Liverpool 6-0 Leeds United: misery on Merseyside as the Whites' relegation-zone cushion shrinks again - YEP 23/2/22
Leeds United found no reply as Liverpool put six goals past Marcelo Bielsa's side at Anfield on Wednesday night.
By Flora Snelson
Joël Matip's 30th-minute strike and a pair of Mohammed Salah
penalty conversions gave Liverpool a three-goal lead at half-time.
The hosts kept a firm grip on game though Marcelo Bielsa's
men looked to have stemmed the flow of goals before a Sadio Mané brace and a
bullet Virgil Van Dijk header in the final ten minutes heaped further misery on
the Whites.
The defeat sees Leeds remain in 15th place, with the gap to
the relegation zone closing to just three points as elsewhere on Wednesday
18th-placed Burnley, who have two games in hand over United, ran out 1-0
winners against Tottenham Hotspur.
Dan James gave the Liverpool defence an early scare when, in
the sixth minute, the winger's favoured routine of rushing the goalkeeper with
the ball at his feet almost bore fruit. James' pace took Reds' keeper Alisson
by surprise and the ball sprang loose as the pair fell to the floor, but Matip
had cleared the ball by the time James had got to his feet to attack an empty
net.
Early signs of promise for Leeds were thwarted in the
fourteenth minute, when referee Michael Oliver showed no hesitation in pointing
to the spot after Stuart Dallas' arms blocked Andy Robertson's cross into the
box. Mohammed Salah stepped up to take the penalty and beat Illan Meslier to
make it 1-0 to the hosts.
Luis Díaz had a good chance to double Liverpool's lead in
the 22nd minute when he beat Luke Ayling in a footrace on the left wing but,
when one-on-one with Meslier, the Whites' shot-stopper prevented him.
Raphinha had the ball in the net in the 26th minute, but the
goal was chalked off as the Brazilian was in an offside position when Jack
Harrison played the pass.
Two minutes after the linesman's raised flag denied Leeds an
equaliser, the hosts doubled their lead. Matip strode out from the back line
with ease, played a one-two with Salah on the right wing, and sliced the ball
past Meslier.
Liverpool were handed another penalty in the 33rd minute
when Ayling brought down Sadio Mané while chasing the attacker, who was through
on goal. Salah stepped up again and blasted the ball into Meslier's top corner
to make it 3-0.
Fabinho missed a gilt-edged chance to send Leeds in to the
break trailing four goals. With a clear sight of goal and the ball bouncing in
front of him just outside the six-yard box, the midfielder struck it on the
half-volley but his shot flew wide of the post.
Salah nearly completed his hat-trick on the stroke of half
time but, with just Meslier to beat after running the length of Leeds' half,
the Egyptian chose to chip the Whites keeper, giving Ayling time to race back
and make a goalline clearance.
Marcelo Bielsa reshuffled his side at the break, with
Rodrigo and Mateusz Klich making way for Tyler Roberts and Jamie Shackleton,
with the Argentine using his third substitute on the hour mark to replace James
with Joe Gelhardt.
The Reds cruised through the second half but found less joy
taking apart the Leeds defence than before the interval. Salah missed two more
chances to net his third, with his first effort caught by Meslier before the
forward blasted his second over the bar.
Leeds had their best chance of the game in the 69th minute,
when Roberts sent Firpo running down the left wing. The full-back found Dallas
on the penalty spot, but the Ulsterman's first-time effort was wide of the
post.
Mané scored Liverpool's fourth goal in the 80th minute.
Substitute Jordan Henderson intercepted Meslier's goal kick, played a one-two
with Salah, and then put the ball across the Leeds box for Mané to find the net
with a powerful first-time strike.
Soon after, the Senegalese winger pounced on a fluke
ricochet to put the ball into an empty net for Liverpool's fifth.
With the last action of the game, Van Dijk sent a thundering
header past Meslier from a corner to make it 6-0 to the Reds.
