EPL: Liverpool trash Leeds 6-1 as Van Dijk equals another record
Liverpool moved to within three points of Premier League leaders Manchester City with an astounding 6-0 win over Leeds at Anfield on Wednesday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side warmed up for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final with an utterly dominant display that included three goals in 20 first-half minutes.
Two of those came from penalties by Mohamed Salah, who also set up defender Joel Matip for his first goal since December 2020.
Sadio Mane added two late goals and Virgil van Dijk scored with an added-time header.
The margin of Liverpool’s win means they have a superior goal difference to title rivals City, who they are due to meet on 9 April at Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool now have a difference of +50 compared to Pep Guardiola’s side’s +46, with both teams having played 26 games.
City were 14 points clear of Liverpool after beating Chelsea on 15 January, albeit Guardiola’s side had played two games more but Klopp’s men have impressively clawed back 11 of those to create the prospect of an exciting title race with 12 games left.
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Liverpool have now scored 70 Premier League goals this season, two more than they managed in 38 games on their way to finishing third last season, and Salah has 19 of those in another impressive season for the Egypt forward.
He opened the scoring from the spot after Stuart Dallas handled inside the box before Salah’s pass allowed centre-back Matip to double the lead with a sweeping finish any of Liverpool’s front three would have been proud of.
Salah made it 3-0 when Mane was fouled by Luke Ayling and then missed a couple of chances to complete his hat-trick.
However, Mane, playing through the middle with Luis Diaz on the left added the fourth after an assist by substitute Jordan Henderson before the Senegal forward made it 5-0 when he was left unmarked on the edge of the six-yard area.
Van Dijk’s late header means Liverpool head to Wembley for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on the back of scoring six goals at home in the Premier League for the first time since November 2016, when they hammered Watford 6-1.
The goal has seen him equal a Premier League record after the demolition and has earned another place in the history books after starring in the win.
The 30-year-old is still yet to lose a Premier League game at Anfield in a Liverpool shirt, with Wednesday’s win taking his tally in that category to a record-equalling 59 for a single club with 51 wins and 8 draws.
Only ex-Manchester United man Lee Sharpe can also boast a similar 59-game unbeaten run, which will be broken if Van Dijk plays and avoids defeat against West Ham United on March 5.
