Welcome to the new Liverpool. Pretty much the same as the old Liverpool, actually.
Jurgen Klopp admitted on Friday the need for fresh ideas as he attempted to drag his team out of a stupor that has effectively banished hopes of Champions League football next season.
But after last weekend’s stirring recovery to earn a point at home to Arsenal, the Reds boss stuck to the same starting XI as Trent Alexander-Arnold once more slotted into an inverted full-back role that encouraged him to step into midfield.
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With Leeds United strangely compliant during, at least in terms of possession, a one-sided first half, the defender was seen in a central position far more often than against the Gunners.
And how Alexander-Arnold and Liverpool made it pay as they romped home to a thunderous victory that, at the very least, gave the Reds a reminder to themselves of the devastating attacking play of which there simply hasn’t been sufficient on the road this season.
In eight previous away Premier League games in 2023, the Reds scored only four times. At a dazed Elland Road, they managed that in the second half alone.
It was fitting, then, that this one-sided romp was bookended by two pieces of Alexander-Arnold creativity from midfield.
Sure, there was fortune when, in the 35th minute, the ball clearly struck the arm of Alexander-Arnold as he charged down a Junior Firpo clearance, contact VAR ruled accidental. But he was rewarded for his aggression and, of course, being in the position in the first place. A one-two with Mohamed Salah later, and Alexander-Arnold laid the opener on a plate for Cody Gakpo, only his fifth assist of the season but second in successive games.
That became six during injury time when his lifted pass over the top sent substitute Darwin Nunez scurrying away to secure Liverpool’s biggest away Premier League win in 18 months.
And this wasn’t a one-way performance from Alexander-Arnold by any means, the right-back diligent in his defensive duties, notably when Leeds briefly threatened an unlikely comeback immediately after the interval.
But there was a freedom to the England man’s play – helped by the clever movements of Curtis Jones and Jordan Henderson in midfield ahead of him – that must now be harnessed, for the remaining weeks of the season certainly. He completed 124 successful passes, the most in a single game during his Liverpool career.
It won’t, as Klopp has previously stated, be suitable for every game. But while the methods may change, the fact remains the same – unlocking Alexander-Arnold’s creativity is the key to success for this Liverpool side.
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