Liverpool suffered another damaging collapse as they allowed Leeds to fight back twice and earn a dramatic 3-3 draw on Saturday, increasing the pressure on manager Arne Slot. The Reds were 2-0 up and later 3-2 ahead after Hugo Ekitike’s quick double and a strike from Dominik Szoboszlai, but still couldn’t hold on — making it eight games without a win in their last ten Premier League matches.
Slot’s trust in Ibrahima Konate will once again come under scrutiny after the defender conceded the penalty that sparked Leeds’ comeback. Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted from the spot, Anton Stach added another moments later, and although Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s lead, the hosts failed to defend a stoppage-time corner, allowing Ao Tanaka to hammer in the equaliser.
The draw leaves Liverpool stuck in eighth place, showing no signs of recovering from their sharp decline since last season’s title triumph. Slot opted for Ekitike ahead of record signing Alexander Isak, with Mohamed Salah benched for a third straight match.
Leeds, fresh off a morale-boosting 3-1 victory over Chelsea that eased pressure on Daniel Farke, claimed another valuable point to move three clear of the relegation zone. Curtis Jones hit the crossbar in the first half before Ekitike punished a loose pass from Joe Rodon and later bundled in a second as Perri’s clearance bounced off him into the net.
Ekitike, one of Liverpool’s few standout signings amid nearly £450 million spent, now has eight goals for the club despite limited minutes. But Liverpool’s defensive frailties appeared again as Konate’s poor challenge on Willy Gnonto led to the penalty, and Stach found too much space to fire Leeds level.
Leeds briefly pushed for a winner, only for Liverpool to immediately respond when Szoboszlai finished off a clever dummy from Alexis Mac Allister. Yet, the Reds’ inability to see out matches proved costly once more as Tanaka struck deep into injury time to complete the comeback.
