Leeds United and Liverpool played out a chaotic 3-3 draw at Elland Road, which had everything from comebacks to penalties to a late injury-time goal.
No one had any clue what was set to happen when the two teams came out of half-time with the score still at 0-0. Liverpool appeared to have sealed the points with two early goals after the break from Hugo Ekitike.
However, a silly challenge from Ibrahima Konate led to a Leeds penalty, which Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted to half the deficit, and Anton Stach scored the equaliser to make it 0-0.
Dominik Szoboszlai‘s 80th-minute strike appeared to have broken Leeds hearts. However, bedlam followed when Ao Tanaka again equalised for Leeds in injury time to earn a point.
Danny Murphy was left livid with what he saw between Liverpool and Leeds United
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy was left livid by the disastrous defending on show from the Reds against Leeds at Elland Road.
He stressed that Ibrahima Konate had no reason to go to ground against Wilfried Gnonto, which led to the penalty, and was again at fault for the home side’s second goal.
“The frailties were there for all to see again, just disastrous”, Murphy said on the BBC’s Match of the Day.
“There was bad decision-making, mistakes and crazy decisions like for the penalty. Why are you going to ground?
“Unfortunately, again for the second Leeds goal, it is Konate again. There is just a lack of communication. It is chaotic and disorganised.”
Former Premier League star Dion Dublin also pointed out that the defending was poor again for Leeds’ third goal, and the home side could have had another penalty if Tanaka hadn’t scored.
Dublin added to the conversation: “The third goal is what frustrated me. It is so easily avoided.
“Tanaka is free. All Gravenberch has to do is head the ball away.
“But then he gets Calvert-Lewin in his eyeline, takes his eye off it, and it hits his hand. It could have been a penalty, but Tanaka is there to put it in at the far post.”
Leeds have got their home mojo back
It was apparent at the start of the season that home form was going to be key if Leeds are to stay in the Premier League for more than one season.
Early in the campaign, Leeds looked like a tough nut to crack at home, and several teams struggled to get going at Elland Road against Daniel Farke’s men.
However, that grip on their home form loosened during a run of games that saw Leeds lose six out of seven fixtures. Defeats against Tottenham and Aston Villa at Elland Road chipped away at their confidence.
| Stat | Home | Away | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Played (Pld) | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| Wins (W) | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Draws (D) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Losses (L) | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Goals For (GF) | 13 | 6 | 19 |
| Goals Against (GA) | 11 | 18 | 29 |
| Goal Difference (GD) | +2 | -12 | -10 |
| PPG | 1.50 | 0.43 | 1.00 |
But that home mojo seems to be back as Leeds scored a big 3-1 win over Chelsea, and now denied Liverpool from leaving Elland Road with a win in their bag.
Leeds need to improve on the road, and Farke will hope to start fixing their away form when they travel to Brentford next weekend.
However, Leeds are aware that if they remain an awkward side at home, they will go a long way in ensuring Premier League safety this season.
