Leeds United 1-1 Liverpool: Match Report & Verdict | Premier League

Sadio Mane’s first-half strike was cancelled out by a late header from Diego Llorente.

Mane rounded off a well-worked Liverpool move that saw Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold and the Senegalese international combining. 

Leeds grew into the game and got a deserved equaliser in the dying embers of the game as the Spaniard grabbed his first Premier League goal after the hosts came close through Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts who were denied by the crossbar and Alisson respectively.

Ultimately, the result adds no significance as the state of football has been brought into disrepute by greed. 

Sadio Mane breaks his goal drought

The hosts had a few chances with their best chance came following Fabinho’s intercepted pass. But with the Leeds forward, Patrick Bamford, bearing down on goal Alisson dealt with the danger but the Brazilian, for the most part, remained untroubled. 

On the half-hour mark, Mane’s goal drought was over. Diogo Jota’s brilliant vision picked out Trent Alexander-Arnold with the onrushing Illan Meslier and a bit of quick-thinking tee’d up the Senegal international who tapped into an empty net.

Liverpool enjoyed a lot of possession and went in at the break a goal up. 

First Half Thoughts

Positives Negatives

Great play from Jota, Trent and Mane.

Poor from Fabinho but Alisson did very well.

Good first half from Liverpool

Leeds earn deserved point

Roberto Firmino forced Meslier into an easy save after he weaved his way through the Leeds defence.  

Liverpool continued to be on top in the balance of play in the early stages of the second half but the hosts grew in the second half.

Leeds were creating but Jurgen Klopp’s side resilient defending kept them in front at Elland Road.

Jack Harrison came close to restoring parity only to be denied by the outstretched leg of Alisson. 

They came even closer with the crossbar denying Bamford after Liverpool’s defence were carved open.

Alisson once again came to their rescue. Tyler Roberts ghosted in between the visitors’ central defenders but fired straight at the Brazilian shot-stopper.

Liverpool returned the pressure. Mesilier put his side on the backfoot with a terrible pass which resulted in a corner. From the following set-piece he was caught in no man’s land and Jota’s looping header had the Frenchman clambering back to punch over.

The substitute Mohamed Salah burst through on goal, beating the offside trap, but Diego Llorente atoned for his effort and applied enough pressure for the Egyptian to drag his volley wide.

With five minutes on the clock, Llorente broke free of his man and headed home a deserved equaliser.

Pushing for a late winner, Liverpool broke, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s poor first touch wasted a golden sight on goal, the Leeds ‘keeper did well to keep ahold of a deflected effort. 

Second Half reflection

Positives Negatives

Good effort from Firmino albeit on his weaker foot. 

Leeds growing into the match around the hour mark. Only for some desperate defending did Liverpool remain in front.

Meslier made an error with his pass, Salah failing to take advantage of the mistake. 

Shoddy defending in parts, Alisson and last-ditch defending from the Reds

The Reds hanging onto their lead. Bamford mightily unlucky not to equalise with 25 minutes left

77: Terrible defending from Liverpool. Roberts waltzing into space after Kabak sold himself short. Ali unbelievable.

Terrible, it was coming. Resting on our laurels and Leeds claim a deserved equaliser. 

LFC Transfer Room Verdict

I, Stephen Killen, as a published writer have an obligation to highlight the views and I hope what I’m about to produce reflects the dire state of what is left of football after the detonation of the European Super League dynamite brought the game to ruin. 

What a week this has been already. The fans, players and profile of the clubs has been betrayed and tarnished.

Our history potentially being confiscated off us due to elitist greed. The game, which would of been a huge game in the challenge for the top four but with talk of the European Super League, any hope or relevance for this clash vanished.

We can argue the toss and complain about how the club is ran and I will agree and listen. But, this isn’t the time, as Klopp said in his pre-match interviews, ‘now is the time to stick together.’

Surely this nightmare has to end and hopefully it will. Klopp, his backroom staff and the 25+ players in the ranks at the AXA Training Ground know what is right for football and the mishandlings of the last 48 hours isn’t what the game needs, no others can stand up bar the players. Whatever they come out and say against the Super League will no doubt be taken as golden, they may receive a smack on the wrists from the PR team but it’s time to stand up and not let the beautiful game die to the hands of the dirty dozen.

The result at the end of the day was between the fat cats of football and the do-gooders of the footballing world – which against Leeds United, who can come out of this positively is hypocritical in the grand scheme of history – but nevertheless, they’re fighting for what’s right tonight.

Llorente’s goal was at a cost. Poor defending and allowing the visitors to grow in the game ended up in a rich reward for United. 

Win, lose or draw Liverpool over the last two days have brought the rich history of Liverpool Football Club into disrepute and those who are behind this know who they are, everyone does, have to put it to an end. Football shouldn’t die out for the rich to get richer. On the ground level, the Coronavirus is breaking families apart, the financial implications this has had is astronomical on people’s well-being and mental state, the rich getting richer has to stop. The Super League talk has to be brought to an end, it’s time for a change and it’s time fans have a greater role in the running order of Professional Association Football.

Leeds vs Liverpool: Match Stats

Leeds: Meslier; Ayling, Llorente, Struijk, Alioski; Phillips; Costa, Dallas, Roberts, Harrison; Bamford.

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Kabak, Robertson; Thiago, Wijnaldum, Milner; Jota, Firmino, Mane.

Goals: 31′ Mane, 87′ Llorente

Bookings: 25′ Dallas, 37’Alioski; 39′ Firmino

Subs: 67′ Poveda (on for Costa), 78′ Klich (on for Alioski), 85′ Hernandez (on for Roberts); 70′ Salah (on for Mane), 80′ Oxlade-Chamberlain (on for Jota)