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UNSEEN: WHAT THE REFEREE TOLD HUGO EKITIKé AFTER THAT CONTROVERSIAL PENALTY SHOUT TODAY
Arne Slot suffers his first 0-0 draw as Liverpool boss. Read how Leeds stifled Anfield and Alisson reached a 100 clean sheet milestone.
Anfield saw two unbeaten records stay intact, but only one team left feeling good about it. Leeds managed to stifle Liverpool, resulting in Arne Slot's first goalless draw as manager, a game that showed the limitations still present despite the team's recent progress.
The dull 0-0 draw, Slot's first in 84 Liverpool games, was largely due to Jaka Bijol and Pascal Struijk's strong defense, along with Liverpool's struggle to break down Leeds' compact setup. Liverpool's chances were limited, and some boos could be heard at Anfield as the final whistle blew on a lackluster performance.
Before the game, Farke surprised everyone by leaving out Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The in-form forward had scored seven goals in six games, but given his past injury issues at Everton, the Leeds manager didn't want to risk a player who's key to their season's goals.
If I don't use the whole squad with a schedule like this, it won't work, Farke said. I have to protect a player like Dominic. We know he's had some tough years recently. He's in great form, but I need to look out for him, and sometimes you have to think with your head, not your heart. This reasonable plan was hurt by Lukas Nmecha's limited impact as Calvert-Lewin's replacement for 70 minutes.
Liverpool struggled when Farke switched to a 4-3-3 formation at Elland Road. Containing Liverpool was the main goal at Anfield, with a 3-5-2 formation. Aside from a few scares from Hugo Ekitiké, Leeds succeeded in a fairly uneventful first half. The visitors started strong, testing Liverpool with several early corners that Slot's team (now without a set-piece coach after Aaron Briggs' departure) managed to clear. After that, Liverpool controlled possession, with Jeremie Frimpong standing out on the right. Liverpool's play had more energy and accuracy than usual, but clear chances were still hard to come by.
Slot's team had three chances to score in the first half, all involving Ekitiké. After a good exchange with Curtis Jones, the French player cut inside Gabriel Gudmundsson and forced Lucas Perri to make a save at his near post. The Leeds goalkeeper bobbled the shot, and James Justin made a timely intercept to stop Florian Wirtz from scoring the rebound.
Leeds, now under pressure, almost got caught out by Ibrahima Konaté's long ball. Ekitiké broke free from Bijol, who then held the forward as he entered the area. Ekitiké stayed on his feet and passed to Wirtz, who was stopped by another good challenge from Justin. The striker's penalty appeals were turned down by the referee, Chris Kavanagh.
Ekitiké's frustration grew when he missed his best chance. After Frimpong retrieved an Andy Robertson cross and sent the ball back into Leeds' six-yard box, the striker headed the ball poorly, hitting Perri while facing an open goal. Frimpong's cross was fast, and Ekitiké was likely surprised it reached him, but a player of his talent would usually score that.
Leeds' best chance came from an Alisson mistake. The Liverpool keeper made a bad clearance, sending the ball straight to Ethan Ampadu, who shot it back towards Alisson's goal. The Brazilian recovered just in time to save his own error. A small positive for Alisson was his 100th clean sheet in the league for Liverpool. He's only the fifth goalkeeper in the club's history to reach that mark, following Ray Clemence, Bruce Grobbelaar, Pepe Reina, and Elisha Scott.
The game became messy, with not much quality or excitement. Dominik Szoboszlai, back from a one-game suspension against Wolves, tested Perri from a distance. The keeper palmed away Szoboszlai's shot, and Ampadu handled the rebound while trying to clear it, giving Liverpool a free kick 19 yards out. Wirtz's weak attempt, hitting straight into the Leeds wall, summed up the game. Ampadu was booked for the handball and will miss the next game against Manchester United due to suspension.
Slot made three substitutions in the 66th minute to try and add some urgency to Liverpool's play. Soon after, Virgil van Dijk almost celebrated his eighth anniversary of joining Liverpool by heading in a goal from a Szoboszlai corner. The header bounced just wide of Perri's top corner.
Calvert-Lewin thought he had continued his scoring form and given Leeds the lead from Gudmundsson's cross in the 81st minute. The striker beat Van Dijk and Alisson to Sebastiaan Bornauw's pass before scoring from close range, but he was slightly offside. Anton Stach also threatened the visitors late on, but after his first shot from substitute Noah Okafor's cross was blocked, he skied the second attempt.
