Liverpool go level on points with Manchester United and Chelsea after 3-0 win at Leeds with Mo Salah netting his 100th Premier League goal before Fabinho and Sadio Mane strikes... but victory is overshadowed by nasty injury to Harvey Elliott
- Liverpool visited a rowdy Elland Road on Saturday to face Leeds in the English top-flight
- The Reds went ahead with Mo Salah's 100th Premier League goal 20 minutes in the match
- Fabinho doubled the lead in the second-half before Pascal Struijk was straight shown red-card
- Harvey Elliot had to be stretched off the field with a nasty leg injury after his challenge
- Sadio Mane topped the victory off late-on as Liverpool keep pace with their title rivals at the top
It had been one of those afternoons when everything had pretty much gone as Jurgen Klopp would have hoped and planned.
Liverpool had been so dominant, so overwhelmingly authoritative at Elland Road, that Klopp had even been able to laugh with Andy Madley, the fourth official, when VAR deemed that Sadio Mane had not fouled when the German felt he was due a penalty early in the second half.
As Liverpool’s manager headed for home, though, there was no appetite for smiling or laughter. Results quickly become insignificant when a serious injury is involved and the one which Harvey Elliott sustained an hour into this contest was severe enough to bring in darkness.
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Elliott has been a beacon in Liverpool’s impressive start the campaign, a boy playing with zest, enthusiasm and imagination. He’s going to be a considerable talent for club and country and he had been everywhere as Klopp’s team went through the gears.
But just shy of the hour, substitute Pascal Struijk chased after him and attempted a tackle. There was no malice but he was off-balance, his legs moved like scissors and, suddenly, Elliott was writhing on the ground with his left foot pointing in an unnatural angle. It was sickening, a clear dislocation.
Reactions tell you everything in such horrible moments. Mo Salah, who has taken Elliott under his wing, began to wave frantically for medical assistance; Klopp spun on his heels and grasped his head in dismay as Liverpool’s physios dashed to help to the 18-year-old. Their work was crucial.
Amid the pandemonium, Struijk was shown a red card. The punishment made no odds to Klopp, however, whose emotions came tumbling out as he remonstrated with Madley. At the final whistle, his face was blank. He congratulated his coaching staff but he was on autopilot, his mind elsewhere.
If there was some solace to be taken, it was that Elliott was able to acknowledge the Leeds’s fans who clapped him as he was taken away on a stretcher. He wasn’t inhaling gas and air and was even able to post a message on Instagram, with a thumb up, saying: “road to recovery.”
Elliott, a boyhood Liverpool fan with a natural exuberance, will have found comfort in this result and, in the next few days, Klopp will too. Yes, the injury cast a shadow but the outstanding level of the performance must be acknowledged. Liverpool, individually and collectively, were brilliant.
As you would expect, with the raucous and expectant locals making a tremendous noise, Leeds began with plenty of intent and should have had some reward in the fifth minute but Rodrigo shot straight at Alisson Becker after he Raphina had sent him galloping away. It was a big and costly miss.
Liverpool aren’t being afforded the platitudes that are being bestowed on some of their rivals but it would be a serious error to suggest this team that isn’t equipped to go the distance; they treated Leeds with contempt for the rest of the first half and, really, should have ended the contest.
From the 15th minute, chance followed chance followed chance. Diogo Jota was denied by Illan Meslier after Salah had clipped a ball in; Thiago Alcantara had a goal disallowed, Sadio Mane somehow missed, with the goal at his mercy, from six yards and Harvey Elliot was thwarted twice.
And there was more. Virgil van Dijk’s header, from an Alexander-Arnold corner, was kicked away by Patrick Bamford; Mane zipped a left-footed drive inches wide. Leeds looked like a swimmer in trouble in the sea, disorientated by the first wave then being upended by the ensuing riptide.
Those opportunities all arrived after Salah had given them the lead. It was a beautiful goal, too, the move started by Thiago Alcantara and continued by defender Joel Matip, who ushered Alexander-Arnold forward. His cross was perfect and Salah did the rest, with an instinctive first time finish.
Salah was in one of those moods when he wanted to run amok and poor Junior Firpo, the £13million defender who Leeds bought from Barcelona this summer, will be having nightmares about the Egyptian. The only surprise was that he never scored again.
It was never going to be a case that one was enough for Liverpool. Number two arrived in the 50th minute, when Leeds went to sleep from another Alexander-Arnold corner and Fabinho slammed a shot past Meslier after seizing on Van Dijk’s knockdown.
