Kmaupdates

Liverpool thrash Leeds 6-1 at Elland Road

Views: 0

Photo by GeLiverpool score six at Leeds: REUTERS/Molly Darlington

‘They don’t have another way of playing’

Leeds 1-6 Liverpool

Leeds players look frustrated during the defeat to Liverpool

“There’s a lot going wrong for Leeds at the wrong time of the season.”

That was the assessment of former United goalkeeper Paul Robinson after watching the Whites fall to another heavy Premier League defeat.

Monday’s 6-1 loss to Liverpool means Javi Gracia’s side have conceded 11 goals in their past two games, both at Elland Road.

Ruthless: Salah was one of two players to bag a brace at Elland Road (PA)© Provided by Evening Standard

It also set an unwanted club record as the first time the Whites have conceded five or more goals in consecutive league matches.

On those worrying numbers, Robinson told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily: “It was the performances and the way they conceded those goals.

“You look back at the Crystal Palace game – the first half they were in the game. They were excellent, they played well and then capitulated in the second half.

“They don’t have another way of playing. They were 2-1 up against Nottingham Forest, they were committing bodies forward and almost conceded chances.

“Liverpool almost seemed to pick them off at will in the second half. Leeds came out with a bit of fight in the second half, got the goal and lifted the crowd and you thought we were in for a real game. Once again, Leeds were exposed at the back and Liverpool were excellent going forward.

“Leeds could have lost this by a lot more. It was players’ performances, the lack of communication there. Liam Cooper hasn’t played. I don’t know why the manager is leaving him on the bench – he clearly doesn’t fancy him.

“He took Luke Ayling out – there doesn’t look to be any cohesion in the back four. There’s a lot going wrong for Leeds at the moment at the wrong time of the season.”

  1. Get Involved

    #bbcfootball, via WhatsApp on 03301231826 or text 81111 (UK only, standard message rates apply)

    Leeds fans, we want to hear from you. Have you seen any improvement since Javi Gracia’s appointment. Or are your side sliding towards relegation.

    Get in touch via the usual channels please.

    Premier League table

     

  2. ‘Reports of Liverpool’s demise are exaggerated’

    Phil Dawkes

    BBC Sport

    Liverpool will be happy to see the back of the 2022-23 campaign, but the Reds could yet salvage something.

    There have been some highlights – notably the seven goals scored against Manchester United – but this season has been largely a struggle, with injuries and lack of form affecting key players, and new recruits taking time to familiarise themselves with their new club.

    Life has been especially tough on the road, with Monday’s win at Leeds United just their fourth away from Anfield.

    They remain well short of the remarkable consistency they produced for numerous seasons under Klopp, but they demonstrably retain the ability to be ruthless when given a sniff of opposition weakness.

    Cody Gakpo’s opener was perhaps controversial but it was also clinical, as Trent Alexander-Arnold exploited the space left by the dispossessed Junior Firpo and centred for the Netherlands forward to tap home.

    They were equally quick to take advantage four minutes later, when the ball was won by Diogo Jota, who teed up Mohamed Salah to fire in a superb finish.

    The third, fourth and fifth goals were no less clinical thanks to some slick passing and brilliant finishing from Jota and Salah, who now has nine goals against Leeds in his Liverpool career.

    The Reds, who were much more like the hard-running side witnessed in recent seasons, had only seven shots on target.

    Jurgen Klopp’s side face a first finish outside the top four in seven seasons and, with Aston Villa and Brighton in superb form above them, the very real prospect of no European football for the first time since 2016-17.

    There is work to be done and summer signings will inevitably be made – but reports of Liverpool’s demise are perhaps exaggerated.

  3. Heavy Liverpool defeat is hard to accept – Gracia

    Leeds 1-6 Liverpool

    Leeds United boss Javi Gracia speaking to BBC Sport: “It’s hard to accept the game, the result as well. We lost the composure during the game. We tried in the beginning and maybe the first goal opened the game – and maybe coming from a handball – but, after this, nothing to say. We have to improve for the next game because we need it.”

    Defensive frailties an issue?: “Yes, of course. It is something we need to work on and try to improve. It is something we didn’t do in the previous games and now we are in the most important part of the season. We have to be more solid and defend better.”

    What went wrong?: “We are playing against a very good team. They played much better, they deserved the result. We tried but it was impossible to do it better.

    “The only message is try to play better next game, try to get a better result. This way, they [the fans] will be with us for the next game. There is only one way: try to work hard and try to improv

    Video content

    Video caption: Heavy Liverpool defeat hard to accept – Gracia

    Leeds win is Liverpool’s best game of season – Klopp

    Leeds 1-6 Liverpool

    Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to BBC Sport: “I don’t know where to start. The whole game was brilliant apart from a couple of moments.

    “We were super in control of the game. We played brilliantly, calm.

    “The counter-pressing was the best in ages. My favourite bit was in the 92nd minute – four players chasing a poor boy for Leeds on the ball. Fantastic.

    “We played good stuff and scored incredible goals.

    “I’m not bothered about scoring six, it’s about the performance. This was a winning performance.

