A most visibly relieved Leeds boss Jesse Marsch enthusiastically hailed his side’s resolve and renewed belief after their intense, dramatic 2-1 cliffhanger win at Anfield, adding that thw win had been vitally “necessary to stop the bleeding”.<\/p>\n
The visitors unexpectedly took the lead in the fourth minute of a frenzied, catalytic first half as they immediately took advantage of a mix-up between Joe Gomez and Alisson Becker, with Rodrigo cleverly tapping in before Mohamed Salah’s 14th-minute soiree drew things level again.<\/p>\n
Next it was Brenden Aaronson who came close to putting Leeds back in front soon after when his volley hit the bar, and they subsequently looked set to secure a point after Illan Meslier made a number of fine saves in the second half.<\/p>\n
A late resurgent flourish by Crysencio Summerville in the 89th-minute sealed the deal to give the Yorkshire outfit their first victory in nine Premier League games, effectively putting a dramatic end to a four-match losing streak, as they moved out of the relegation zone up to 15th place.<\/p>\n
Marsch said: “We talked that last week when it was close with Fulham (a 3-2 home loss) that we were more waiting to lose than pushing to win, and I think the best part was that you saw real resolve at 1-1.<\/p>\n
“We needed Illan to make some big saves, but I think the mentality to push, to stay in the match and to see if we could find a way to, regardless, walk away with one (point), (or) get three, was really strong and showed resolve and belief in the team.<\/p>\n
“It was necessary to stop the bleeding, really important for us, and I\u2019m happy for our guys.<\/p>\n
“We have to use this to launch ourselves. It makes for me next weekend (when Leeds host Bournemouth) really important back at Elland Road.<\/p>\n
“I think we should have never been in this situation, because I think we\u2019ve been playing well and just not getting points. But, whatever, we\u2019ve tried to maximise it, stay strong, stay calm and keep pushing.”<\/p>\n
As for Liverpool, this was the second consecutive shock defeat in the league, only a week on from the 1-0 reversal of fortunes at Nottingham Forest, after failing to build on Wednesday’s magnificent 3-0 Champions League victory at Ajax. This, with some sense of historical significance and pride, is their first loss at home in the league since March 2021.<\/p>\n
They Merseysiders have now been vanquished four times in 12 league outings this campaign so far with only four wins \u2013 and are now lying ninth in the table, eight points outside the top four and in fact actually closer to the relegation zone.<\/p>\n
Asked if Champions League qualification was a real worry for him, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp said: “That is actually not my main worry at the moment, because there are a lot of other worries, but of course I am at least not that dumb that I don\u2019t know about distances and who is up there.<\/p>\n
“But you cannot qualify for the Champions League if you play as inconsistently as we do at the moment. We have to fix that, and then we will see where we end up.<\/p>\n
“We all know a lot of things are possible, but for that we have to win football games, and we didn\u2019t do that often enough yet.”<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Marsch had endured Leeds fans calling for him to leave during the Fulham game.<\/p>\n
When asked how much pressure he felt regarding the performance and final result at Anfield \u2013 with Leeds\u2019 historic first win at Liverpool since 2001 \u2013 and how this significant triumph had lifted off his shoulders, he said: “I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m just happy for our team, because I believe in them.<\/p>\n
“In a moment like this, I think if you\u2019re a real leader, your focus is on your people, and for me, it was an important time for our people.<\/p>\n
“My focus (at the end) was on the team. For them, in a very tough moment in our season, in an incredibly tough place to play, against one of the best teams in the world, to come away with three points is a big moment for all of them.”<\/p>\n
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