A quick VAR check confirmed that the goal should stand and Klopp’s reaction was to whistle his players, wave his left arm around his head and bawl: “keep going!” at them. This was a day to improve the goal difference and he knew it.
Regrettably, the game lost its shape after the incident with Elliott and Leeds made nuisances of themselves for a short while, Bamford almost catching Alisson out with a 50-yard chip that required the Brazilian to tip over his bar.
But Liverpool were not for catching and had Mane been on form, they might have scored six. Several times he streaked away from Leeds’s defenders in the second period but he either delayed his shot, scuffed his effort or picked the wrong pass.
Mane, nonetheless, is nothing if not persistent and deep into injury time, he finally got the goal he was looking for, thrashing in from 15 yards. It was his 10th effort – and Liverpool’s 30th – which gives you an idea of their dominance. Be under no illusion that they are a threat to all.
Sportsmail's TOBY MILES provided live Premier League coverage of Leeds vs Liverpool, including build-up, team news and updates.
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Kishan Vaghela Host commentator
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Sportsmail Reporter Host commentator
Liverpool secure victory in a match overshadowed by Harvey Elliott's horrific injury, following a one-sided second-half.
The Reds weren't at their clinical, free-flowing best but didn't need to be as Leeds' defence struggled again.
FINALLY Mane puts one away on a night he should have had four or five.
Henderson crosses into the box, Thiago takes it down and slides it across to Mane. The No 10 spins and fires into the net, almost apologetically smiling at his team-mates after his earlier misses...
We're into eight minutes of added time with this game all-but wrapped-up, with the huge addition down to the sickening injury to Harvey Elliott.
Bamford steals the ball on the halfway line and spots Alisson off his line. The striker goes for the long-range lob as the Brazilian frantically back-pedals.
It's dipping nicely and Alission had to get a hand to it to make sure.
Another chance goes begging for Mane. The Senegalese star left his shooting boots at home today.
Jota slides his team-mate through and he's one-on-one with Meslier briefly. Ayling recovers and Mane twists left and right, firing a shot but the defender can block.
Ayling sends a long ball over the Liverpool defence and Rafinha is played onside by Alexander-Arnold.
The winger collects the ball at the byline and makes it way towards goal, squaring towards Bamford. The striker can't quite connect first and Alisson smothers.
Daniel James comes onto the field to make his debut following a move from Manchester United, replacing Jack Harrison.
The winger joined Marcelo Bielsa's side after being bumped down the Old Trafford pecking order by the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, and will aim to impress from the start here.
Elliott leaves the field on a stretcher with what looked to be a broken ankle. Really upsetting scenes, with shock written over his team-mates' and rivals' faces.
The 18-year-old has just broken through into the Reds first-team this season and was starting to nail down a starting spot under Jurgen Klopp.
Jordan Henderson comes on in his place, joining a game which has had it's earlier roaring pace snuffed out.
Pascal Struijk sees red while Harvey Elliott is left stricken on the ground.
The medical staff are tending to him but it looks to be a really nasty injury for the talented youngster, and the players from both sides look distressed after Struijk's poor tackle.
Stuart Dallas sells a dummy to two Reds stars and dribbles to the byline, crossing in towards Roberts.
The substitute jumps to head towards goal but can't get enough power and its easily gathered by Alisson.
Leeds' struggles at set-pieces cost them again as the Reds got 2-0 ahead with a scrappy goal.
It's another Alexander-Arnold delivery causing problems, as Leeds fail to clear. Fabinho is alert and pounces on the bouncing ball, poking into the net on the second attempt.
The Reds get us going again, can Leeds get themselves back level?
It's 1-0 at the break after Mo Salah opened the scoring with a tap-in which silenced a rowdy Elland Road.
The match started at a furious pace and Leeds looked dangerous but after the goal the Reds could have extended to three or four goals ahead - with Mane missing some golden chances.
Jurgen Klopp's side failed to capitalise on their dominance and Leeds came back into the game as the half wore on. Bielsa will still believe he's got a very good chance here. This Leeds team always have the ability to flip a game on it's head...
Really poor miss from Ayling, wrong call from the Whites man.
Phillips whips in a cross toward the back post and the right-back was arriving unmarked. The height of the ball leaves Ayling with a decision, and he makes the wrong one.
The defender bizarrely knees the ball over the bar when a header could have equalised from close-range.
Salah bursts down the right before cutting inside to Mane, who smashes a shot at goal but drags it just wide.
