Jurgen Klopp had plenty to smile about as the Reds battered Leeds 6-1 at Elland Road to keep their top-four hopes flickering
Liverpool haven't had many enjoyable away days this season, but they could certainly savour this one as they battered Leeds 6-1 at Elland Road to keep their faint top-four hopes alive.
Diogo Jota scored twice – his first Reds goals in more than a year – and Mohamed Salah also bagged a brace, with Cody Gakpo and substitute Darwin Nunez rounding off a devastating attacking performance from Jurgen Klopp's side, who remain nothing if not unpredictable, at least.
They remain nine points short of Newcastle, who occupy the last Champions League qualification spot at present, but after a performance like this, and their biggest away league win since December 2020, there must at least be a little more optimism around Anfield now, with eight games still to play between now and the end of the season.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Elland Road…
GettyWINNER: Diogo Jota
The drought is well and truly over! After 12 months without a goal, Diogo Jota must have wondered when, indeed if, his luck would turn.
The answer came here, and in emphatic fashion, as the Portuguese star scored twice – both instinctive, first-time finishes – and added an assist for Mohamed Salah for good measure.
Jota actually started the game poorly, giving the ball away repeatedly in the opening half hour, but when Weston McKennie dawdled in midfield, the Reds' No.20 was on him in a flash. He won the ball off the Leeds man, drove forward and fed Salah, who placed his shot brilliantly inside Ilian Meslier's near post to make it 2-0 to Liverpool.
Confidence restored, Jota then set about making his own dent on the scoresheet. He needed only seven minutes of the second half to do so, timing his run perfectly to slam Curtis Jones' defence-splitting pass past Meslier for 3-1.
There was more to come, as Jota met Jordan Henderson's cross from the right with a fine, 18-yard strike which fizzed home via the right-hand post. Minimal celebration, but a smile as wide as the Mersey from a man who needed a goal desperately and, after 372 barren days, ended up with a pair of them here.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Javi Gracia
A lot of teams have enjoyed playing against Liverpool this season, but the Leeds boss must be sick of the sight of those red shirts.
This was the fourth time Gracia has faced Jurgen Klopp's team as a manager, and he has lost all four. His teams – Watford and now Leeds – have conceded 19 times in those four matches, scoring only once. Ouch.
There were boos from the home fans at the final whistle here, and no wonder. Leeds were negative, timid and completely overwhelmed once Liverpool got their noses in front. Elland Road can be a fortress, and it briefly roared after Luis Sinisterra gave the home side hope at 2-1, but this was not a performance for supporters to get behind.
Gracia has done OK since replacing Jesse Marsch, and Leeds are still a couple of points and a couple of places above the relegation zone, but he's going to have to earn his money after this. It was painful to watch at times.
GettyWINNER: Trent Alexander-Arnold
He's had plenty of criticism this season, plenty of it deserved too, but let's get one thing straight here; this was a quite magnificent performance from Liverpool's No.66.
Alexander-Arnold's positioning has been the subject of much debate of late, with the right-back – under instruction from Klopp – moving into much more of a central midfield role when Liverpool have had possession. It has had mixed results so far, but it worked a treat here.
The England international was outstanding, setting up Liverpool's first goal for Cody Gakpo and their last goal for Darwin Nunez. Typical Trent, inch-perfect deliveries just begging to be finished off.
But there was so much more to enjoy too. Alexander-Arnold had more touches (153) and won possession more frequently (11 times) than any other player on the pitch. He completed 124 passes, and with a completion rate of more than 91 percent. He won tackles, made clearances and generally, through his skill and his sheer footballing intelligence, helped Liverpool boss the game pretty much from start to finish.
A glimpse of the future, perhaps? For all the focus on Alexander-Arnold's weaknesses, his strengths are what make him the player he is; a truly world-class talent, whether at right-back or in central midfield.
GettyLOSER: Ibrahima Konate
It feels harsh to pick out a 'loser' after a 6-1 away win in the Premier League, but Konate won't want to watch Leeds' goal back any time soon.
The Frenchman had produced a dominant first half, but he dallied on the ball early in the second and was punished accordingly. Sinisterra robbed him, finished impudently past Alisson Becker and suddenly, for a brief moment, the game was on at 2-1.
Konate, to his credit, reacted well to his error, but boy will he have been relieved when Jota made it 3-1 within five minutes of Sinisterra's strike. Liverpool ran riot from there, but they won't want too many more slip-ups like this one from their centre-back. Lesson learned.