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On a night when Manchester United were being outclassed by Atletico Madrid, Liverpool showed why they are hailed as one of the best in the business.
Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League title contenders ran rampant against Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United, bagging an emphatic 6-0 win at Anfield.
Braces from AFCON finalists Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane and a goal each from Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk ensured the Merseysiders’ commanding victory. The win saw the Reds move within three points of defending champions Manchester City in the league standings.
Contrary to what the scoreline suggests, the Whites were not miserable in the opening exchanges, and were stringing passes together quite effortlessly. Unfortunately, misery struck when Andy Robertson's cross caught Stuart Dallas’ outstretched arm inside Leeds’ box.
Salah took the resulting penalty and made no mistake in breaking the deadlock. Joel Matip then doubled the home side’s advantage in the 30th minute, getting on the end of a neat Liverpool counter-attack.
Five minutes later, Luke Ayling brought Mane down inside the penalty area and the referee once again pointed to the spot. Like clockwork, Salah stepped up and doubled his tally to put the game out of Leeds’ reach.
The visitors took a more cautious approach in the second half and kept the Reds at bay for 35 minutes. Unfortunately for them, the floodgates opened once again in the final 10 minutes, and Mane and Van Dijk made the most of it.
The Senegalese hit a brace and Van Dijk scored a header from close range to seal a 6-0 win for Klopp’s men.
Here are five Liverpool stars who stood out in their six-star performance over a miserable Leeds:
#5 Luis Diaz
With Sadio Mane operating a bit more centrally, Luis Diaz got the opportunity to weave his magic down the left flank. While his dribbling was top-notch, the Colombian's blinding pace and neat pressing did not let Leeds settle on the ball.
Diaz dispatched a sweet curling effort in the fourth minute, but Mane, unfortunately, got in its path and the ball went out for a goal kick.
He came close again in the 23rd minute, but lost his footing in the most crucial moment and failed to trouble Illan Meslier.
Diaz also made two key passes, won ten duels, and successfully completed six dribbles.
#4 Joel Matip
Joel Matip scored Liverpool’s second goal against Leeds United on Wednesday night and it was a peach of a finish.
The centre-back carried the ball forward, fed it to Salah, got it back, and finally applied a right-footed striker’s finish to beat Meslier.
To no one’s surprise, Matip was rock solid at the back as well. He performed three clearances, intercepted once, won both his duels, and attempted a tackle.
Overall, it was a perfect outing by the former Schalke man.
#3 Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk has been firing on all cylinders since the start of the season. Last night, he once again put in a sure-footed performance, proving why he’s regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.
In Daniel James, Van Dijk did not exactly have a potent aerial threat, but his pace could’ve easily caused the Dutchman some problems. Thankfully, the Liverpool star was always on his toes, rarely letting James drift out of his sight.
Over the course of the match, the former Southampton player performed two clearances, made three interceptions, and won all three of his duels. He also provided five long balls and made 85 passes, achieving 87.6 percent accuracy.
His most rewarding moment of the match came three minutes into added time when he thumped home Andy Robertson’s corner.
Unmarked, Van Dijk rose free inside the Whites’ box and powered his header past a helpless Meslier.
#2 Sadio Mane
Jurgen Klopp deployed Mane in a more central role on Saturday but gave him the freedom to roam about. The Senegalese drifted into the left-hand channel more often than not and combined effortlessly with Luis Diaz.
Unlike Salah, who was at his best in the first half, Mane took a little time to get going. Yes, he did win a penalty for his Egyptian teammate in the 35th minute, but that was pretty much his highlight of the opening half.
The AFCON winner continued to help his team at the back in the second half and was finally rewarded for it in the final stretch. In the 80th minute, Mane thumped home from close range after latching on to Jordan Henderson’s pass across the Leeds goal.
Ten minutes later, he doubled his tally, turning in Divock Origi’s rebound. The Belgian’s attempt was saved by Meslier, but the keeper could not parry it out of danger. Mane was the quickest to react and scored Liverpool’s fifth goal with a left-footed drive.
#1 Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian once again stepped up to the plate for Liverpool to help them to a commanding victory. Mohamed Salah used his pace brilliantly, dribbled like there’s no tomorrow, and directly contributed to the Reds’ three first-half goals.
In the 15th minute, Robertson’s cross struck Dallas’ hand inside Leeds’ penalty box, which saw the referee point straight to the spot. Salah took the resultant penalty and slotted it into the bottom-right corner to give the home side the lead.
Fifteen minutes later, Matip carried the ball from deep and fed it to Salah. The Egypt international picked out Matip, who continued his run with an inch-perfect pass into the box. The centre-back took care of the rest with a sumptuous finish.
Ten minutes before halftime, Mane was brought down inside the visitors’ box and the referee pointed to the spot for the second time on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old once again took the penalty and, this time, found the top-right corner with aplomb. The double took the Premier League leading scorer’s goal tally to 19 for the season, putting him seven goals clear of second-placed Diogo Jota.
