Leeds United 0–3 Liverpool: Elliott injury mars otherwise positive outing for Reds (Instant Reaction and Player Ratings)
Salah, Mané and a rare Fabinho goal helped Liverpool see off a feisty Leeds side at Elland Road on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds could have gone down early, with Alisson stopping a near-point blank strike from Rodrigo in the fifth minute.
Mo Salah put Liverpool 1–0 up on 20 minutes with a calculated finish at the near post after a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Liverpool then had a flurry of chances from which they definitely should have scored at least one, with Mané, Jota and Thiago the foremost offenders for the Reds.
In the midst of Liverpool’s attacking chances, Thiago also had a rare opportunity to put himself on the scoresheet etched off as Mo Salah was ruled offside.
Liverpool cemented their grip on the game early on in the second half as Fabinho blasted home from just beyond the six-yard box on 50 minutes after Leeds failed to clear a corner.
Leeds had a couple of chances in the second half, but never seriously threatened Liverpool’s hegemony. These were headlined by Patrick Bamford’s chip almost caught Alisson out after Thiago had carelessly lost possession in midfield, but the Brazilian recovered well to put the ball out for a corner.
Sadio Mané put the game to bed in injury time off the tenth of his ten shots on the day with a rather flustered strike from close range past Illan Meslier in the Leeds net.
Klopp’s men will be satisfied with going into a tough atmosphere and leaving with three goals and three points, but unfortunately the day will be headlined by the horrific injury suffered by Harvey Elliott.
Liverpool’s 18-year-old budding star appeared to have his ankle snapped cleanly from a tackle which saw Pascal Struijk sent off.
Elliott left the field on a stretcher conscious and seemingly in good spirits but the look on Mo Salah’s face as saw the injury, with Elliott’s ankle seemingly suspended by only skin, indicates that he may be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
It is a hugely unlucky blow to an emerging talent that was beginning to blossom in this Liverpool side and to a team already struggling with player shortages.
With Minamino, Firmino and now Elliott all unavailable, Divock Origi is the sole backup to the front three of Salah, Mané and Jota.
Of course we keep Harvey Elliott in our prayers and wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Player Ratings
Alisson Becker — 7. A solid performance from the Brazilian, doing what he needed to do well — even if he wasn’t required to do much.
Trent Alexander-Arnold — 8. Great assist for Salah’s goal and yet another commanding attacking performance down the right hand side whilst also fulfilling his defensive duties and keeping Jack Harrison at bay.
Virgil van Dijk — 7. Had a chance to get his name on the scoresheet with a free header in the box but otherwise played a typically Virgilian van Dijk game. Rock solid defending.
Joël Matip — 7.5. Has a quiet disposition and often doesn’t make the headlines, but he was heavily involved in Salah’s goal which was great to see.
Andy Robertson — 7. Thought he was quiet today but in fairness he didn’t do anything outrageously wrong. His starting the game indicates Klopp’s intentions moving forward, with Tsimikas having impressed in the Scot’s absence.
Fabinho — 7.5. Always commanding in that centre midfield, he had some great tackles and interceptions today. It was a shame he picked up a booking for a needless challenge in the first half.
Thiago — 6. Not just his shirt number; Thiago looked slow and off the pace today. Got very angry at him being dispossessed by Bamford which almost led to a goal. FPL disagrees with me though, awarding him a bonus point for his outing. Personally, I don’t think he’s done enough to earn his place next time around.
Harvey Elliott — 7. He was playing well up until the incident, showing typical energy and tenacity. Did make a couple of defensive errors. Obviously hope to be writing a review of a Harvey Elliott performance as soon as possible.
Sadio Mané — 4. Scored once, but should have scored about five times. Very poor finishing display from the Senegalese, his regression has been sad but clear to see over the last couple of seasons. Long term Liverpool need a replacement for him.
Diogo Jota — 5. Jota runs the risk of becoming a player whose only discernible quality is goalscoring. It’s obviously not a bad trait but he is not offering much elsewhere on the pitch; and today he was left behind by most of the action where I felt he was more of an observer than an active contributor.
Mohamed Salah — 8. With the growing impotence of Mané, Salah is Liverpool’s sole serious attacking threat these days. He looked very sharp and is clearly hungry for goals. Nice for him to reach the 100 PL goals mark today.
SUBS
Jordan Henderson — 6. Made a few mistakes on the ball and overall just looked rusty. Hopefully he has now dusted off the cobwebs and can return to full functionality next time out.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain — 3. Everything he touched turned to lead (or whatever the opposite of gold is). Looked sulky after Mané scored as he probably wanted it for himself. I thought he was desperate to make an impact and put himself before the team. Only had a short outing so I won’t read too much into it, but it certainly didn’t look great for a player Liverpool will have to rely on more now Elliott is out.
Naby Keïta — 5. Barely noticed he was playing.
Images not my own. Follow me on Twitter @ontheball_pod
Thanks for reading! :)
