Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota both scored braces to help Liverpool produce one of the high-scoring football results of the weekend in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp’s side had failed to score against a bottom-six club in their previous six efforts, but there was no danger of history repeating itself after jumping into a two-goal lead before the game’s halfway point. Mo Salah and Diogo Jota both scored twice as they moved within three points of sixth-placed Aston Villa, while Leeds is just two points above the relegation zone after conceding 11 goals in their last two home games.
Liverpool’s goal was marred by controversy, with creator Trent Alexander-Arnold appearing to use his arm to control the ball in the buildup, but VAR failed to interfere as the full-back laid the ball on a plate for Cody Gakpo to tap home at the back post (35). Salah then collected Jota’s sharp ball, using clever movement to avoid the clutches of Pascal Struijk, before blasting emphatically beyond a hapless Illan Meslier (39) in his eighth goal in six games against Leeds. Luis Sinisterra scored what turned out to be a consolation goal shortly after the break (47), clearing the stage for a second-half Liverpool blitz led by Salah’s brilliance.
The Egyptian scored a magnificent fourth (64) immediately after Jota scored his first goal in almost a year (52), with the Portuguese forward adding an outstanding second in the 73rd minute to his personal tally. In the 90th minute, Alexander-Arnold put in substitute Darwin Nunez, who scored nicely for his ninth Premier League goal of the season, to round off a magnificent performance by the visitors. The win was Liverpool’s first in all competitions since a 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United in early March, but it will come as another blow to Leeds’ survival ambitions after they conceded five goals at home against Crystal Palace eight days ago.
Only Liverpool’s second away win of 2023, but that doesn’t diminish the effectiveness of their forward play as they swept a dejected Leeds team away with a magnificent display of ruthless finishing. Leeds had half-chances early on but ultimately repeated the same mistakes that led to a 5-1 humiliation at the hands of Palace the previous time out, undone by individual errors and bad defense. Liverpool began to cut Leeds open at will after Gakpo’s goal, with Jota robbing Weston McKennie on the halfway line, leading to a counter-attack that saw Salah score the game’s second.
A misunderstanding by Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate allowed Sinisterra to cut the deficit to one goal, but their joy was short-lived as Jota restored Liverpool’s two-goal lead five minutes later, latching onto a wonderful cross from Curtis Jones to sweep the ball past Meslier. When Andy Robertson’s foray down the left found Gakpo well-placed, he helped the ball onto Salah, who curled his 15th league strike of the season into the far corner as Elland Road emptied. Not to be outdone, Jota’s scuffed finish from Jordan Henderson’s cross sealed his return to form, having not scored in 32 appearances prior to tonight, while Nunez rounded out the onslaught by converting another instinctive Alexander-Arnold pass.
“From many perspectives, this was our greatest game of the season. Controlling the game, we forced many errors from Leeds. Goals that are sensational. We counter-pressed the best we could for a long time. We lose the ball in the 92nd minute, and four guys chase it down. It was fantastic and precisely what we needed,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said. “I’m not sure why our counter-pressing hasn’t been there when we’ve asked for it, but it finally happened tonight. It finally clicked against Arsenal in the second half. We went in that direction because we won balls back. I’d like to see us demonstrate the same level of desire, passion, and understanding that we did tonight. It is our responsibility to find that consistency.”
“We were quite disappointed because we did not anticipate this outcome. It is something we must work on. With these flaws, getting decent results is difficult. We must improve as soon as feasible,” Leeds United head coach Javi Gracia said. “Perhaps the first goal was scored by handball, but after that, we gave up numerous chances. We refused to compete again [after scoring]. We thought we might enhance the game, but as I already stated, after scoring, we allowed another goal. For us, it was impossible. We understood going into these games that it would be difficult to manage in these situations. We make an effort to work and improve.”
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