Newly appointed European Super League side Liverpool were held by last season’s Championship winners Leeds United as they blew their chance to move into the Champions League spots.
The Reds may well have cruised to the Premier League title last year, but it has been a difficult campaign on the pitch which appears to get a lot more difficult off it.
AFP
Along with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham, Liverpool want to break away as part of the new-look European top division.
Yet they are struggling to even qualify for the existing Champions League and were held thanks to a wonderful header by Diego Llorente at Elland Road.
The atmosphere before the game in Yorkshire was particularly toxic following the announcement about the European Super League, with fans gathering outside the ground and a plane flying a banner overhead which read: “#SAYNOTOSUPERLEAGUE”
Jurgen Klopp was hardly effusive in his statement about the plans to fundamentally alter European football as we know it, with the opening half an hour reflecting the caginess of the German.
AFP
The deadlock was broken after a clever pass from Diogo Jota split the Leeds backline in half as Trent Alexander-Arnold snuck past Jack Harrison on the right hand side.
With Islan Melsier advancing and the goal gaping, the England right-back sent yet another timely reminder to Gareth Southgate about his attacking qualities as he squared the ball for Mane.
Patrick Bamford had a fantastic opportunity to level the scoring before the break, but his heavy touch allowed Alisson Becker to smother at his feet.
The hosts felt as though they should have had a penalty as Alexander-Arnold seemingly handled in the box as the Leeds players missed the ball, yet Mike Dean on VAR duty decided it was not worthy of a spot kick.
AFP
Perhaps perturbed, Leeds tried to find a way back into the game and Klopp sensed the tide may have been turning by bringing on Mohamed Salah to try and kill the game off – a stark reminder of the competitive nature of the Premier League.
Yet the Egypt international could only watch on Bamford rattled the crossbar after a great cross from Luke Ayling found the prospective England international in space behind the Liverpool backline, but his lofted effort over Alisson.
Salah was a constant threat on the break, utilising his pace to get in behind last season’s Championship winners, yet he saw two efforts drift wide.
Yet Leeds have shown they deserve to belong in the Premier League and they deserved an equaliser from this game, with Diego Llorente firing a firm header past Alisson from a beautiful whipped in corner with just four minutes of normal time remaining.
AFP
It is the sort of result which typifies the competitive spirit and unpredictable nature of the Premier League which has made it such an enticing ‘product’ across the globe.
But with Liverpool now sixth in the table and two points off minnows West Ham United and Leeds buoyed by their victory over champions-elect Manchester City, perhaps the European bigwigs may want to rethink their radical proposals about the European Super League.
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