Liverpool slump to shock home defeat by Leeds

OLI SCARFF/ AFP

Liverpool suffered a surprise 2-1 loss to Leeds United in their Premier League clash at Anfield on Saturday.

Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville scored the winner for the visitors in the 89th minute, which took the visitors out of the relegation zone. 

The Reds' first top-flight home defeat in 30 games follows last week's loss at bottom side Nottingham Forest and further deepens the crisis around the struggling Merseyside club, who are ninth in the table on 16 points after 12 games.

The win takes Leeds up to 15th on 12 points.

Liverpool got off to another disastrous start after four minutes when Joe Gomez played a blind backpass to Alisson who had moved out of his goal and slipped, leaving a gaping space for Rodrigo to run in and tap the ball into the empty net.

Mohamed Salah levelled for Liverpool 10 minutes later when Andy Robertson crossed for the Egyptian international to hook a volley into the net from close range, igniting the Liverpool supporters as their team began the chase for a winner.

Leeds continued to threaten on the break, though, and Brenden Aaronson almost put them back in front a few minutes later, meeting Rasmus Kristensen's cross from the right with a deft volley that cannoned off the crossbar.

Leeds French keeper Illan Meslier kept his side in the game almost single-handedly in the second half, pulling off a superb save from Darwin Nunez in a one-on-one after 67 minutes and then clawing away a shot from the same player 11 minutes later.

Meslier's saves set the scene for Summerville to steal the three points with a last-gasp poacher's finish.

On the eve of his 21st birthday, the forward snapped up a ball in the box from Patrick Bamford and quickly pulled the trigger, firing across Alisson into the net.

It was Leeds' first away win of the season and a first league loss for Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk at Anfield since he signed for Liverpool in January 2018.

Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp is in no doubt about what he expects of his under-performing side. "We have to fight and that is what we must do," he said.

More from Sports News

  • Arsenal miss chance to go six points clear with draw at Brentford

    Arsenal has wasted the chance to restore their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday, with Noni Madueke's second-half header cancelled out by Keane Lewis-Potter.

  • India thump Namibia ahead of Pakistan clash

    Defending champions India continued their march towards the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup with a 93-run win over Namibia in a group A contest at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.

  • Italy crush Nepal in maiden T20 World Cup victory

    Brothers Justin and Anthony Mosca guided Twenty20 World Cup debutants Italy to their first win in the tournament, as their unbeaten half-centuries secured a dominant 10-wicket victory over Nepal in a Group C clash on Thursday.

  • Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships reveals major expansion plan

    The 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will usher in the start of a new era for one of the Middle East’s most iconic sporting events with plans revealed for an extensive two-phase redevelopment that will transform the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium and surrounding Aviation Club Tennis Complex.

  • Sri Lanka crush Oman for second victory in T20 World Cup

    Sri Lanka batsmen Kusal Mendis, Pavan Rathnayake and Dasun Shanaka cracked half-centuries as the 2014 champions continued to build momentum in the Twenty20 World Cup with a 105-run win over Oman in Pallekele on Thursday.

Coming Up