“Liverpool’s collapse is real,” Gary Neville said after Arne Slott’s defending champions overcame a 2-0 then 3-2 advantage at Leeds to draw 3-3 on Saturday Night Football.
It was another disappointing result for the Premier League title holders, who have won just four of their last 15 games in all competitions. They sit in 8th place, with a 10 point difference with leaders Arsenal, having missed the chance to move up to 5th place.
“It’s hopeless for Liverpool,” Neville said at the final whistle at Elland Road. “They’re inconsistent. They can’t be trusted. They always think something is going to go wrong and they make one mistake after another.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of the Premier League match between Leeds and Liverpool
Liverpool put Leeds back in the game after Hugo Ekitike scored a fast-break double at the start of the second half. Ibrahima Konate converted a penalty to Dominic Calvert-Lewin to make it 2-1, but Anton Stach equalized moments later. Dominik Szoboszlai’s goal gave Liverpool the lead, but Ao Tanaka scored Leeds’ equalizer again from a corner kick in stoppage time.
“Liverpool’s collapse is real,” Neville said. “This was a comfortable game for them at 2-0.
“It could happen. You thought it could happen. Arne Slott is unbelievable.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Curtis Jones (left) during the draw with Leeds
“The mystery continues. His team is falling apart. Liverpool… you can’t trust them.”
Reflecting on Liverpool’s problems on the Gary Neville Podcast, Neville backed Liverpool manager Arne Slott but warned it could take time to get the team back on track, given the number of issues that have surfaced.
“Another bad result. They will be disappointed to go back to Liverpool under that manager. They will be in a very bleak situation and I don’t think they are in a good situation at all.”
“It’s not interesting to talk about Arne Slott’s thoughts and his work. It’s not for me. He won the title four months ago.
“There are definitely questions. This new team, the group of players that we have assembled in the team, what is happening with (Mohamed) Salah, what is happening with (Alexander) Isak, what is happening with the defenders, what is happening with the full-backs… there are a lot of questions.
“I know he’s still trying to answer them and probably won’t for a while. He might even need a transfer window to refine things again. When he first came in, he had a very, very stable ship. Then he took this introduction into the dressing room of five or six players and tried to integrate them into the team with real excitement and a huge transfer fee.”
“We all said Liverpool were the incredible favorites to win the league – I said Arsenal and I can see why everyone thought that.
“Things went wrong, things went terribly wrong, but this is not the time to throw the baby out with the bath water.
“Now it’s time for them to pull themselves together and think about what they need to do to refine the team a little bit more, think about what they’re doing in January, start planning for next season with Arne Slott and think about what it’s going to be like. “And now we’re thinking about how to rebuild Liverpool’s defense, how to get Liverpool’s midfield right and, most importantly, how he can get the best out of himself with (Florian) Wirtz.” ”
Neville’s praises for Leeds: A week of hope!
Meanwhile, Leeds picked up a valuable point in the relegation battle, backing up their win against Chelsea in midweek. They currently sit three points above the drop zone and have won Neville’s praise for their performances in a series of matches, which also included a result against Man City.
“Man City away, Chelsea at home, Liverpool at home. A week that will probably solidify our place in the Championship next season. It was a week of hope,” Neville said. “Four points. And they almost got a point against Man City. They were brilliant.
“That’s fair to[Leeds manager Daniel Farke]. When he changed teams, I thought he was just resting them up for the next game, but they played a 3-5-2, a bit more direct, and then he switched his system to a 4-2-3-1 and has actually played for Liverpool from time to time.”
Slot: I can only blame myself.
Liverpool manager Arne Slott told Sky Sports:
“It’s not the first time we’ve conceded a point. It’s not the first time we’ve conceded a goal at the last minute. It’s also not the first time we’ve conceded a goal from a set piece. I think everyone can understand the atmosphere in the locker room.”
“I don’t think we conceded a chance until it was 2-0. The penalty wasn’t a chance, but there was another VAR intervention that led to a penalty, so we took it as a chance.”
“So it was 2-1 and then probably the first chance of the game led to 2-2. We showed the mentality to go up to 3-2 and I think we were in control after that. Of course there are always long balls and second balls, but you can’t always guarantee that they won’t happen.”
“Then we get a set piece in the ninth minute of extra time and they score. That’s part of our season. But we’re to blame. We conceded these chances.”
Szoboszlai: I thought the game was over.
Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai comments on Sky Sports:
“I don’t know what happened after 2-0. I think we thought the game was over.
“We said at the beginning of the game that this is the kind of game where you can never underestimate the team we play.
“Maybe after the penalty they had the momentum to make it 2-2. We came back and the team reacted well, but conceding again from a set-piece is not a good way to go about it.
“We have to find solutions, we have to react and everyone has to take responsibility, not necessarily just the older players or the players who have been here a long time, but everyone.
“Everyone has to go out on the pitch and show they are ready to fight for this badge.”
Liverpool’s next 5 games
Liverpool and Leeds will meet again at Anfield on January 1, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
December 9: Inter Milan (A) – Champions League
December 13: Brighton (H) – Premier League
20 December: Tottenham (A) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports
December 27: Wolves (H) – Premier League
January 1: Leeds (H) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports
Leeds next 5 games
14 December: Brentford (A) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports
20 December: Crystal Palace (H) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports+
28 December: Sunderland (A) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports
January 1: Liverpool (A) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports
January 4: Manchester United (H) – Premier League