    “It’s not a game Leeds should win. It’s a clear game we should win. That’s what I wanted to see.”

    On two-goal Diogo Jota: “Super game from him. So much space for improvement. They push each other a lot in training. Now they’re finally all back, hopefully they can stay. A lot of players deserved to start.”

    On a late Champions League push: “For that, you always need results for other teams. We have no clue. They might win all their games. Brighton are still in front of us. There’s nothing we have to be concerned about.

    “If we get the results we can look at the table at the end of the season.”

    Video content

    Video caption: Leeds win Liverpool’s best game of season – Klopp

     

  4. Shell-shocked Leeds make unwelcome history

    Leeds 1-6 Liverpool

    Rasmus Kristianse and Robin Koxh in discussion as Leeds concede a goal to Liverpool

    Leeds began this campaign with assurances from owner Andrea Radrizzani that having come perilously close to relegation last May, a repeat 12 months later was “impossible”.

    With May approaching, here the Whites are once more, two points above the bottom three with back-to-back home embarrassments and seven stressful games to go.

    Having suffered a demoralising second-half demolition at the hands of Palace in their previous game, this result could be terminal to their confidence.

    For 35 minutes, their tactic to contain and counter-attack worked reasonably well but, having suffered a setback with the opener, they were unable to regather themselves.

    There was a bit of fight in the second half thanks to Sinisterra’s dogged determination and cute finish but as against Palace, once the floodgates opened, they were unable to shut them again.

    With all four of the sides below them in the table losing at the weekend, Leeds have not slipped any further into trouble. But their goal difference has now taken a battering thanks to the first occasion they have conceded five or more goals in successive games in their history.

    A rally is needed, with upcoming fixtures against Fulham, Leicester and Bournemouth potentially the key to their fate.

    Reds retain ruthless streak

    Leeds 1-6 Liverpool

    Liverpool players celebrate as Diogo Jota scores at Leeds

    Both teams will be happy to see the back of the 2022-23 season, but while Leeds’ campaign may still tip into the misery of relegation, Liverpool could yet salvage something.

    There have been some highlights from their campaign – notably the seven goals scored against Manchester United – but this season has been largely a struggle, with injuries and lack of form affecting key players and new recruits taking time to familiarise themselves with their new club.

    Life has been especially tough on the road, with Monday’s win just their fourth away from Anfield all season.

    They remain well short of the remarkable consistency they produced for numerous seasons under Klopp, but they demonstrably retain the ability to be ruthless when given a sniff of opposition weakness.

    Gakpo’s opener was perhaps controversial but it was also clinical, as Alexander-Arnold exploited the space left by the dispossessed Junior Firpo and centred for the Netherlands forward to tap home.

    They were equally quick to take advantage four minutes later, when the ball was won by Jota and Salah was teed up to fire in a superb finish.

    The third, fourth and fifth goals were no less clinical thanks to some slick passing and brilliant finishing from Jota and Salah, who now has nine goals against the Whites in his Liverpool career.

    The Reds, who were much more like the hard-running side witnessed in recent seasons, had only seven shots on target.

    Klopp’s side face a first finish outside the top four in seven seasons, and with Aston Villa and Brighton in superb form above them, the very real prospect of no European football for the first time since 2016-17.

    There is work to be done and summer signings will inevitably be made, but reports of their demise are perhaps exaggerated.

  5. Liverpool run riot at struggling Leeds

    Leeds 1-6 Liverpool

    Cody Gakpo scores for Liverpool at Leeds

    Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota both scored twice as Liverpool claimed a first win in five Premier League games by inflicting a second successive home hammering on Leeds United, who remain mired in a relegation battle.

    The Reds had not won since putting seven unanswered goals past Manchester United at the start of March, but after a slow start they ruthlessly dismantled Javi Gracia’s hapless side.

    Trent Alexander-Arnold used an arm to control the ball but neither the referee or the VAR felt it worthy of penalising, before he drove forward to exchange passes with Salah and set up Cody Gakpo for the opener.

    The Egypt forward doubled his side’s lead soon after, firing a sweet shot in after being set up by Jota to put the visitors in control.

    Leeds were given hope after the break when Luis Sinisterra dispossessed the ponderous Ibrahima Konate and cleverly chipped the ball beyond Alisson.

    However, Liverpool quickly responded through Jota’s neat finish as the Portugal forward notched his first goal since April 2022.

    After seeing a goal ruled out for offside, Salah then slotted home his second at the end of a superb move to put the game to bed before Jota grabbed his second when he steered in a Jordan Henderson cross.

    Substitute Darwin Nunez completed the rout with a neat side-foot finish against a shambolic Whites side, who conceded five last weekend at home to Crystal Palace and now have the worst defensive record in the Premier League.

    On an encouraging night for the visitors, there was also a return to action for Luis Diaz as the Colombia winger made his first appearance since October as a late substitute.

    Jurgen Klopp’s side remain eighth in the table, a point behind seventh-placed Brighton and two shy of Aston Villa in sixth.

    Match report.

Scroll to Top