It could have all been so different. Liverpool’s performance against Leeds United on Saturday was undoubtedly well below their own high standards yet they still had opportunities to win the game.
The biggest of them all occurred mid-way through the second half. In the final 70 minutes of the match there was just one clear-cut chance (in the opinion of Opta) and it fell to the Reds. Mohamed Salah’s section in the post-match player ratings noted he had “some good link-up play with [Darwin] Nunez,” and it was this combination which produced the moment in question.
A ball forward from Trent Alexander-Arnold wasn’t collected cleanly by Salah, but he regained possession when Liam Cooper didn’t deal with the situation either. The Egyptian played a pass inside to Nunez but sadly his shot was blocked by Illan Meslier, one of nine saves the Leeds goalkeeper made to help his side to a famous victory.
