footed strike after an assist from the captian Jordan Henderson. Alisson made a save in the 82nd minute. Coming in as a substitute, Darwin Núñez put the finishing touches on the massive scoreline, coming off the bench to score in the 90th minute as Liverpool took all 3 points with the 6-1 win.
Coming In Bunches
When Liverpool have played at their best this season, they have had no trouble finding the back of the net. The Reds have registered a 9-0 win vs. Bournemouth, a 7-0 victory vs. Manchester United and now the 6-1 result at Leeds United for an aggregate score of 22-1.
Alexander Arnold's Impact
The defender did not find the back of the net, but that did not stop him from playing well. His second-half assist gave the English International 50 Premier League helpers for his career and his pinpoint passes out of the back set Liverpool on a path toward the opposing goal all match long.
Dominating The Stats
The statistics demonstrate just how dominant Liverpool's play was over 90 minutes. They put 7 shots on goal, scoring 6 times and held possession nearly 75 percent of the time. Many times this season, Liverpool have dominated possession before, but they have lacked quality finishing in the final third. They found that tonight.
LFC Globe Verdict
The question heading into this match was if Liverpool could carry thier strong spell of play vs Arsenal over to the match vs Leeds after an 8-day break. The Reds answered that question with an emphatic yes. Did they play perfectly? No. Ibrahima Konaté had a bad giveaway, but Jota responded quickly to restore the 2 goal lead and it was smooth sailing from that point. The team could have hung their heads after that gaffe, but the response, after all that has gone wrong this season, was the best part of the match.
Man Of The Match & What's Next
There are so many deserving choices. Salah and Gakpo scoring two goals each certainly deserve consideration, but as hinted at above, my pick goes to Alexander-Arnold. Not only did his two assists put him at 50 inside the Premier League, but it seemed as if he started each Liverpool attack with pinpoint passing.
What's Next
Liverpool returns home to Anfield Saturday afternoon April 22nd at 15:00 BST to host Nottingham Forest. The game will not be broadcast in the UK, but it will be available to American audiences at 10 AM EST on the USA Network. A list of Liverpool FC streams is available so fans around the world can follow the action.
Goals
Leeds United
- Luis Sinisterra 47'
Liverpool
- Cody Gakpo 35'
- Mohamed Salah 39'
- Diogo Jota 52'
- Mohamed Salah 64'
- Diogo Jota 73'
- Darwin Núñez 90'
Substitutions
Leeds United
- Georginia Rutter for Brenden Aaronson 66'
- Crysencio Summerville for Rodrigo 66'
- Wilfried Gnonto for Jack Harrison 77'
- Adam Forshaw for Luis Sinisterra 77'
Liverpool
- Darwin Núñez for Mohamed Salah 81'
- James Milner for Jordan Henderson 81'
- Luis Díaz for Cody Gakpo 81'
- Roberto Firmino for Diogo Jota 82'
- Thiago for Fabinho 85'
