Leeds and Liverpool drew 3-3 with all six goals coming after the break and in dramatic fashion.
If the first 45 minutes were anything to go by, it looked like this game wasn’t going to be much fun. The hosts had a strong start, taking the first three shots of the match and piling on pressure into the guests.
Then, the Reds took control and dominated the rest of the first half. But neither team had anything to show for it, going into the break level at 0-0.
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Joe Rodon’s error early on in the second half – which would be the first of many – made something click. Hugo Ekitike scored two goals within just over two minutes and looked to have won the game then and there.
However, as quickly as Liverpool built their two-goal lead, they gave it away. A Dominic Calvert-Lewin penalty and a tidy Anton Stach finish got the Whites back into the game. Dominik Szoboszlai thought he had won it just five minutes later, but Ao Tanaka scored a 96th-minute equaliser to make it 3-3.
| Combined stats | 1st half | 2nd half |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on target) | 13 (0) | 15 (12) |
| Expected goals | 0.65 xG | 2.66 xG |
| Big chances | 1 | 5 |
What changed between the first and second halves of Leeds vs Liverpool?
The second half actually started similary to the first one. No substitutions, no structural changes. But Liverpool’s quick two goals in the first five minutes naturally changed the outlook of the game.
Suddenly, Leeds – who had just 34% possession in the first half – found themselves in need to charge forward and take more risks. Ironically, that’s how they started the game – and had the most success early on – and the best they looked against Chelsea and Manchester City.
The good news is that they did this both in the back-three and back-four set-ups. Daniel Farke maintained the structure that had been working since the second half at Etihad Stadium initially and dismantled it in the second half today against the Reds.
Mistakes set the tone
It’s hard to talk about this match without mentioning how much individual mistakes conditioned it. Joe Rodon started it all gifting a clear-cut goalscoring opportunity to Hugo Ekitike, who made no mistake.
Then, Gabriel Gudmundsson misplaced a pass down the left-hand side and Connor Bradley took the ball from him. He crossed it to the Frenchman who went to a 50-50 challenge with goalkeeper Lucas Perri and ended up scoring.
All of this perhaps should serve as a sign that Daniel Farke needs to fully embrace the direct approach. Leeds started the game going long from goalkeeper and centre-backs and found a lot of success winning second balls and getting shots off.
And whenever they did try to play out from the back, many times they gave the ball back to Liverpool inside their own half. They may be better off just launching the ball forward.
But the Reds also joined in on the action. First, Ibrahima Konate slid in to try and tackle Wilfred Gnonto inside the box and took him down. Calvert-Lewin scored the penalty and made it 1-2.
Their second goal started from Szoboszlai misplacing an easy pass, initiating the Whites’ build-up that led to a very nice Stach goal.
Impactful substitutes
Focusing more on the positives, the main story will be the substitutes. Farke showed a little bit of ‘Midas touch’, as each of the three players he subbed in when changing formation in the 65th minute went on to either score or assist.
Gnonto won the penalty, Brenden Aaronson assisted Stach’s goal and Ao Tanaka equalised in dramatic fashion to give Leeds a point.
And Alexis Mac Allister, who also came off the bench three minutes after the Leeds trio, will go back home without a direct involvement but basically enabled Szoboszlai’s goal. His dummy to let Ryan Gravenberch’s pass meet the Hungarian deserves huge credit.
What next for Liverpool and Leeds?
The draw will sting for Liverpool, especially after they threw away two different leads – one of them of two goals. It’s a game they should have won.
But the club’s job is to assess the process and not only the result. They played much better than what they had previously shown in the past month or so.
They looked safe at the back basically from the 5th to the 75th minute, created decent chances going forward and forced turnovers in the final third. It’s an over-simplification, of course, but these three straits specifically have been their main ones under Arne Slot.
Dominik Szoboszlai has maintained his fine form, Virgil van Dijk has been a monster in the air as of late (79% of aerial duels won this season) and Hugo Ekitike broke his month-and-a-half-long goal drought for the Reds.
Up next are an in-form Inter Milan at the San Siro in the Champions League. And despite a few good things to take from this unbeaten – yet still underwhelming – three-game stretch (W1 D2), Liverpool will need to show more in order to leave Italy with all three points.
As for Leeds, they have had probably the toughest schedule of any team in the last four matchweeks. Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in a row is no easy task.
The Whites did pick up “just” four points from these four matches, but put in brave and solid performances in each of them. With a bit of luck, the defeat at the Etihad could have been a draw, and their home loss to Villa could have been a win.
Daniel Farke’s men will remain out of the relegation zone until next week. It certainly feels like the Whites are on the right track.