That’s all for tonight. Thanks for following along with us and be sure to read Andy Hunter’s full match report from Anfield here.
“As I said before the start of the game, Luton are a tough team and we had to dig deep and show the desire,” Harvey Elliott tells Sky Sports. “The final bit wasn’t really there in the first half. But football is a game of two halves and in the second half we showed it. We had to be a lot better than we were in the first half.”
He adds: “To be fair we’re not really thinking about the [Carabao Cup final]. It was about getting the job done tonight. It’s a big game at the weekend but tonight was a final. Each and every game is a final. It’s a busy period and we need to recover for the weekend.”
According to OptaJoe, Liverpool have recovered 22 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, more than any other side, and their joint-most in a single campaign in the competition (also 22 in 2008-09).
Full time: Liverpool 4-1 Luton Town
And there’s the whistle. Liverpool’s lead atop the Premier League grows to four points thanks to four goals after half-time, a scoring outburst that could prove significant if the title race does come down to goal difference. The hosts move to plus-38 in the tiebreaker following today’s result ahead of Manchester City (plus-32) and Arsenal (plus-36).
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 26 | 38 | 60 |
| 2 | Man City | 25 | 32 | 56 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 25 | 36 | 55 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 25 | 19 | 49 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | 14 | 47 |
Updated
90 min+5: Luton have worked it down into the final third in search of a consolation goal, but the Liverpool defence is unwilling to budge.
90 min: There will be eight minutes of added time.
GOAL! Liverpool 4-1 Luton Town (Elliott 90)
And Harvey Elliott punctuates Liverpool’s rampant second half with a fourth goal for the hosts, running on to a loose ball after another Luton miscue at the back and smashing it home past Kaminski. No better way for the 20-year-old winger to ring in his 100th appearance with the club.
Updated
89 min: Rounds of applause throughout Anfield as Mac Alliser and Diaz come off for James McConnell and Jayden Danns, who makes his debut.
85 min: As Liverpool look to uneventfully close the show, Rob Stone offers a bit of statistical arcana:
If I’m not mistaken, that’s Robertson’s 58th Premier League assist, bringing him back level with Trent Alexander-Arnold for the record for a Premier League defender.
We’re also informed that Liverpool have become the first club in the big five European leagues with five players to have reach double-digit goals scored across all competitions this season: Salah (19), Jota (14), Nunes (13), Gakpo (11) and Diaz (10).
82 min: Gakpo runs on to an Endo pass and has a go from distance, but he’s missed the target. Shortly after, Gomez picks up a yellow card for yanking Ogbene’s shirt.
78 min: Perhaps with an eye on Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley, Klopp has brought on the teenager Bobby Clark to replace Ryan Gravenberch.
77 min: Barkley earns a yellow card for an overeager challenge on Elliott.
75 min: Another chance for Luis Diaz, whose shot toward the near post between a pair of Luton defenders is batted away by Kaminski.
74 min: Luton make their final substitution of the match as Issa Kabore comes on for Alfie Doughty. It looks like Doughty was hurt after colliding with Kelleher.
GOAL! Liverpool 3-1 Luton Town (Diaz 71)
Liverpool’s suffocating press forces yet another giveway by Luton’s harried back four in their own half. The botched clearance from the corner flag into the middle of the park is calmly knocked down by Robertson, who slots to Diaz on the left side of the area. From there the Colombian has one defender to slip past before smashing it past Kaminski.
Updated
68 min: Klopp makes his first substitution as Andy Robertson comes on to Conor Bradley, who departs to a rollicking ovation from the Kop faithful. Gomez moves to right-back.
66 min: Moments after an almost-chance for Gakpo is thrwarted by Mengi, Luton have a rare chance after Bradley is dispossessed near the half-way line. Barkley picks out Doughty, who tries to chip Keller from a tight angle but can’t threat the needle. Scary moment for the hosts but crisis averted.
63 min: Having watched his side get overrun in the midfield over the past 10 minutes, Rob Edwards makes another change as Jordan Clark comes on for Tahith Chong.
61 min: That’s nearly three! Van Dijk comes thisclose to a second goal after heading another perfectly targeted Mac Allister corner on target, but Kaminski makes the save.
GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Luton Town (Gakpo 58)
And Liverpool are ahead with their second goal in 125 seconds! This time it’s Gakpo who heads home an offering by Mac Allister toward the near post. Beautiful stuff igniting bedlam in the Kop.
Updated
58 min: Luton make a substitution as Townsend comes on for Woodrow. Moments later, a Bradley shot nearly makes it two for the hosts but Kaminsky fends it back with his feet.
GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Luton Town (Van Dijk 56)
And there it is! Liverpool finally break through on their ninth corner of the evening. It’s Van Dijk who heads home the equaliser for his second Premier League goal of the season. A brilliant delivery by Mac Allister. A perfect timing of the run by the captain.
