LIVERPOOL 0-0 LEEDS: Arne Slot watched his side fail to capitalise on drop points by their top-four rivals as their 2026 got off to a disappointing start at Anfield
To be fair, Arne Slot did not trumpet his grievance as the reason for another disappointing staging post in Liverpool ’s title defence.
But he certainly believes his players are victims of their own honesty. After a match almost bereft of talking points, Slot spoke at length about Hugo Ekitike remaining upright despite some close attention from Jaka Bijol early in the first half.
Referee Chris Kavanagh saw no offence, VAR man Darren England felt no need to intervene.
“If he (Ekitike) would have fallen down, it would probably have been a penalty but this season, so many times, when we were fouled, we did not get a penalty,” said Slot. “Our players try to stay on their feet and then it is hard for the VAR to interfere.
“I think I am not wrong in that we have only had one penalty this season. For the team with the most ball possession, that is surprising. If you don’t get the result you want, it adds up to frustration. But it is not the reason we didn’t win.”
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Spot on.
The reason they did not win was because they produced as insipid an attacking display as Liverpool fans have seen in Slot’s 84-game tenure.
Ekitike had a couple of moments when he posed a semblance of a threat, including when he was wrestled by Bijol, and the statistics showed that Liverpool had 19 attempts on goal, four of which were on target.
But there was barely a half-chance worth mentioning. After matches such as this one, it is hard to give the case for selling Mohamed Salah any credence whatsoever.
Leeds United and Daniel Farke, of course, deserve immense credit. They are now on an unbeaten run of six Premier League matches, two of which were against the champions.
The bold move of using Dominic Calvert-Lewin as a late impact substitute very nearly paid off but the striker had strayed a fraction offside to make his clever finish.
Farke himself was annoyed with referee Kavanagh for a harsh yellow card that rules Ethan Ampadu out of Sunday’s meeting with Manchester United. Justifiably so. It was a very debatable handball decision, never mind a booking.
But the Leeds boss did not let that spoil his overall enjoyment, saying: “It doesn’t come along that often that you get a clean sheet and a point at Anfield. We had to defend and suffer but we are newly promoted and came to the defending champions.
“There’s always a special atmosphere on New Year’s Day and you could feel that from the crowd but we performed well. The lads defended well and didn’t allow clear cut chances. It’s always important to be rock-solid against the ball and keep a clean sheet.”
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