THE 99% RULE: WHY ARNE SLOT SAYS CURTIS JONES IS NOW "UNDROPPABLE" AT ANFIELD
Curtis Jones' five consecutive starts have propelled Liverpool back into the top four. See Arne Slot's tactical plan for 2026.
Curtis Jones came back into the Liverpool squad right as they started winning again, and honestly, it doesn’t feel like a fluke. He’s been playing with real confidence. Just look at that Champions League match against Inter Milan at the San Siro earlier this month—Jones was their best player that night, and that was only his second start in a run that’s now hit five in a row. Since then, he’s been a big part of four straight wins.
Sure, he probably got a little lucky with injuries to Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, plus Dominik Szoboszlai’s suspension. Those guys are all back now, though, and with almost every midfielder available except Wataru Endo (who doesn’t play much anyway), the real test for Jones is whether he can keep this up.
Arne Slot, the head coach, is clearly happy with what Jones brings. He said, “What I like about him is he always wants the ball, no matter what’s going on. Most of the time, that’s a huge plus.
“Sometimes, yeah, it’s better to back off and not force it. But if he gets into trouble, he usually finds a way out and picks the right path.
“The best thing for him lately is how he’s been able to stay fit, play four or five full games in a row, and finish them strong.”
Jones isn’t the only one stepping up. Wirtz has just scored his first Premier League goal and picked up an assist in his last two games. Szoboszlai is back, and he’s been the standout player this season. Hugo Ekitike has found his scoring touch, too—more goals in his last four league games than in the thirteen before that. After losing nine out of twelve earlier, there’s finally a sense that Liverpool is turning the corner.
Slot’s hoping they keep moving forward in 2026, even though they’re missing Alexander Isak, who’s out for months after surgery for an ankle and leg injury, and Giovanni Leoni, who’s done for the season with an ACL tear.
“If you bring in a bunch of new players and lose some old ones, it usually takes time for things to click,” Slot said before facing Leeds. “But the more these guys play and train together, the better they get.
“When you add new faces, you expect improvement. Swap out players, and you have to give it some time, but it pays off eventually.
“Unfortunately, we won’t see Leoni again this season, and it’ll be a while before Alex is back on the pitch.”
WHY JOE GOMEZ MISSED HIS AC MILAN FLIGHT BY ONLY TWO HOURS
AC Milan are back for Joe Gomez, but Arne Slot won't budge. Discover the secret "Guehi condition" keeping Gomez at Anfield in 2026.
Liverpool's going to try to buy some players in January, but AC Milan's thinking about nabbing a player that Arne Slot still needs.
I bet Arne Slot thought managing Liverpool would be a snap, but that quick Premier League win turned into a proper nightmare.
It looks like the Reds boss has finally worked out the right tactics and players. Results are getting better, and the league table's not looking as bad as it did a month or two ago. The guy's got to be hoping everyone stays fit and that January goes well so the team can get back in the title race, especially with that big game against Arsenal coming up fast.
AC Milan still wants Joe Gomez
The last thing he wants is a repeat of all those injuries and the constant team changes that messed things up at the start of the season. Plus, they've got to decide what to do with those players who almost left over the summer. One of them is Joe Gomez, who was close to joining AC Milan—that would've been huge for Liverpool since he's been there the longest. According to Lewis Steele at The Daily Mail, they'd only consider selling him if, given how few choices Slot has, it would be dumb to let any first-team players go in January.
Gomez had teams in Italy interested in him during the last week of the summer, and AC Milan is still keen, but he can't leave unless they sign someone to replace him. Slot might trust other players to fill in, but he really needs centre-halves who can play every week. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are trusted, no matter how they're playing. Also, not having Giovanni Leoni available is a bummer since the young defender looked very good in his first game.
How close was Gomez to leaving Liverpool?
It was the same kind of story in the summer, as Gomez was hurt by Crystal Palace not being able to sign a replacement for Marc Guehi. Talking to Liverpool World in the summer, Sky Sports transfer journalist and Italian football expert Luca Bendoni explained just how close the versatile defender came to leaving Anfield.
Milan had a full deal ready for Joe Gomez, Bendoni said. Everything was set to go; the player was supposed to fly, and the flight was booked. They needed his decision by about 1 p.m. because they wanted to do his medical checks, so they (Milan) needed the go-ahead in time. The go-ahead could only happen if Liverpool signed (Marc) Guehi, but it had to be before 1 p.m. because they had to fly him (Gomez) to Italy. They ran out of time.
Letting Jarrel Quansah leave without signing Guehi was a mistake, but it feels like Gomez has suffered because of it since there aren't many other options. Liverpool needs to get their act together in January and actually buy some players, not just keep the ones they have because they need the bodies.
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