Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has heaped praise on Leeds United for not playing like a side under pressure as they ended the Reds 29-game unbeaten run at Anfield. Jesse Marsch's side also ended their own winless run, with Crysencio Summerville scoring the winner in the dying embers of the game.
It was the perfect 21st birthday present for the Dutch youth international, ending Leeds' long awaited search for three points. "His second and third touch are almost in sync, he takes it so early the goalkeeper can’t set himself," Souness said on Sky Sports.
"Leeds were a team playing under pressure, they didn’t play like a young team tonight, they played like a team that believed in what they wanted to do believed they’d get a result. You can say a lucky first goal but that’s not the reason Liverpool lost the game, the mistake, they were a country mile from where they were, they don’t play with the same intensity.
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"I think in many instances tonight, Leeds were more of a match for what Liverpool had been doing for years, bullying teams Liverpool, the midfield bullied teams. Now they’re getting bullied in midfield and it’s making them vulnerable at the back, they’re not creating the same chances up front. If that’s correct [Leeds running 11km more] that means they ran 1km more than the Liverpool players, that cannot be possible. It tells you Liverpool had most of the ball but that’s a big difference. "
The win alleviates any short-term pressure on Marsch following a turbulent few weeks at Elland Road. Leeds have not be able to gather the points needed to avoid being draw into a relegation battle.
Defeat to Fulham last week saw them drop into the bottom three for the first time this season. However, despite the slight ease in pressure on Leeds and their head coach, Souness says there are still more difficult days ahead.
He said: "They’ve been playing under pressure, people criticising them, the manager’s job at risk. Their team come in three years younger than Liverpool’s tonight and experience counts at this level.
"They’ll have more punches on the nose before the end of the season, it would’ve been an unhappy club on the Monday morning after a defeat but look at them today, they’ve gone to Liverpool - still a special place - were they fired up for that? If that’s their normal input in the game, their intensity, they got pinned back by Liverpool, I thought they coped themselves.
"Their goalkeeper got man of the match which meant they had chances against them. It’s forward gear all the time, when they lose it they try to win it back, lose the ball and go after you. I think there’s more difficult days ahead, they are a great watch but have got a togetherness that is outstanding."
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