Liverpool twice surrendered leads as they were held by Leeds United in a chaotic 3–3 draw following Ao Tanaka’s dramatic 96th-minute equaliser.
Liverpool were able to withstand the Elland Road whirlpool as they controlled a muted first half, albeit without ever bombarding their hosts. Curtis Jones’s curler off the crossbar was the best either side could muster in the Yorkshire rain.
The Reds came to life after the break as Hugo Ekitiké fired them into a two-goal lead within five minutes of the restart, but two Leeds goals in as many minutes punished Liverpool’s misfiring backline as Anton Stach added to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s penalty.
Arne Slot’s side thought they had secured victory as Dominik Szoboszlai fired home a third, but their defensive issues were once again exposed in the dying embers as Tanaka rifled home a stoppage-time leveller from a corner.
Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Leeds (4-2-3-1)
GK: Alisson—5.4: Faced no shots during an unspectacular first half and was then helpless after the break as he was beaten on three separate occasions. Must be cursing the defenders in front of him.
RB: Conor Bradley—7.3: Provided infectious energy down the right flank and some much-needed width, setting up Ekitiké’s second with a pinpoint cross. Picked up a needless yellow that rules him out of next weekend’s clash with Brighton & Hove Albion, but was otherwise brilliant.
CB: Ibrahima Konaté—6.3: A foolish sliding challenge handed Leeds their penalty and he hardly covered himself in glory for the second. Another hugely disappointing outing for the out-of-sorts Frenchman, who is fortunate Liverpool have no fit central defenders to replace him.
CB: Virgil van Dijk—7.5: Appeared set to struggle against Dominic Calvert-Lewin after an unsteady start to the match, but found his feet as proceedings wore on. Made plenty of interventions at the back and will be furious to have conceded three.
LB: Milos Kerkez—6.6: The Hungarian has received justifiable criticism for his erratic performances in a Liverpool shirt, but he was largely solid against Leeds from a defensive standpoint.
DM: Ryan Gravenberch—7.4: A performance more reflective of last season’s form as he glided across the turf and bounded past Leeds midfielders. Impressed both in and out of possession, delivering a lovely assist for Szoboszlai.
DM: Curtis Jones—7.7: Replaced Alexis Mac Allister in the double pivot and kept things ticking. Crashed the crossbar with a gorgeous effort, but didn’t excel in the build-up to Leeds’ second.
RW: Dominik Szoboszlai—8.3: Unfortunate not to have scored the winner that another top performance deserved, but he can hold his head high after another indefatigable display in an unfamiliar role.
AM: Florian Wirtz—6.8: Underwhelmed slightly after two encouraging performances. Pushed too far wide to make a real impact, although he was typically tidy on the ball.
LW: Cody Gakpo—6.7: Another frustrating performance from the Dutchman, who saw plenty of the ball in key areas but flattered to deceive. Ineffective when forced on to his left foot and too predictable coming in on his right.
ST: Hugo Ekitiké—8.9: Continues to look so much sharper than Alexander Isak and has surely earned himself another start against Inter midweek following two quick-fire goals. Buzzed around the final third throughout, exhibiting some neat touches and his searing speed.
| Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| Alexis Mac Allister (68’ for Wirtz) | 6.3 |
| Joe Gomez (68’ for Bradley) | 6.2 |
| Alexander Isak (83’ for Ekitiké) | N/A |
| Wataru Endo (83’ for Gakpo) | N/A |
Subs not used: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Andy Robertson, Federico Chiesa, Rio Ngumoha, Mohamed Salah.
Leeds United (3-5-2)
Starting XI: Lucas Perri; Joe Rodon, Jaka Bijol, Pascal Struijk; Jayden Bogle, Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev, Gabriel Gudmundsson; Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Noah Okafor.
Subs used: Wilfried Gnonto, Brenden Aaronson, Ao Tanaka, Joël Piroe, Sebastiaan Bornauw.
Player of the Match: Hugo Ekitiké
Leeds 3–3 Liverpool—How It Unfolded at Elland Road
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 6, 2025
Mohamed Salah was once again named on the bench as Arne Slot made four changes from midweek disappointment at home to Sunderland and it was one of the incomers who served up Liverpool’s first chance. Curtis Jones took aim from the edge of the penalty area, but his bending effort crashed off Lucas Perri’s crossbar.
Liverpool continued to probe in and around the Leeds box and Virgil van Dijk was next to threaten the home goal. For all their possession play in the final third, it was a set piece that handed the Reds a glorious opportunity as their captain headed over from eight yards.
Leeds managed to wrestle some control back at the half-hour mark as they sought to unnerve an uncertain Liverpool backline, but it was once again the Reds who came closest to breaking the deadlock before the half-time whistle. Cody Gakpo’s trademark jink-inside-and-shoot tactic saw an effort deflected inches wide of the post.
Liverpool were tame in the final third during the first half, but took just five minutes to earn themselves a two-goal advantage after the restart. Ekitiké offered the Reds their clinical touch as he struck twice in quick succession to ease any nerves in the away end at Elland Road.
The Frenchman’s first was gift-wrapped by Joe Rodon, who handed the forward a very early Christmas present. Ekitiké calmly slotted beyond Perri as he capitalised on a stray pass, swiftly doubling his tally as he bundled Conor Bradley’s cross over the goal line having seen a penalty appeal waved away seconds earlier.
Liverpool appeared set to cruise to a second straight away win but Ibrahima Konaté’s clumsy slide tackle on Wilfried Gnonto inside the penalty area gifted Leeds a route back into the match. A spot kick was awarded after Anthony Taylor reviewed the incident at the pitchside monitor, with former Everton striker Calvert-Lewin thundering past Alisson.
Unsurprisingly, the goal completely shifted momentum in Leeds’ favour as the home crowd came to life—and they soon had even more to cheer about. An excellent passing move down Liverpool’s right-hand side ended with Stach rifling into the net to completely turn the match on its head in the space of two minutes.
But a breathless second half had another couple of surprises in store. First, Liverpool restored their lead 10 minutes from time as a goal made in the engine room saw Ryan Gravenberch pick out Szoboszlai via a lovely dummy from Alexis Mac Allister. The Hungarian rolled beyond Perri for Liverpool’s third of the match.
However, their defensive deficiencies were laid bare once again in the dying embers as Tanaka rattled home a corner at the far post after Liverpool failed to clear their lines. Another frustrating outing for Slot’s men leaves them eighth in the table and with more questions to answer.
Leeds vs. Liverpool Half-Time Stats
| Statistic | Leeds | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 34% | 66% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.27 | 0.40 |
| Total Shots | 5 | 8 |
| Shots on Target | 0 | 0 |
| Big Chances | 0 | 1 |
| Pass Accuracy | 72% | 86% |
| Fouls Committed | 7 | 9 |
| Corners | 2 | 2 |
Leeds vs. Liverpool Full Time Stats
| Statistic | Leeds | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 45% | 55% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 1.51 | 1.81 |
| Total Shots | 12 | 16 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 7 |
| Big Chances | 2 | 4 |
| Pass Accuracy | 79% | 83% |
| Fouls Committed | 14 | 14 |
| Corners | 5 | 4 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Leeds: Stoppage-Time Strike Piles More Pressure on Slot.
