Hugo Ekitiké hits brace but Liverpool punished in thrilling Leeds draw

Leeds 3-3 Liverpool 

©IMAGO

Liverpool’s unexpected plight from comfortable Premier League winners to scrambling for a top-four finish has led football fans to ask one pertinent question: where has it gone wrong for Arne Slot’s men? There’s no right or wrong answer, nor is there just one that resolves the issue entirely in one go. A combination of problems have cropped up and the Dutchman has been desperately trying to stop the rot after embarking on a dismal run of six defeats in seven games. Against Leeds United on Saturday, there was an art gallery’s worth of exhibits to highlight the issues that continue to plague them.

The best part about spending €482million to sign world-class players in the summer transfer window is that they can often provide awe-inspiring performances or win games on their own. That’s exactly what Hugo Ekitiké did at Elland Road on Saturday, proving to be clinical in front of goal with two goals in the space of 100 seconds. At the other end of the pitch, however, his defenders didn’t hold up their side of the bargain in a frenetic 3-3 draw.

Along with their leaky backline, scoring has definitely been one of the most alarming problems for Liverpool. And for 47 minutes of this end-to-end encounter, the champions looked to be short of ideas again. Slot selected Ekitiké, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai as his front four, and many would agree there is enough quality to score against a team in patchy form like their opponents. But the quartet collectively had found the net just once between them over the last six league games. A drab first half saw eight shots on goal with none on target and 65 per cent possession. Liverpool had a luxury of options to choose from on the bench if they weren’t able to break the deadlock, with Alexander Isak, Mohamed Salah, Federico Chiesa and Alexis Mac Allister available.

Ekitiké might have been a contender to come off, but after the interval, the Frenchman looked a different player. He began chasing the Leeds backline – a duty he had neglected in the first half – and got his reward when Joe Rodon’s poor pass evaded Ethan Ampadu. Ekitiké intercepted and raced towards goal, slotting home with the confidence of a striker who had scored in eight consecutive games, as opposed to going eight games without scoring like he had. A minute later, he was at it again and Leeds lost the ball in their own defensive third, with Szoboszlai crossing for the 23-year-old to squeeze his effort underneath the goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

The frustrating aspect for Leeds boss Daniel Farke was that his side gifted Liverpool two goals as if they were Christmas presents, and it appeared to be game over. Of course, this is the Premier League, where a 2-0 scoreline never guarantees three points until the final whistle is blown. Ibrahima Konate’s clumsy challenge brought down Wilfried Gnonto in the box and, after a VAR review, referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot. Up stepped the former Evertonian Dominic Calvert-Lewin to smash his penalty past Alisson Becker, and the 30,000-strong Leeds faithful roared in delight. Less than three minutes later, Leeds dragged themselves level through Anton Stach to spark wild scenes in the stands. Ekitiké nearly had a hat-trick if not for a fine save from Perri to keep the scores level.

It felt like another goal was coming – and it did. An incisive breakaway from Ryan Gravenberch, followed by a delightful Mac Allister dummy, led to Szoboszlai sliding the ball underneath Perri to make it 3-2. But with nine minutes of stoppage time awarded and Leeds growing in confidence, it promised to a nervy finale for Liverpool. Leeds earned a late corner and Virgil van Dijk didn’t deal with the teasing delivery. The ball fell to Japanese midfielder Ao Tanaka at the far post and he drilled past Alisson to bag his second goal in four days after a fine strike against Chelsea. It marked the fourth time this season that Liverpool have conceded three or more goals in a Premier League game – they only had five instances for the entirety of last season. They’ve also now shipped 24 goals in 15 games, a rate of 1.6 per game, which is up from 1.1 last season.

Given how the first half played out, very few would’ve had this ending 3-3 at full time. Leeds were understandably jubilant and were perhaps deserving of their point for a courageous fightback from 2-0 down. But after twice leading, Slot will be very disappointed his Liverpool side won’t be taking three points back to Merseyside – and not for the first time.