Three things learned from Leeds United vs Liverpool as Arne Slot's men suffer late heartbreak - opinion
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Liverpool and Leeds United faced off in a Premier League meeting on Saturday evening.Fresh off the back of a 1-1 stalemate with Sunderland, fans are growing angry with Arne Slot.The Dutchman’s team selections, on top of what has been a dire run of form, have become a major sticking point for the Reds faithful.Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis. Against Leeds, Slot dropped Mohamed Salah once again, while Cody Gakpo kept his place over Federico Chiesa, and Alexander Isak was replaced in the eleven by Hugo Ekitike.Liverpool began the fixture quite well and had a couple of half-chances via Ekitike and Gakpo.The Reds then started the second half on the front foot, with the Frenchman netting a brace within just two minutes to hand the away outfit a comfortable 2-0 lead.
How good was Hugo Ekitike vs Leeds! Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say Leeds were given a way back into the tie by a rash Ibrahima Konate challenge shortly before the 70th minute, which was given as a penalty after a VAR check.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin stepped up and scored.A few minutes later, it was 2-2, and all of Liverpool’s good work was undone by Konate.However, Slot’s men responded well, to their credit, with Dominik Szoboszlai making it 3-2 with 10 minutes to go.But it wasn’t to be for Liverpool, who conceded a third in the 95th minute.Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesCody Gakpo will always have a role under Arne SlotGakpo has become a divisive figure within the Liverpool fanbase, in part because he is starting ahead of Chiesa so much.The Dutchman played a key role in the recent win over West Ham United, scoring one and assisting one.However, Gakpo’s performances in 2025/26 have been mixed, and with pressure on Slot, fans have started to make the winger something of a scapegoat.It has, however, become clear that as long as Slot remains in charge, the Dutchman will have a regular place in the team, no matter his form.That will probably anger some fans, as there could be better options at times, Chiesa or Ekitike off the left next to Isak, being just two potential options.Liverpool might need to change formationsSince the Jurgen Klopp era, Liverpool have always played some form of 4-3-3/4-2-3-1.It has brought them much success in recent years, but their summer transfer business means that the system is not helping Slot’s strikers.Fans praised Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz for their link-up during the game, with Isak dropped to the bench.But given the Swede is the British transfer record, he will no doubt expect to be starting most games when fit.However, Slot can’t really keep Ekitike out of the team either, given he is their top goalscorer and Liverpool, though not as much as Isak, still paid a lot of money for his services (£79m with add-ons).In turn, a two-striker system, likely a 4-2-2-2, could be the long-term solution to the Reds’ ongoing centre-forward conundrum.Milos Kerkez and Curtis Jones changes were crucialIt was a much-improved display from the entirety of Liverpool’s starting eleven, but Curtis Jones and Milos Kerkez, in particular, were excellent.The Hungarian left-back received plenty of praise from Gary Neville during his commentary on Sky Sports, and rightly so.Kerkez was likely helped out by Slot deploying a double pivot of Jones and Ryan Gravenberch.Jones covered so much ground and, along with the Dutchman, provided a welcome line of cover for a Liverpool defence that has been shaky this term. Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox