Leeds United – Liverpool: Ruthless Reds Finally On Display (1-6)

Liverpool overcame the away sickness which had undermined their season so far, and they did that in a stylish fashion at Elland Road. In their best match this season, Liverpool showed no mercy, as they dismantled the ailing hosts ruthlessly by a five-goal margin. This match saw Liverpool benefit from a truly impressive structure in possession, which completely suffocated Leeds right from the very first minutes. 

Tactical analysis by Huu Trung Nguyen.

At this point, it is fair to say that both teams have not had successful league campaigns by their own standards, with Leeds even fighting against a drop in the relegation places. When they surprisingly defeated Liverpool at the Anfield in October, hopes were high that they had somewhat turned a corner, but it then turned out to be all illusory. So far in 2023, Leeds had only managed to put together three wins in fourteen league fixtures.

Yet this is only one fewer than Liverpool’s four. Liverpool went into this game on the back of a four-game winless run in the league - their second in 2023 alone. In all competitions, they were currently enduring their longest win drought under Jürgen Klopp’s reign, a five-game stretch in which they lost three and drew two. Liverpool had collected an average of just 0.87 points on away soil this season, which is their poorest record since 1992-93.

However, it had not been all doom and gloom for Liverpool. Eight days ago, they came back brilliantly from being 0-2 down to grasp a 2-2 draw against table leaders Arsenal. At Leeds, Liverpool would definitely aim to pick up what they left off last time out to spark a late European push. Meanwhile, Leeds also hoped to pull off . . .