
Liverpool 1-2 Leeds United: Last-gasp Summerville sinks Reds
Crysencio Summerville's dramatic 89th-minute winner condemned Liverpool to a second successive Premier League defeat as Leeds United left Anfield with a shock 2-1 victory.
Jurgen Klopp's men were beaten by bottom-of-the-table Nottingham Forest last weekend, and Summerville's late goal means the Reds have lost back-to-back games to teams in the relegation zone for the first time since March 2012.
Liverpool gave themselves an uphill struggle early on when Joe Gomez gifted Rodrigo Moreno the opener, though it did not take Mohamed Salah long to restore parity.
The Reds were even more dominant in the second half but they could not find a way past the excellent Illan Meslier, and Summerville – on the eve of his 21st birthday – prodded home at the end to rescue a potentially vital win for the under-fire Jesse Marsch and Leeds.
SUMMERVILLE!!!! YOU ABSOLUTE BEAUTY!!! 1-2 pic.twitter.com/FsavJFwUIu
— Leeds United (@LUFC) October 29, 2022
The match was less than four minutes old when Gomez went rogue, sending his backpass wide of Alisson and Rodrigo was on hand to tap in.
Liverpool hit back 10 minutes later; Salah left with a similarly easy finish from Andy Robertson's left-wing delivery.
Leeds were almost ahead again soon after as Brendan Aaronson saw his volley crash against the crossbar, but Liverpool's dominance continued to grow.
They piled the pressure on in the final 30 minutes, forcing Meslier into a flurry of saves.
He rushed out to thwart Darwin Nunez when one-one-on, before also saving smartly from Jordan Henderson.
The young Frenchman then tipped a long-range Nunez effort over and made a crucial block from Salah with five minutes left.
Leeds took full advantage of Meslier's heroics, as Summerville instinctively poked past Alisson at the other end to seal the Whites' first Anfield win in over 21 years.
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Klopp said last weekend's defeat to Forest left him feeling "as low as possible" – well, they have plumbed new depths here.
Liverpool were dominant and clearly created enough chances to win, but their chronic lack of ruthlessness proved their undoing yet again.
Similarly, a lot has been said of Leeds' issues this term coming down to luck, with the stats suggesting they should be better off than they are. Certainly, they did not look like a team who have given up on their manager.
Meslier plays his part
Summerville will get the headlines and the glory, but this win would not have been possible were it not for Meslier. His nine saves is a joint-high for a Premier League game this season.
Nunez fluffs his lines
Liverpool striker Nunez was very lively and in many respects had a good game – he set up four shooting opportunities for his team-mates. However, he was simply not reliable in front of goal, hitting a one-on-one straight at Meslier and also hesitating in the first half when the chance for a lob presented itself.
Key Opta facts
- For the first time in his Liverpool career, Virgil van Dijk was on the losing side in a Premier League home game, having been unbeaten in his first 70 at Anfield for the Reds (W59 D11).
- Crysencio Summerville's 89th minute winner for Leeds was the latest winning goal scored against Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League since Robin van Persie's 90th minute strike for Arsenal in March 2012.
- Liverpool suffered their first home defeat in the Premier League since March 2021, ending a 29-game unbeaten run at Anfield (W22 D7).
- No goalkeeper has made more saves in a single Premier League match this season than Illan Meslier's nine for Leeds here, while it is also the most the Frenchman has ever made in a single Premier League game.
What's next?
Liverpool are at home to Napoli on Tuesday in the Champions League before going to Tottenham in the league next Sunday. Leeds face Bournemouth at Elland Road the day before.