Updated
54 min: Liverpool win an eighth corner. After it’s worked back in following a botched clearance, Elliott tries to pick someone out in the center of the area but his cross from the right side can’t find a taker.
51 min: Diaz uncorks a thunderous shot from close range and it’s blocked by Mengi. Moments later Diaz looks to cross from nearly the same spot and it hits Osho’s arm while it’s behind his body. The nearby Kop roars for a penalty but after a brief VAR consulation, the referee awards a corner that’s quickly cleared from danger.
48 min: Diaz and Mengi are caught up in a spot of grappling near the touchline and the referee calls it Liverpool’s way. The fans are roaring for a booking as is a member of the Liverpool coaching staff, who is shown a yellow while seated on the bench.
46 min: And we’re off in the second half. One change for Luton as Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu comes on for Albert Sambi Lokonga, who exits with what’s being described as a minor knock.
Penny for your thoughts? A quick leaf through the inbox at the intermission ...
Anthony O’Connell writes:
As I close in on 45odd years of supporting Liverpool, I feel like we’re just cursed with luck. That team tonight is missing 7 of its normal starters.
You then look at the bench where only 2 of those players are sitting.
I knew before this game tonight that it wouldn’t end well. You don’t win a league with these injuries or a cup on Sunday. Plus if you drop points to Luton twice you get what you deserve.
Hopefully they can turn it around but experience tells me we get caught on the counter
Ben Atherton observes:
Liverpool need the dead-eyed calmness and composure of Nunez in this game I think
Phil Grey notes:
12 months ago Liverpool were hammered 5-2 at home to Real Madrid. Only Van Dijk, Gomez and Gakpo started that one from tonight’s line-up. A lot has changed since then, hasn’t it?
Iain Neary critiques:
Why include a story about man u, none of us care on a Liverpool thread
Sorry, mate!
Half-time: Liverpool 0-1 Luton Town
The whistle peeps and a frustrated Liverpool retreat to their dressing room, their place atop the Premier League table imperilled. Ogbene’s early goal against the run of play is the difference as the Reds have nothing to show for Diaz’s indefatigable workrate. Nor for their 12 shots on goal, more than twice their opponent’s output (five), or their seven corners won ... which are seven more than Luton so far.
45 min+2: A near-chance for Luton in the final seconds as Ogbene breaks free of Gomez and curls in a cross to Woodrow, who can’t turn it on target.
45 min: The fourth official signals for two minutes of added time.
42 min: Shortly after an Elliott attempt from range misses the target, Luton’s Cauley Woodrow is shown yellow for catching the side of Quansah’s head on an overzealous aerial challenge.
39 min: Another quick, efficient counter-attack out of the Liverpool back results in a fast-moving 3v3 into the final third. Duiz runs onto a perfect pass from the center, but an outstanding piece of defending by Mengi thwarts a likely goal.
38 min: Another disjointed sequence with both teams jockeying for possession in the middle of the pitch. Luton are able to win a free-kick but can’t generate a serious threat from it.
Updated
35 min: Luton give the ball away in their own half yet again and Diaz has a go from distance, but his curling shot veers over the crossbar. There’s only so many times Edwards’ side can get away with these giveaways before they’re made to pay ...
32 min: Moments after a wasted free-kick by the visitors, Diaz conjures another chance by slipping away from Mengi on to a vertical Endo offering in the area. But the fully extended Colombian is unable to poke it inside the near post.
Updated
29 min: Liverpool win the ball back from a Luton side that’s gotten a bit careless with possession over the past five minutes. Van Dijk dispossesses Bell before finding Diaz, whose shot from inside the area through Mengi’s legs is scooped up by Kaminski.
27 min: A bit of a slow patch as the sides trade possession in the middle third. It’s broken as Joe Gomez dribbles forward and has a speculative go from about five yards outside the area, but his attempt sails harmlessly wide and high above the frame.
22 min: Kelleher, who it must be said could have done better on the Luton goal, sprints from his line to intercept Chong’s opportunistic through ball to Woodrow. That keys a lightning-quick counter up the right flank through Mac Allister, but Barkley is there to snuff it out.
18 min: Doughty earns the first caution of the evening, shown a yellow for yanking Gravenberch’s arm backward after he’s beaten by the Dutchman.
17 min: Liverpool have kept possession for the past couple of minutes as they probe a tightly packed Luton defence with all 10 men behind the ball.
15 min: Liverpool win another corner almost immediately after the restart but nothing comes of it.
GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Luton Town (Ogbene 12)
Well, well, well! Chiedozie Ogbene has opened the score in stunning fashion. Starting with a throw-in from the left side, Doughty sends a pass to Chong for a shot on goal that’s initially stopped by Kelleher. But Ogbene is in the right place to head home the rebound and Luton have the lead at Anfield!
