Arne Slot Claims Liverpool Needed “Individual Special Moments” to Beat Leeds

By This Is Anfield Staff | January 1, 2026

Liverpool's highly anticipated New Year's Day clash at Anfield ended in a frustrating 0-0 draw against relegation-threatened Leeds United, halting Arne Slot's side's impressive winning streak and kicking off 2026 on a sour note.[1][2][3]

Despite dominating possession and creating chances, Liverpool lacked the killer instinct to break down Leeds' stubborn five-man defense. Jeremie Frimpong, deployed in the Mohamed Salah role on the right, showed promise with quick feet alongside summer signing Florian Wirtz, but the Reds struggled for a cutting edge. Two crosses flashed across the six-yard box without connection, and Hugo Ekitike headed wide from Frimpong's delivery.[2]

Leeds, under Daniel Farke, embraced pragmatism by benching in-form striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The visitors secured their first clean sheet since August, extending an unbeaten run to six matches. Their only real threat came from a misplaced Alisson Becker clearance straight to Ethan Ampadu, who was denied by the goalkeeper's quick recovery. Ampadu later picked up a yellow card, ruling him out of Leeds' next game against Manchester United.[2][3]

In his post-match press conference, Slot was blunt when asked what was missing: "Uh, a goal. That's the most simple answer." He lamented the need for "individual special moments" to unlock organized defenses like Leeds', referencing soft penalties conceded earlier in the season against teams like Crystal Palace. Slot dismissed calls to change tactics, insisting: "We keep doing the same things because I don't believe in the fact that over a season you get what you deserve."[1]

A small positive for Slot, who recently parted ways with set-piece coach Aaron Briggs, was avoiding concessions from dead balls for the third straight game.[2] Triple changes—Kerkez, Gakpo, and Mac Allister for Robertson, Wirtz, and Jones—aimed to inject energy late on, but it wasn't enough.[3]

The draw keeps Liverpool from closing the gap to third-placed Aston Villa, marking their second stalemate against Leeds in under a month amid mounting frustration.[2]

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