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Liverpool took a giant step towards the Premier League title with a thoroughly deserved 6-0 victory over Leeds United at Anfield on Wednesday. The Reds have reduced a 14-point deficit to leaders Manchester City to just three in three weeks.
Anfield erupted after Mohamed Salah converted a spot-kick in the 15th minute, and that was only a portent of things to come. Joel Matip dribbled past several players before playing a one-two with Salah and calmly chipping the ball over the hapless Ilan Meslier. The Egyptian King then scored from the spot again to triple the Reds' lead on the cusp of half-time.
Marcelo Bielsa's men had no answers after being put under severe pressure in the first half. Whites forward Jack Harrison had a chance to reduce the deficit in the second half, but Alisson stood tall. A late brace from Sadio Mane and a thunderous Virgil Van Dijk header from a set-piece then wrapped up a convincing win for the Reds.
On that note, here's a look at five talking points from the game:
#5 Liverpool's front three puts hapless Leeds to the sword
Leeds wanted to put things back on track following a heavy defeat to Manchester United last weekend, but Jurgen Klopp's men were too hard to handle.
The hosts showed an abundance of energy, and kicked off the game on the front foot. Big-money signing Luis Diaz came close to his second goal in as many games. The Colombian's shot was heading to the bottom corner, but his teammate Sadio Mane came in the way. That was only a temporary reprieve for Leeds.
Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Diaz hunted down their opponents in the first half as Liverpool went full throttle against a struggling Leeds backline. Salah scored a couple of penalties, while Mane bagged two close-range goals ahead of the League Cup final clash with Chelsea. Diaz looked lively until he was taken off in the second half.
#4 Mohamed Salah hits double figures for goals and assists
Mohamed Salah has reached ten goals and as many assists in a Premier League season for the third time in his Liverpool career. The Reds forward now has 19 goals and ten Premier League assists this campaign.
Liverpool's number 11 looks set to grab his third golden boot since his arrival to Merseyside. He has seven goals more than his teammate Diogo Jota, while he's tied with Trent Alexander-Arnold in the assists table with ten assists apiece.
Overall, Salah has bagged 27 goals and ten assists across competitions this season.
#3 Leeds' woeful defensive record continues
Liverpool found it too easy to slice through Leeds midfield and defence. Bielsa's attacking line-up backfired, as the Whites struggled to keep hold of the ball during crucial phases of the game. Not only did the Liverpool frontline cause havoc, but the midfield of Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Curtis Jones also applied pressure throughout the game.
The Yorkshire-based side have leaked 56 goals -- thereby becoming the team with the worst defensive record in the Premier League side this season. Despite the absence of Kalvin Phillips, Diego Llorente, and Liam Cooper, experienced campaigners such as Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas failed to step up to the plate.
#2 Liverpool top Premier League goalscoring chart
The Reds bagged six goals against a shaky Leeds side to take their Premier League season tally to 70. Jurgen Klopp's forward line has been on a roll, with Salah (19), Jota (12) and Mane (11) contributing more than half of those goals.
With his late brace, Mane became the first player to score at least ten times in each of the last eight Premier League campaigns.
#1 Virgil Van Dijk hasn't lost a Premier League game at Anfield yet
Virgil Van Dijk joined the Reds in January 2018. The Dutch defender has been ever-present in their backline except for large swathes of the 2020-21 season when he suffered a long-term injury.
Van Dijk has made 162 appearances for the Reds in all competitions since his arrival, out of which 59 have come in the Premier League at Anfield. He remains undefeated in all of them. That is now a joint record for most league games unbeaten at home for a single club in the Premier League era.
Lee Sharpe of Manchester United previously went 59 Premier League games unbeaten.
