Leeds 0 Liverpool 3 - BBC 12/9/21
The game was somewhat marred, though, by a dislocated ankle
to teenage midfielder Harvey Elliott, who was stretchered off following an
initially innocuous-looking sliding challenge from Pascal Struijk that
ultimately saw the Leeds player sent off.
Liverpool were already firmly in control of the game by
then, though.
Egyptian forward Salah was perfectly placed to tap in Trent
Alexander-Arnold's low cross and give the Reds a 20th-minute advantage, with
Fabinho bundling home the second following a corner five minutes after the
break.
Sadio Mane had missed a number of chances in the game, but
made absolutely certain of the points with a low finish into the far bottom
corner in injury time.
Leeds had their chances too, with Rodrigo firing the best of
them straight at Alisson with the game still goalless.
But with a man fewer, Leeds could not muster the challenge
required and have now failed to win any of their first four top-flight matches
in a season for the first time since 1958-59.
They will also now have to deal with a shortage of numbers
in central defence, with Struijk banned and Diego Llorente limping off in the
first half to join Robin Koch on the treatment table.
Jurgen Klopp's side move to 10 points, level at the top, but
with a lower number of goals scored than Manchester United and equal with
Chelsea.
They have extended the division's longest unbeaten run to 14
and won eight of their last nine away games, including each of the previous
five.
This fixture has provided many quality moments for the
English top-flight showreel down the years - a series of fiercely-contested
matches in the 1960s and 70s, the Reds winning a 5-4 epic in 1991, Tony
Yeboah's thunderous volley and Mark Viduka netting four goals 21 years ago.
There is always an edge, a feisty atmosphere fashioned by
the visit of one of English football's elite to the home of a side with a proud
history of their own - and aspirations to add to it.
These are the games Elland Road has most missed in the 16
years Leeds spent outside the Premier League and last season's fan-free affair.
This was fittingly played out to a vibrant and hostile wall of noise.
The game itself delivered too, complete with another scoring
feat as Salah notched his 100th Premier League goal via a simple finish.
Only Alan Shearer (124), Harry Kane (141), Sergio Aguero
(147) and Thierry Henry (160) needed fewer Premier League appearances than the
161 it has taken him to reach the milestone.
Salah, Mane and Diogo Jota led the Leeds defence a merry
dance throughout, threatening to run riot in a fascinating encounter packed
with as many glaring misses as gloriously intricate attacking play, largely
from the away side.
Rodrigo's failure to convert from 15 yards was bad, but
Mane's scoop over the bar from point-blank range at 1-0 was the pick of a
woeful bunch of finishes.
Fabinho's effort gave Liverpool complete control, but their
immediate quest for further goals was undermined by the injury to Elliott, with
the gravity of the situation quickly becoming apparent after Struijk had slid
in to win the ball.
Referee Craig Pawson initially let play continue, but once
it had stopped and medical assistance had been called on for the Reds player, a
red card was shown on the hour to the United man.
Patrick Bamford did go close to giving the 10 men of Leeds
hope with a stunning strike from halfway that Alisson had to tip over, but the
game was well beyond Leeds by the time Mane claimed the visitors' third.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa tells BBC MOTD: "We were overcome in nearly all aspects in the game. We did not impose ourselves and the result was fair.
"When he had the ball and lost it, it was difficult for us not to concede danger. In our balls to attack they would have deserved to generate chances of more danger. That is the explanation of what we saw on the pitch, an opponent more superior to us.
"The way they planned to play, it allowed their forwards to shine. My plans did not have the same effect. The type of game did not allow our forwards to be dangerous."
On Harvey Elliott injury: "I regret dearly what happened, I wish it did not happen. For that to happen to any player is saddening. For a young player playing at a high level even more.
"I am sure my player did not have the intention to harm him in any way. Perhaps what happened after he recovered the ball caused the injury. The tackle was clear but clearly the acceleration at how our player moved caused it. In no way did he have provoke any harm to the opponent."
