Thank you very much for joining me.
Here is Louise Taylor’s match report.
Jurgen Klopp speaks…
“I think it is the best game we have played this season. I think we forced Leeds into making errors. It was a really good game, sensational goals.
“We had a really good training week. I could have chosen three or four different lineups. Everything I saw on the pitch from a manager’s point of view was really good.
“There are eight games to come, we need to do this again and again.”
Carragher says Leeds have poor defenders and Meslier has no presence. A less than ideal situation.
Think he has a little way to go but he certainly had a great game tonight.
Not a Liverpool or Leeds fan, but T Alexander-Arnold is possibly the best passer of a football in the Premier League at the moment.
— Will (but not of the people) (@HardtWill) April 17, 2023
Ben Mee says Leeds “folded”. Not a good sign when fighting for your Premier League lives.
Alexander-Arnold had a great time moving from full-back into midfield and being able to create more centrally. Klopp walks down the tunnel looking very happy. He celebrates with the Liverpool fans and shows off his glorious teeth.
Those remaining inside Elland Road boo Leeds off the pitch. Thankfully, for those players in white, the majority of people were long gone by the time Darwin Nunez scored the sixth.
Full-time! Leeds 1-6 Liverpool
Liverpool’s forward had a great game but Leeds were very willing victims. Leeds have lost their past two home league matches 5-1 and 6-1, which does not bode well for what will be a vicious relegation battle.
90+2 mins: Can we try to find a positive for Leeds to take out of this? No neither can I.
GOAL! Leeds fail to play a competent offside trap. Alexander-Arnold clips the ball over the centre-backs to Nunez who is in so much space he can chest it down, take a touch and then score. Pathetic from Leeds.
GOAL! Leeds 1-6 Liverpool (Nunez, 90)
Appalling defending once more.
Updated
88 mins: Andy Hinchcliffe gives Salah player of the match. Now to decide who has been worst for Leeds …
Meslier needlessly palms a cross back into a dangerous area. Another cross is sent along the six-yard and bounces wide off Firpo.
86 mins: Leeds have not touched the ball for a while.
84 mins: Thiago is stripped off and watching as his teammates pass the ball around very slowly. Leeds have given up.
82 mins: Salah, Gakpo, Henderson and Jota all depart. No hat-tricks tonight.
80 mins: Colum Fordham says: “The match may be well and truly over but it has been a resurrection of sorts for Dioga Jota who has looked off the boil since his return. Until now. That rasping finish is a good sign for Liverpool and that fourth place mentioned by Matt Dony not just a pipe dream.”
78 mins: Quadruple sub incoming for Liverpool. Milner, Diaz, Firmino and Nunez are prepped.
76 mins: Summerville darts into the box; Harrison takes the ball his off his teammate and shoots but Konate is there with a diving block.
Sinisterra shoots and misses by a mile, then collapses in a heap despite no one being near him. Looks like a calf issue.
Forshaw and Gnonto on for Sinisterra and Harrison.
No obvious need to worry.
@Will_Unwin Is liverpool close to using up their monthly goal quota again? how concerned should i be for the next 3 games?
— darwin's backheel (@csxwbxwyzyhlzj) April 17, 2023
GOAL! Henderson pings a pass to Jota on the edge of the box. Leeds have left him in an acre of space, allowing him to pick his spot in the corner. Cur the Leeds fans exiting.
GOAL! Leeds 1-5 Liverpool (Jota, 73)
Very, very easy.
Updated
72 mins: Gakpo plays in Jota, he gives himself a chance to strike it but the shot is always rising.
Leeds’ season will be defined by their next three games: Fulham (a), Leicester (h) and Bournemouth (a). They will need to pick themselves up from this quickly.
70 mins: Jones has been very good for Liverpool. A young player who seems to have spent years on the fringes at Anfield but has really taken his chance in the past three games.
68 mins: Still waiting to see if Rutter was worth the money. A funny signing when you are fighting relegation. You would think a team would break their transfer record for a striker who offers guaranteed goals. Rutter has never been prolific. Unsurprisingly, he is yet to score for Leeds.
66 mins: Gracia sends on Rutter and Summerville for Rodrigo and Aaronson. Good luck, lads.
GOAL! Robertson leaves Koch for dust with a burst down the left, he picks out Gakpo in the middle, who lays it off to Salah to curl into the corner.
