ENGLAND – Liverpool beat Leeds United (0-3) on Elland Road to keep up with Manchester United and Chelsea for the top of the Premier League, but lost young Harvey Elliot, seriously injured in an ankle to the game time.
The ‘reds’, Atlético Madrid’s rivals in the group stage of the Champions League, are not weak. They have three wins and a draw in the four games they have played. Equalized on points with United and Chelsea, they are third in the table by goal difference.
Jurgen Klopp’s team set a high pace that Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds, who is experiencing their worst period on Elland Road, could not follow. He has not won yet so far this year. He has two losses and two draws and has only scored one goal.
Liverpool was able to achieve a larger victory, but lack of success prevented it. And that the last half hour he played with one more footballer for the expulsion of the Dutch Pascal Struijk for the tackle that caused Elliot’s injury.
Klopp’s team got the game back on track in the twentieth minute with a goal from Mohamed Salah on a pass from Trent Alexander Arnold. The Egyptian had chances to score more goals and so did Sadio Mane.
The second goal came in the 50th minute. The local defense was in evidence. Alexander Arnold took a corner and the ball went through the area. In a rejection, Fabinho appeared, who again beat Illan Meslier.
Then came the turf concern when Elliot was caught from behind by Struijk. A leg of the young player ‘red’, one of the revelations of the season, was twisted. From the beginning the alarm arose on the field of play. He was taken care of quickly for a few minutes and then was taken on a stretcher to the locker room. Struijk was sent off with a direct red card and Elliot was substituted.
Liverpool cornered Leeds and scoring chances multiplied. The insistence led the visitors to 0-3 and in an action by the Spanish Thiago Alcántara, Senegalese Sadio Mané recovered the success and rounded off the victory.
