The ECHO verdict after Liverpool threw away a 2-0 and 3-2 lead to draw 3-3 against Leeds at Elland Road
The chant coming from the home fans as the clock ticked into its 100th minute here at Elland Road was about as prescient as anything else that can be said about another deeply disappointing day at the office for Liverpool.
“Two-nil and you f***** it up!” the Leeds faithful sang, having seen their side respond when two goals down and then once more when losing 3-2 to earn a huge point that caps off a fantastic week for Daniel Farke after Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Chelsea here.
For Arne Slot, there can be no more accurate way to surmise this madcap game in Yorkshire than that. After a turgid first half devoid of any real entertainment, his side were cruising to an important three points thanks to Hugo Ekitike’s quick-fire double, only to see his players press the self-destruct button and throw it all away.
And even when one of Liverpool’s best-worked attacks of the entire season had brought a third from Dominik Szoboszlai, there was still time to toss it in the trash once more as they failed to defend a last-gasp corner that saw Ao Tanaka draw level.
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Just where does Arne Slot go from here? The end of the November international break was supposed to signal a run of inviting fixtures that could see his champions cast aside a difficult period and finally start climbing up the table.
The hopes have proven to be in vain and, in truth, it is shaping up to be a harsh winter for the Reds, for whom this difficult campaign is showing no signs of letting up. The light at the end of the tunnel is not yet in sight for these confidence-shot players and their embattled head coach.
Fixtures with Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds have only brought five points and a congested Premier League table sees them sitting down in eighth. It simply hasn’t been good enough for quite some time now.
Another attritional first half came and went without Liverpool troubling the opposition goalkeeper. This time, it was Lucas Perri who wasn’t really needed as the visitors struggled to make their territorial dominance count.
Too often they knocked it about around the edge of the hosts’ penalty area without any incision that might have unlocked the Leeds backline.
The reliance on the forwards players to produce “a moment of magic” – to coin a Slot phrase – simply doesn’t work when so many chins are on the floor. That is when the familiar patterns of play that are worked on in training can be leaned on to create, but this is a side who don’t look as though they are being coached on that side of the game. It’s a worrying trend, regardless of how often Slot bemoans missed chances.
Liverpool have scored just six goals in 675 first-half minutes this season and the last time they troubled the scoreboard before the break was over a month ago, against Aston Villa when Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez gifted Mohamed Salah in stoppage time.
But to reflect too much on the opening 45 minutes would do this contest a great disservice because it came alive after the restart to serve up a wild back-and-forth game that, from Liverpool’s perspective, was so avoidable had they not panicked and wilted during a chaotic couple of minutes that saw Farke’s side improbably drag themselves back into proceedings.
It was symptomatic of how things have been in an attacking sense for the Reds that their opening goal, shortly after the restart, came via a terrible mistake at the back from their opponents. Joe Rodon’s square pass was too casual and Ekitike took charge, surging through before firing home.
The France international’s second was scored almost immediately and Liverpool were subsequently given the sort of freedom that they have been desperate for during recent weeks. But rather than use the breathing room to build their levels of belief, too many, oddly, remained gripped by fear, scarred from such a torrid period that now sees them having won just four of their last 15.
Liverpool looked in complete control before Ibrahima Konate opted to go to ground to try and deny substitute Wilfried Gnonto from getting a cross in. Contact looked minimal initially but was deemed “careless” by referee Anthony Taylor after consulting with the monitor. Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired home to give Leeds a shot in the arm and two minutes later they were level after superb work from Brenden Aaronson was given its reward by Anton Stach.
The smart money, given the lack of mental strength displayed by the champions when the going has got tough this term, was on Leeds completing the comeback but the Reds’ class told when Ryan Gravenberch found Szoboszlai, via a sumptuous dummy from substitute Alexis Mac Allister, who did the rest with a cool finish for 3-2.
Liverpool, though, were unable to see out the nine minutes of additional time and it was left to Tanaka to shake Elland Road to its foundations with Leeds’ third of the night.