Endless scoring chances for the Reds. Leeds have rallied but still haven't created anything meaningful since the opener.
Liverpool are dominating now, Leeds' defence are absolutely scrambled.
Jota picks-up a loose ball and with some determination and a burst of lightning speed, he rushes the long way around to the byline.
The former Wolves man just has to square it to Mane but puts far too much power on the cross, which is a little behind the Senegalese star. The net is gaping but there's nothing Mane can do, stretching only to hook the ball over open goal from six yards.
Liverpool thought the had a second there as Salah gets in behind the Leeds defence and crosses towards Thiago, who does brilliantly to steer it in from a tight angle.
Salah was strayed offside though, and it's chalked-off.
With one touch Salah silences Elland Road, as it's the Reds who break through first in this frantic game. I doubt that'll be the last goal we see this evening.
Matip plays the ball out wide from inside the box to Alexander-Arnold, who punches a pin-point low ball across the box for Salah to tap in from five yards.
Leeds respond to their passionate crowd's noise by penning back the Reds, making the fans roar even louder.
Rodrigo goes on a lovely dribble down the left, making it into the box by jinking left and right. He puts it inside but the Reds get it away, before Thiago is caught in possession again and Leeds come back at the visitors.
Another big chance for Leeds, though this one was broken-up before the 18-yard box.
Phillips wins the ball in this scrappy midfield battle and cuts a glorious pass between the Liverpool centre-backs, with the Reds' back-line in disarray.
Bamford is running onto the ball but misjudges the pace of it, recoiling after watching the pass skip past his foot and away from danger.
It's a scrappy, niggly game so far. Chaotic defending from Leeds, but Liverpool haven't yet got the ball down and shown their quality.
Mane tries to turn Cooper, and would have been baring down on Meslier if he had, but the Whites skipper hauls the winger down and earns a yellow.
This is pulsating, right from the start. Compare this to the dismal spectacle of lockdown football, it's a different game. The crowd solely responsible for this frantic start.
Leeds should be 1-0 ahead already, with Rafinha baring down on Robertson on the right side. The winger cuts it across to Rodrigo in plenty of space, but he hits is straight at Alisson. Really poor attempt.
We're underway, as Patrick Bamford gets us going in Leeds' all white strip.
Liverpool in their all red home kit too. An old-school look for a historic fixture.
What an atmosphere here, as the Leeds fans roar their players onto the field.
The Liverpool stars are fiercely booed, too. HERE. WE. GO!
Ian Rush moved to Elland Road in the summer of 1996 at the end of a glorious Anfield career which harvested a club-record 346 goals over two spells.
But when he was asked to play on the right-hand side of midfield by George Graham, he knew there was a problem.
READ ROSS HEPPENSTALL'S INTERVIEW WITH THE LIVERPOOL LEGEND BELOW
Despite a respectable start to the new season, Marcelo Bielsa's side have yet to record anything in the 'wins' category in this year's Premier League table.
Sure, there have been positives, such as Raphinha's excellent goal against Everton and Patrick Bamford's form which saw him net against Burnley and earned him a call up to the England squad.
But both those games only yielded a point for the Elland Road side, and their need for a win will only grow the longer it lingers.
Gary Neville has insisted today that Leeds' style suits the bigger clubs, and that's certainly the way Betfair seem to see it. Here they are with their latest odds:
Betfair - Leeds vs Liverpool
Leeds to win 15/4
Liverpool to win 7/10
Draw 3/1
Mohamed Salah to score 4/6
Patrick Bamford to score 9/5
One of the subplots in today's game will be to see if Mohamed Salah can finally reach 100 Premier League goals.
He has netted 97 of the 99 he currently has to his name for the Reds, and well if he needs some inspiration...
Bit of a formation change at the back for Leeds, but just the one change made by Marcelo Bielsa from the draw at Burnley, with summer signing Junior Firpo replacing Pascal Struijk.
£30m signing Dan James has to make do with a place on the bench.
Two changes from Jurgen Klopp, with Thiago Alcantara replacing Jordan Henderson in midfield and Diogo Jota replacing Roberto Firmino.
After a manic day of action yesterday - including a Cristiano Ronaldo brace on his second Manchester United debut - there's only one Premier League fixture to bring you today.
It comes from Elland Road, where Jurgen Klopp will hope Liverpool can return to winning ways after their draw against Chelsea before the international break.
But before further ado, let's see if I can get you those teams...
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