Ao Tanaka came off the bench to lash in a 96th-minute equaliser as Leeds United twice came from behind to draw 3-3 with Liverpool at a thunderous Elland Road. In a wild, six-goal second half, the champions seemed to have the game won at 2-0 and again at 3-2, only to be dragged back by a Leeds side that refused to accept defeat.
Hugo Ekitike’s quickfire brace just after half-time put Arne Slot’s side apparently in cruise control, and even after Leeds roared back through Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Anton Stach, Dominik Szoboszlai’s composed finish, ten minutes from time, looked to have secured Liverpool a vital win. Instead, Tanaka’s late goal from a corner capped off a remarkable week for Daniel Farke’s team, and another bruising chapter in Liverpool’s increasingly fraught season, which ended with Mohamed Salah accusing the club of having thrown him 'under the bus' after being left on the bench again.
Cagey Opening Hides Storm to Come
The frenetic finale was hard to imagine after a slow-burning first half. Leeds, buoyed by their midweek dismantling of Chelsea, were set up again in a system that paired two forwards and came out aggressively, registering three attempts in the opening five minutes. Noah Okafor dragged one shot just wide and saw another effort blocked, while Gabriel Gudmundsson lifted a strike narrowly over the bar as Elland Road sensed that a statement performance might be brewing.