Liverpool slipped to successive Premier League defeats against Leeds.
Jurgen Klopp’s side fell behind in the first five minutes as Alisson was caught cold by Joe Gomez’s back-pass, allowing Rodrigo to fire into an empty net.
But Mohamed Salah drew the Reds level still inside the opening quarter of an hour when he met Andy Robertson’s cutback with a smart left-footed finish.
The visitors retook the lead in the 89th minute through Crysencio Summerville punishing Liverpool’s defence for failing to cut out a cross from the left side.
Here were the key talking points from Anfield:
Halloween comes early for Reds
Halloween is still 48 hours away but Liverpool began their festivities early.
Conceding first has become a theme for Jurgen Klopp’s side throughout this season although not quite in as horrific fashion as Leeds’ fifth-minute opener.
Joe Gomez’s blind back-pass from the right flank caught Alisson out as the Brazilian slipped trying to reach it, allowing Rodrigo an open-goal finish.
That uncharacteristic mistake merited an over-18s certificate in its own right. So, too, should the visitors being afforded multiple sights at goal thereafter.
Brenden Aaronson later rattled the crossbar at another counter-attack while Jack Harrison forced Alisson to make a big stop in a near-identical scenario.
Things worsened after the break with Leeds regularly enjoying a run on their backline with punishment arriving just a minute from the end of normal time.
If Rodrigo’s early strike served as a warning shot on attentiveness, or a lack of it, Crysensio Summerville’s winning effort was a damning indictment.
Liverpool’s defence has not become porous overnight; it has been building over several weeks with injuries and form eroding their previous fortitude.
Still, successive defeats to teams starting games in the Premier League’s relegation zone is as bad as things could possibly get on that front.
Klopp’s diamond hits the rough
Liverpool experimenting with a 4-4-2 diamond had been borne more out of necessity than luxury as injuries rapidly began to mount in the final third.
A midweek win over Ajax that secured progress to the Champions League’s knockout stage appeared to be a ringing endorsement of the new formation.
Yet Klopp’s pre-match insistence that the change in system was logical will have failed to convince those watching it disintegrate on mild Anfield evening.
Roberto Firmino’s deployment as an auxiliary No.10 struggled to provide the theoretical link between midfield and attack that played out in Amsterdam.
Tellingly, the Brazilian’s best moments in this game arrived when linking up with Darwin Nunez to test Illan Meslier’s reflexes as the second half wore on.
Firmino was also not helped by those behind him failing to perform their basic duties as Fabinho, Thiago and Harvey Elliott resembled a ramshackle trio.
Not only were they highly disjointed throughout but also perennially second-best to a Leeds team that were more adept at recycling the ball in transitions.
Such disparity was a recipe for disaster and one which should have Klopp frantically returning to the drawing board to avoid any future repeats.
Industry, not imperiousness, wins out
Sometimes a team wins against the odds simply because they want it more.
Leeds certainly lived up to that description on Saturday evening while Liverpool were guilty of falling into the trap of underestimating them.
A win-less run of eight games belied the talent at an under-fire Jesse Marsch’s disposal with his young team showing that they have not given up the ghost.
Even with the Anfield crowd ratcheting up the atmosphere and noise, they kept pushing for what would become their first victory here in over 21 years.
The running statistics alone are testament to their determination with a full 11km distinguishing Leeds’ players from their heavily-decorated counterparts.
Successful though Liverpool have been for large parts of Klopp’s tenure, they cannot lean on imperiousness to see them through these current challenges.
As the saying goes, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.