Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota both scored twice as Liverpool returned to winning ways in the English Premier League (EPL) with a 6-1 hammering of Leeds United on Monday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side had not tasted victory in any competition since the March 5 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United but ended a five-game winless streak at their relegation-threatened hosts.
Liverpool took control through a quickfire first-half double from Cody Gakpo and Salah, although Luis Sinisterra pulled one back two minutes into the second half at Elland Road.
There was to be no dramatic turnaround as a Jota brace, either side of Salah’s second, made sure of three points before Darwin Nunez then completed the scoring off the bench.
The points moved the Reds to within six of Europa League qualification.
Leeds United should have taken the lead against the run of play when Rodrigo headed a glorious seventh-minute chance straight at Alisson from Jack Harrison’s free-kick.
But Liverpool were in front when Trent Alexander-Arnold dispossessed Junior Firpo before playing a one-two with Salah and teeing up a simple Gakpo finish for the 35th-minute opener.
Salah doubled Liverpool’s lead just four minutes later with a rasping drive past Illan Meslier after Jota’s delicate offload.
An Ibrahima Konate mistake allowed Sinisterra to race through and chip Alisson, but Leeds’ momentum was soon halted when Curtis Jones found Jota to curl past the onrushing Meslier.
Brenden Aaronson struck the upright with a whipped long-range attempt, before a selfless Gakpo pass rolled in Salah for a cool left-footed finish into the bottom-left corner.
Jota found the same corner from Jordan Henderson’s pass, with Nunez then capping the rout by latching onto Alexander Arnold’s dinked ball and dispatching past Meslier.
Klopp’s side had recorded just 13 points in their 15 Premier League away games this season prior to this trip, but Leeds United remains a happy hunting ground for the Reds.
Liverpool have not lost any of their last six league visits to Elland Road, dating back to a 4-3 defeat in November 2000.
That was when Mark Viduka scored all four Leeds United goals.
While out of the running for any silverware this term, Klopp will want his team to produce similar away performances across the remainder of the season.
This is necessary as they bid for European qualification.
However, this has been a slightly quiet season for Salah compared to his usual lofty standards, having scored 13 times in 29 league outings before this clash.
But the Liverpool man again came to the fore against Leeds United.
The forward has scored nine times against Leeds United in the Premier League, with no Reds player managing more.
Only Gordon Hodgson can match that tally in Liverpool’s entire league history.
Leeds United were thrashed 5-1 at home by Crystal Palace last time out and have now shipped 16 goals in their four league games in April.
This is more than any other team this month.
The Whites’ defensive struggles continued here, although they may have felt aggrieved with Gakpo’s opener.
This was after it appeared Alexander-Arnold handled when dispossessing Firpo in the build-up.
Liverpool now host strugglers Nottingham Forest on Saturday, when Leeds United visit Fulham.