GOAL! Leeds 1-4 Liverpool (Salah, 64)
What a break! Game over.
Updated
62 mins: You’d think Leeds will need to make some changes soon. Gnonto, you would imagine will be one. Summerville another?
60 mins: NO GOAL! Alexander-Arnold lifts a free-kick to Van Dijk on the left, he gets beyond the Leeds defence and taps across for Salah to nudge into the net. The flag goes up but it is very, very tight. VAR needs a long look and sticks with the original decision.
59 mins: Robertson heads the ball into the path of Aaronson, he gets it out of his feet and takes aim for the top corner but it flies just wide. Alisson fumes at the lack of pressure put on the American.
Down the other end … Gakpo is pushed in the back by Roca and then cleaned out by Firpo. Some good teamwork, in its way.
Harriet Osborn responds to 2056: “McKennie is one of the USA’s best players, consistently. He was Schalke’s best player (barring maybe Faehrmann) his last season with them- see what happened after? I’ll never forgive him for giving me a soft spot for the poor Konigsblauen. How Evertonian are they?
“Juventus is similarly mismanaged, and I believe his loan/sale was more for their financial gain than for them to be looking to offload him as a player. Just as his move to Juventus was.
“He’ll be fine. He’s also still awfully young for being that technically good.”
57 mins: A ball is lifted over the top for Salah, he lobs Meslier but Kristensen is there to mop up. More importantly, the assistant flags and falls over in the process.
55 mins: If, like me, you love a defensive error, then this is the match for you. There are plenty to tuck into.
“Hi Will,” says Antony Train, “this feels weird in so many ways. I’m cheering on Leeds (who normally we would be fighting with to stay up) as somehow my team, Villa, is ahead of Liverpool. I don’t know how to process this! My head may fall off if I’m honest.”
Do not lose your head.
GOAL! Struijk comes to cut out a pass but misses it, leaving him out of position when Jones slips the ball through to Jota, who calmly curls a shot beyond the onrushing Meslier.
GOAL! Leeds 1-3 Liverpool (Jota, 52)
No mistake from Jota this time.
Updated
51 mins: Could Leeds not have played with some vague intensity in the first half?
Liverpool have their first shot of the half. Jota takes the ball down in the box, spins Kristensen but then drags his shot wide.
49 mins: GAME ON! Leeds are actually trying to press Liverpool, who have cracked under pressure a few times this season. Elland Road is certainly awake.
GOAL! Awful stuff from Konate who is dispossessed after taking a couple of poor touches in his own half. Sinisterra takes the ball off the Frenchman and runs into the box, before dinking a shot beyond Alisson.
GOAL! Leeds 1-2 Liverpool (Sinisterra, 47)
Back in it!
Updated
Second half
Here we go again!
I think, overall, he has been decent for Leeds.
@Will_Unwin Is McKennie going down the same route as Dele Alli? Schalke, Juventus and now struggling with Leeds. What gives?
— The Stellarossa (Separatist)🏴🇺🇸 (@TheStellaRossa) April 17, 2023
Ben Mee says it is handball from Alexander-Arnold. I will not argue with the great man.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold has been outstanding so far today,” says Kári Tulinius. “I can’t tell if it’s him playing differently, or if he’s simply the most visible sign of the team’s performance, that when Liverpool are bad, he’s terrible, and when they’re good, he’s brilliant.”
He is under no pressure defensively from Leeds, which helps.
Right shall we look at the answers to Richard Hirst’s question (see 2034)?
Harriet Osborn: “Regarding the supporter survey- it’s been awfully fun to laugh at the mismanagement and subsequent on-pitch misfortune of Everton. Yes, it would be fun to see them go down. On the last day, by shipping a last-second goal, which ruins their goal difference! However, the fact that their very existence is threatened if that happens ruins the fun. Batman needs the Joker; so Liverpool needs Everton.”
David Reynolds: “I’m a red, mums a red, brother #1 a red, dads a toffee, brother #2 a toffee, sister a toffee (sort of) so I’d be genuinely gutted to see them go down. Notwithstanding the fierce rivalry that I’d miss, having two premier league clubs is fantastic for the city and what the blueshite Everton are doing at Bramley Moor is genuinely impressive (and again great for the city and the regeneration around Liverpool Waters). Alas it isn’t looking good for our friends from across Stanley Park…”
Johnathan Kaszynski: “Everton getting relegated is one of those things that sounds funny, until you think about a season (or more) without the derby, to say nothing of how disastrous it would be for the city for their stadium to go unfinished.”
