Oh Liverpool. Two wins from their last ten Premier League games is a remarkably poor record. 2-0 up, they were looking good for all three points away at Elland Road, but they threw it all away, and drama ensued.
Hugo Ekitike proved once again why he’s Liverpool’s best striker, scoring two goals in two minutes to stun the West Yorkshire club just after the break, but Leeds collected themselves, and anything Liverpool can do, they can do too.
No one really knows what was running through Ibrahima Konate’s head when he slid in and completely took Wilfried Gnonto out in the 73rd minute, giving in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin the perfect chance to score from the spot, which he duly took.
Two minutes later, Anton Stach entered the Liverpool box unopposed, planting his shot beyond Alisson to level things up. Credit where it’s due, Arne Slot’s side came back and took the lead once again through Dominik Szoboszlai, but it wasn’t enough.
Leeds didn’t let their heads drop, and they were rewarded in the 96th minute when Ao Tanaka scored his second goal in as many games, sending that famous Elland Road crown into absolute raptures, and earning a crucial point.
What is going on with Ibrahima Konate?
We wish we had an answer. Konate was one of the best defenders in the Premier League this season, but now, he’s all over the place, and if feels like he’s making increasingly costly errors every single game.
The penalty he gave away today was truly unnecessary, he simply didn’t need to slide in the way he did, and it’s been the story of his season so far. High profile errors like this one have changed opinion of him, it’s been so bad Real Madrid don’t even want to sign him on a free anymore.
Of course, the issue is deeper than one player making individual errors. More than anything this feels like a genuine crisis of confidence for Liverpool rather than something more tangible, but decisions like this make it hard for fans to get on side.
Daniel Farke lives to fight another day
A week or so ago, the German was in real danger of becoming the Premier League’s latest managerial casualty as Leeds entered the relegation zone with little evidence to suggest they’d be able to get out of it.
Now, with a good performance against Man City, a win over Chelsea, and a draw with Liverpool, the narrative has been turned on its head, and Farke has earned some major credit amongst the Elland Road faithful and the club’s powerbrokers.
Football is fickle though, and things can end just as quickly as they start. Still, Leeds look more cohesive, and turning their famous home ground into a fortress could be the difference between staying in the Premier League or not.
The end is nigh
We’re just not sure whether it’s for Slot or Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian’s explosive interview just after the game appeared to draw a line in the sand, ‘it’s me or him,’ and at this point, it’s genuinely hard to tell who is going to be backed.
Salah has every right to be frustrated about being benched for Liverpool’s previous three games considering all he’s done for the club, but at the same time, the side seem to function better without him, so it’s hard to blame Slot for making the choice.
The winger said his relationship with Slot is “broken”, and that he has spoken to his mother and said that the game against Brighton may be his last. A decision needs to be made, it’s just a shame it’s come to this.