Updated
10 min: Liverpool’s bright start continues. A couple more corners. Luis Diaz, who’s been all over the pitch early on, wins a free-kick but Gakpo is unable to redirect it on goal. And moments later Gakpo puts a shot on goal that’s easily corralled by Kaminski.
7 min: Luton are finally able to slow things down and organize an attack. Ogbene dribbles past a pair of Liverpool defenders on the right flank and swings in a cross toward Morris, but he’s unable to connect with it.
5 min: Another chance for Liverpool. Harvey Elliott plays a gorgeous ball forward to Diaz, who spins away from Osho for a clean line on goal. This time the Colombian gets a shot off, but it’s fired wide right of the post.
3 min: And early chance for Luis Diaz, who’s played through and has a defender on his own. But he’s unable to put a shot on target.
Updated
2 min: Liverpool play the corner short, then win a second in the first 90 seconds. Nothing comes of it, but they’ve kept possession while organising their attack.
Liverpool v Luton is go ...
1 min: And we’re off! Luton kick things off attacking from left to right in their traditional away kits. Liverpool going from right to left in their familiar all-red strips. And the hosts have already won a corner …
The teams have emerged from the tunnel. The roars of Allez Allez Allez cascade down from the Kop. Not much longer now.
Updated
Fun fact: Luton have played more away matches at Liverpool without a win (14) than any other opponent. It’s also been nearly 33 years since their last win over the Reds home or away, when Iain Dowie’s second-half brace sparked a 3-1 come-from-behind win over the Reds on the artificial pitch of Kenilworth Road.
The Hatters came agonisingly close to ending that winless run in November when Tahith Chong’s goal nearly held up, but Liverpool were able to snatch a point through super sub Luis Diaz’s 95th-minute strike.
“They [Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez] couldn’t have played tonight,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says. “Everybody who can play tonight will be there. From here we will see who will be back for [Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea], but that is not important at the moment.”
He adds: “We are completely different since last time [facing Luton] they did well and we should have score goals. I have seen plenty of games of Luton’s and the improvement they have made is crazy and deserves a lot of respect.
“Luton started very pragmatic [at the start of the season] and developed football based since then and it’s a really good job what Rob [Edwards] is doing there. Will it be a test for us? Yes.
“It is about getting in the game and causing problems and winning the game.”
Elsewhere in north-west navel-gazing, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has outlined his plans to restore Manchester United to their former glory by knocking Liverpool and Manchester City “off their perch” within the next three years.
Speaking less than 24 hours after taking control of football operations at Old Trafford, the 71-year-old billionaire admitted that United would have to learn stark lessons from the way their rivals had moved so far ahead in the 11-years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.
In a wide-ranging interview, Ratcliffe refused to be directly drawn on the future of Erik ten Hag. However he said that failure of multiple managers since 2013 suggested the structure and atmosphere of the club needed fixing most of all.
“We have a lot to learn from our noisy neighbour and the other neighbour,” Ratcliffe said. “They are the enemy at the end of the day. There is nothing I would like better than to knock both of them off their perch.
“But they have been in a good place for a while and there are things we can learn from both of them. They have sensible organisations, great people within the organisations, a good, driven and elite environment that they work in. I am very respectful of them but they are still the enemy.”
The teams!
Jurgen Klopp has made five changes to the Liverpool side that won 4-1 over Brentford on Saturday with Quansah, Gomez, Gravenberch, Gakpo and Elliott all entering the team. Notably, no Salah and no Nunez on the bench. Rob Edwards has made no changes from Luton following their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at the weekend.
Liverpool
XI: Kelleher, Bradley, Quansah, van Dijk, Gomez, Gravenberch, Endo, Mac Allister, Elliott, Gakpo, Diaz
Subs: Konate, Adrian, Tsimikas, Robertson, Clark, Gordon, Nyoni, Danns, McConnell
Luton Town
XI: Kaminski, Mengi, Osho, Bell, Ogbene, Sambi Lokonga, Barkley, Doughty, Morris, Chong, Woodrow
Subs: Potts, Berry, Kabore, Burke, Mpanzu, Clark, Krul, Townsend, Nelson.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Anfield for tonight’s Premier League meeting between Liverpool and Luton Town. The Premier League leaders, whose 57 points are one better than Manchester City (56) and two ahead of Arsenal (55), are playing host to the Hatters, who remain at 18th and inside the relegation zone after Saturday’s closely played 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
The big story with Liverpool concerns their mounting injury list, which has come to resemble a Mash unit. Jurgen Klopp’s side will be without Alisson (“for the foreseeable”) and Diogo Jota, who is expected to miss several months. Mo Salah is also in doubt for today’s match in addition to Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcântara and possibly Dominik Szoboszlai.
The team sheets will be with us any moment and we’ll have them over to you directly.