Christopher Keelan: “I think it’s more the Everton fans who go in for that kind of schadenfreude.”
Half time: Leeds 0-2 Liverpool
Leeds have not played with the intensity required to unsettle Liverpool, instead allowing them as much of the ball as they want. The goals have come from mistakes and, frankly, this game is done.
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
43 mins: Aaronson megs Fabinho and the Brazilian takes his revenge by taking the American down, getting booked for his troubles.
Matthew Stephens says: “As an Arsenal fan I can assure you that 2-0 is a very dangerous scoreline for Liverpool.”
Niall Mullen offers some insight: “A little ironic that Leeds got done in the transition (twice) in exactly the way they were trying to do Liverpool.”
41 mins: I am not sure Leeds have two goals in them tonight. Their defence has let them down like it did against Palace, making it too easy for Liverpool to play through them, and that’s even before you consider the mistakes that resulted in the goals.
GOAL! McKennie is tackled and Liverpool break from their own half through Jota, who slips the ball to Salah. Struijk gives him too much room and he pings a shot into the net from 15 yards. Game over?
GOAL! Leeds 0-2 Liverpool (Salah 39)
All far too easy for Liverpool.
Updated
37 mins: Alexander-Arnold’s ‘handball’ happened too far back for it to be relevant, which will frustrate Leeds. Elland Road is quiet.
GOAL! Leeds 0-1 Liverpool (Gakpo, 35)
Firpo gets caught in possession by Alexander-Arnold, the ball bounces off the Liverpool defender’s arm as he takes it towards the box and crosses to Gakpo to tap into an empty net.
Updated
34 mins: Richard Hirst is taking over the blog: “For Liverpool supporters would Everton getting relegated make up for Liverpool not getting into the Champions (and also rans) League - straw poll of Liverpool MBM followers?”
I reckon it might …
32 mins: Jota lifts a cross into the box for Gakpo to attack but it goes over his head and Meslier catches. Jota is having a pretty poor match thus far.
30 mins: Aaronson tries to shoot but is put off balance by an arm on the shoulder from Van Dijk, not that it can be described as a foul.
28 mins: Rodrigo clatters into Fabinho, catching him in the head. The midfielder eventually gets up. The referee sees it differently and gives Leeds the free-kick.
26 mins: Gakpo goes with a more specific pass this time, finding Jota inside the box but his shot is blocked. Another cross comes in and lands on Salah’s head but it only brushes his hair.
24 mins: Gakpo gets round the back of the Leeds defence but his chipped cross goes over everyone in red and the hosts can clear.
A quiet night at the libraries around European, says Chris Keelan: “0-0 everywhere: Celta Vigo, Fiorentina, Grenoble - our potential Conference opponents next season alas.”
22 mins: Leeds clip a cross into the box but Alisson comes to claim without hesitation. Nothing to see here.
Sinisterra is slipped through by Aaronson but he ends up at a tight angle and cannot fire his shot across Alisson, instead hitting it wide of the near post.
Richard Hirst emails: “Sixteen minutes and Leeds haven’t committed a foul - the crowd must be seething.”
20 mins: Harrison tries to control the ball on the touchline but falls over. Overall, this has been a pretty tame affair.
18 mins: Leeds have a corner on the left. Unfortunately for the hosts, it comes to nothing.
16 mins: Henderson swings a cross into the box, it finds Gakpo on the edge of the six-yard box but the ball is behind him and he struggles to generate any power on his header.
14 mins: Very much a game for chess when it comes to Leeds’ defensive set up.
12 mins: Leeds are pretty happy to let Liverpool pass the ball in front of them while offering no gaps to play through the lines. How long can they keep this up for?
“I admire Matt’s confidence but I don’t think Leeds will get that 4th spot.”
Lovely stuff from Paulo Biriani.
10 mins: Leeds seem to have gained some confidence from creating the first chance of the match. Rodrigo tries his luck from far further out but drags his shot wide from around 25 yards. Needless to say, a couple of minutes of positivity from Leeds has boosted Elland Road.
8 mins: Harrison swings in the free-kick from the left, Rodrigo leaves his marker behind but his header is weak and Alisson saves with ease. Leeds need to do better from such chances.
