Introduction
This past Saturday had a late game for the Premier League starting at 1:45 Eastern time. This game in particular was Liverpool vs Leeds. This matchup between these two British teams has been happening since the early 1920s. For many of those years they were equally good teams and typically put on a show for those that watched. As of the last 20 years however, Liverpool has been becoming a powerhouse of a club with the addition of new owners and funds. Liverpool has also been a title contender for the Premier League for the last 5 or 6 years since Jurgen Klopp joined the Reds. They have also had some world class talent with players such as Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Virgil Van Djik.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Leeds. Leeds has had a rough road in these last 20 years with them performing poorly in the 2003/04 season and being relegated to the Championship. They became an inconsistent club with poor performances and management. After a terrible streak of losses they went all the way down to League One in the 2005/06 season. They were eventually promoted back to the Championship in the 2010/11 season but were still not good enough. They stayed in the Championship for many years and in the 2016 season the club announced their debt of $172 million. Their club was so poorly run that the club itself was almost expelled out of the football league because of their financial problems. Finally, a new owner came and relieved the club of its debt and this was the point of revitalization for Leeds United. They were still shaky for the first couple of years but finally in the 2019/20 season they were able to get promoted back to the Premier League after a 16 year drought. They managed to stay in the league as they barely survived relegation last season. Sadly, Leeds has been on a bad run this season and their American manager Jesse Marsh was threatened for his job. So going into this game, Leeds was eager for a win to help their manager and their team to help pull them out of the relegation zone.
Match Summary
The game at Liverpool’s Anfield was entertaining the moment the whistle was blown. Liverpool immediately looked intimidating with a good chance in the first seconds of the game. In a turn of events however, in the 4th minute Liverpool’s Joe Gomez made a risky back pass to the goalie who did not read it in time. This allowed Leeds’ striker Rodrigo to swoop in and tap in the easiest goal of his career. It looked blue for the Reds but they bounced right back in the 14th minute with a cross by Robertson and a placed finish from the Egyptian Mo Salah. The rest of the half seemed to be dominated by Liverpool as they had some great chances and most of the possession. Leeds defended hard though and also had a golden chance with a crossbar shot by the American Brendan Aaronson. At half time it seemed to be Liverpool’s game and I assume most people watching were thinking Liverpool were going to put away a chance and hold on to their lead. This however did not happen, again Liverpool had many chances during the second half but could not add the finishing touch. Rodrygo was substituted in replacement for Patrick Bamford who is a local hero for Leeds. Sadly, Bamford did not have a great game and missed a golden opportunity in the 80th minute. The entire half Leeds defended very hard and did not let the Reds pass and on top of that Leeds’ goalie Illan Meslier had the game of his life. Meslier had 10 shots against him and saved 9 of them which is the most saved shots so far in the season! With Meslier in goal Leeds were able to get one more good chance towards the end of the game. In the 89th minute Leeds youngster Gnoto put a ball in Liverpool’s box which was met by Bamford who laid it off for 21 year old Crysencio Summerville. Summerville’s first and second touch was brilliant and finished it by poking it out of reach against Liverpool’s Allison. This surely won the game and Summerville celebrated by taking off his shirt and celebrating with his team. It was a bittersweet ending for such an entertaining game.
Where now?
I personally like Leeds as they have the most Americans but it’s been rough seeing them perform so badly. This game however will definitely inject a lot of confidence in not only the players but the managers as well. On the other hand I have no idea where Liverpool lie for the future. They won their Champions League game against Napoli on Tuesday which is a good sign but they will need to start winning in the Premier League. Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp has already publicly stated that they are out of the title race but will hopefully put full focus on the Champions League. Fans of Liverpool are saying that their problems stem from Sadio Mane leaving, Klopp changing formations too much, injuries and new signings being underwhelming. While all of these are viable excuses I believe their problems stem from something deeper. The club made summer signings such as Darwin Nunez and youngster Fabio Carvalho but in my opinion it is clearly not enough. If Liverpool want to be Champions League and Premier League contenders again then they need a new midfield. Although I respect Harvey Elliot and Curtis Jones, I feel as if putting this burden of winning day in and day out in the Premier League can be straining for the youngsters. I believe once Liverpool buys a versatile experienced midfielder they will once again be great again. Also once Darwin Nunez finds form he can become a problem for opponent’s defenses in the near future hopefully.
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