After the game that had everything, the match that had nothing. The rewards for either side were the same but, as Liverpool and Leeds reconvened 26 days after a remarkable 3-3 draw and a still more memorable post-match interview, there was no six-goal second half. With Mohamed Salah on a different continent, he was not around to accuse anyone of throwing him under the bus.
If a rematch had a historical significance, it lay only in the statistical. In his 84th game in charge, this was Liverpool’s belated first 0-0 draw under Arne Slot; indeed their first since 2023. Not that too many of a Liverpool persuasion will celebrate that.
Leeds could. Their defence shared a group hug after the final whistle and such memories that are preserved from a largely forgettable encounter should be of the resilience of Daniel Farke’s increasingly redoubtable side. Their unbeaten run stretches to six games, two of them against Liverpool, and they now have a seven-point gap to West Ham. “A really good day,” said Farke. “It was always clear that we would need a special performance today to travel away with a point.” He got it.
If two managers are justifying boards who did not sack them when results dried up, Liverpool felt frustration even as they took their own undefeated sequence to eight. “The end result of both games [against Leeds] is a draw and that’s a disappointment,” said Slot.
His side lacked creativity and a clinical touch, urgency and the excellence required to end Leeds’ resistance. Slot’s analysis of what was missing was succinct. “A goal,” he replied. He felt it could have come from a set-piece or a moment of magic; Liverpool lacked the latter and only posed one threat from the former. “We had a lot of ball possession but ball possession means not a lot if you cannot create enough chances,” he said.
Perhaps their evening was summed up when Hugo Ekitike, a scorer twice in the 3-3, squandered Liverpool’s best chance. The Frenchman misjudged and misdirected a header from a ball from Jeremie Frimpong that was more wild shot than precise cross.
Ekitike was the central figure again when Jaka Bijol weathered shouts for a penalty and a red card when tugging the striker, who was advancing on goal. “He stayed on his feet,” rued Slot. “If he would have fallen down it would probably have been a penalty.” He believes his players can be too honest in such situations. “We are just who we are. We stay on our feet,” he said, insisting he would not encourage them to go to ground.
Whatever his issues with officials, his team were too flat. Slot started with two right-backs, with Frimpong ahead of Conor Bradley, and used three on the right, with Dominik Szoboszlai finishing there. Frimpong was at least brighter than most; Liverpool had long envisaged using him on the wing during the African Cup of Nations and his acceleration offered one hope of a breakthrough, even if his crossing is decidedly mixed, as the summer signing admitted himself.
Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri parried a long-range shot from Szoboszlai. On the eighth anniversary of his arrival, Virgil van Dijk headed just wide. In his bid for a breakthrough, Slot tried a triple change, bringing on Cody Gakpo, Alexis Mac Allister and Milos Kerkez. It was telling that Florian Wirtz, finally a Liverpool scorer on Saturday but ineffective here, was among those replaced.
“We didn’t allow them clear-cut chances,” said Farke, whose revamped side exuded solidity. Sebastiaan Bornauw made his first Premier League start in a back five. James Justin began for just the second time. “A pat on the back for us,” said the right wing-back. “A pat on the back for the management staff.” Even with new faces, Leeds showed organisation and unity. “They defended really well,” said Frimpong.
“A hard-fought but really deserved clean sheet is good for the confidence,” added Farke. He had benched the league’s in-form striker. In a cameo, Dominic Calvert-Lewin still found the net in a seventh successive game, but was offside. His initial omission reflected the sense that Leeds have a more winnable match against Manchester United on Sunday. “I have to look after him,” rationalised Farke. It stripped Leeds of some of their threat, but not their grit.
As Farke noted, they did have a couple of early corners. They had fewer thereafter. After the departure of set-piece coach Aaron Briggs, Liverpool did not really have to face trial by set-piece, which was probably a relief.
“This season multiple times we have conceded a goal in a game like this and that’s a positive thing today that we kept a clean sheet,” said Slot. It was endangered in part by his goalkeeper: Leeds’ finest chance was created by Alisson, who passed the ball straight to Ethan Ampadu but redeemed himself by saving the Leeds captain’s 30-yard shot. The Brazilian became the fifth Liverpool goalkeeper to record 100 clean sheets in the league. Yet, like Slot’s maiden stalemate, it was not the day for them to enjoy a milestone.
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