6 mins: Leeds are not particularly getting into the faces of Liverpool and Elland Road is pretty quiet. A less than idle start for the hosts.
They do, however, get a free-kick when Jones clears out Rodrigo on the left flank.
An optimistic Matt Dony emails: “With Newcastle and Spurs both losing on the weekend, fourth place is ON! (I know, I know…)"
4 mins: I am not 100% sure if Leeds have touched the ball since kick-off. It has been all Liverpool but they have done anything with their possession yet.
2 mins: Liverpool control the early stages of the match to avoid Leeds fans getting too excited.
Updated
Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Rodrigo and Henderson are carrying flowers to mark the 34th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
Updated
The players are in the tunnel. Elland Road sounds lively.
Bill Preston has been in touch: “Liverpool not being able, or perhaps willing, to put a stomp on the transfer market their fans desire is probably for the best. A proper, well thought out restructure will do the club well, rather than opting for Bellingham who is, to be fair, thrilling.
“Heroics are required by so many at the bottom end of the table: Leeds scratching a 2-2 draw here should see them safe, at the expense of Everton.”
Jurgen Klopp speaks …
On Leeds: “The circumstances are clear, Leeds are involved in one of the most exciting relegation battles of all time. We expect a hostile atmosphere and a real fight.”
On Diaz: “It is all going in the right direction. It is a long break for Diaz. He is not at 100% but the thing he needs now is minutes.”
Mohamed Salah is primed.
Jeff Sax emails: “Is what your paper is writing about now: billionaires that changed and are changing Chelsea....the former improved them, the current one causing them to implode.”
We seem to be …
Louise Taylor on Leeds.
Peter Oh emails: “Liverpool being priced out of the Ferrari Bellingham makes me wonder what the makes and models of the current crop of Reds players would be. Audi TAA? Bugatti Virgil? Hendo NSX?”
I had to search our photo system for NSX and this came up. Appropriate?
Friend of the Guardian, Ben Mee is on the Monday Night Football, dressed like a middle manager at KPMG.
Javi Gracia speaks …
On the match: “All the games are vital for us. We don’t look at the table, we don’t look at other teams, we focus on ourselves. The main thing for us is to compete at our level.”
On loss to Palace: “It was the worst moment for us but in the rest of the games, we’ve had good performances, competing really well. I am sure today we will recover our level.”
On Bamford’s absence: “Patrick has a problem in his calf.”
On Rodrigo’s return: “All the players want to help the team and today is an opportunity for Rodrigo. He was a long time injured but he has received.”
I went to see Jurgen Klopp on Friday.
Starting lineups
Leeds (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Firpo, Kristensen, Koch, Struijk; Roca, McKennie; Aaronson, Sinisterra, Harrison; Rodrigo
Subs: Robles, Ayling, Cooper, Wober, Forshaw, Greenwood, Summerville, Georginio, Gnonto
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Jones; Jota, Salah, Gakpo
Subs: Kelleher, Thiago, Milner, Firmino, Elliott, Tsimikas, Diaz, Nunez, Matip
Preamble
Leeds and Liverpool were both involved in fantastic fightbacks last weekend. Unfortunately, Javi Gracia’s side saw a 1-0 lead become a 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace to leave them in a precarious position in the league. They sit two points above the drop zone but a win today would leave them looking in a very pretty position, thanks to the tight nature of the fight for survival.
They would have been a bit more confident going into this match two weeks ago but Liverpool have picked up somewhat. Their 4-1 loss at Manchester City was followed by a tedious 0-0 at Chelsea and wondrous comeback against league leaders Arsenal in front of a boisterous Anfield. The main disappointment from the draw with the Gunners was that they failed to turn it into three points. They had chances late on but could not find that all important third, and might be eager to take out their frustrations on tonight’s opponents.
Liverpool’s week has been overshadowed by the news that Jude Bellingham will be not tapping the ‘This Is Anfield’ sign next season because the club cannot afford his transfer fee and wages. There is no need to despair, there are plenty of other good players out there and the transfer committee will undoubtedly do a pretty decent job.
Javi Gracia does not have the luxury of looking to the summer. He does not know which division Leeds will be playing in next season and his “flexible contract” does not offer much of an inclination of his future. The best way to extend his time at Elland Road would be a win tonight and maintaining Leeds’ Premier League status. Let’s see if Patrick Bamford can do a Tony Yeboah.
It should be a fun night!
Kick-off: 8pm BST
