Premier League: Liverpool thump Leeds United in emphatic win at Elland Road
Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota both scored twice as Liverpool recorded a 6-1 victory over relegation-threatened Leeds United in Monday’s Premier League clash at Elland Road.
Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez also registered for Jurgen Klopp’s side during the emphatic win, with the result leaving Liverpool in seventh spot in the table but now nine points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United in the race for Champions League qualification.
Leeds, meanwhile, remain 16th in the table, just two points clear of 18th-placed Nottingham Forest, with the Whites suffering their 16th league loss of the campaign.
The victory is Liverpool’s first in any competition since their seven-goal success over Manchester United at the start of March, while it is back-to-back heavy home losses for Leeds, having suffered a 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Elland Road on April 9.
Leeds had a golden chance to take the lead in the seventh minute when Jack Harrison’s free kick found Rodrigo in a dangerous area, but the attacker headed straight at Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.
Rodrigo had another opportunity in the ninth minute, with the Spaniard firing wide from distance after Jota had presented the ball straight to Marc Roca.
Liverpool found it difficult to get going for long stages of the first period, but the Reds scored twice in the space of four minutes at the end of the half to take control of the match.
Gakpo made the breakthrough in the 35th minute, with the Netherlands international tapping into an empty net from close range after a low cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Leeds wanted a handball on Alexander-Arnold earlier in the move, but the goal was allowed to stand, much to the frustration of the home side, who appeared to have a solid case.
Salah then doubled Liverpool’s advantage in the 39th minute, with the Egypt international finding the back of the net with a powerful finish after being released by Jota.
Leeds managed to halve the deficit early in the second half, with Luis Sinisterra clipping his effort past Alisson to spark jubilant scenes inside the stadium, and at that stage, a comeback looked possible.
However, Liverpool were 3-1 ahead in the 52nd minute, as Jota got in an on the act, with the Portugal international racing onto a pass from Curtis Jones before finding the back of the net with an accomplished finish.
The Reds thought that they had scored a fourth just past the hour when Salah converted from close range, but the offside flag denied the attacker.
Salah did manage to score his second of the match in the 64th minute, though, with the forward picking out the bottom corner with a brilliant finish after being found by Gakpo inside the Leeds box.
Jota fired just over the Leeds crossbar with a powerful attempt in the 72nd minute, but the Portuguese had his second in the 74th minute, as he drilled one into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.
Luis Diaz made his long-awaited return for Liverpool in the final stages, with the Colombia international featuring for the first time since October, and a brilliant night for the Merseyside outfit ended with Nunez getting in on the scoring act in the final exchanges.
Next up for Leeds is a trip to Fulham on Saturday, while Liverpool will be aiming to make it successive league wins when they host struggling Forest on the same afternoon.
