Reds being Reds! Liverpool 4-1 Luton Town: 4 goals help Klopp's team comeback

Game is over and the final score is Liverpool 4-1 Luton Town. Here is the match report.

Match Report

Injury-ravaged Reds come from behind to go five points clear at the top of the table despite missing TEN players going into the game

One Liverpool fan on social media had posted a clever edited version of the Reds logo, changing the legs of the famous Liver Bird to be bandaged up. But it would be wrong to say Jurgen Klopp’s wounded warriors limped a step closer to the league title with this win.

Yes, those 10 high-profile absentees were felt, from missing steady Alisson when stand-in Caoimhin Kelleher fumbled a shot to see Liverpool go behind, to bemoaning the lack of Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota when the theme of the first half was missed chances.

But even with most of the first-choice XI tucked up in the warmth of their homes due to an injury crisis that some suggest could derail a fight on four fronts, this was more of a seismic stride rather than a limp closer towards becoming champions of England for the 20th time.

Luton came here to frustrate and did just that in the first half, going ahead against the run of play and getting under the skin of Jurgen Klopp with time-wasting tactics, but after a slow start Liverpool’s class shone in abundance after the break with four quick-fire goals.

Klopp had asked fans for a ‘European night’ in terms of the atmosphere at the freshly-expanded 60,000-seater Anfield, asking for extra noise to help his wounded warriors - but this match resembled more of a David-versus-Goliath FA Cup tie.

While Liverpool sang about conquering Europe six times, Luton fans were heard chanting, ‘Conference champions, you’ll never sing that’. Although the league leaders dominated the ball with 57 per cent possession in the first half, the Hatters played without fear.

It is that fearless attitude, of course, that has underpinned the fairytale story of Luton’s rise from the ashes of non-league football to the glitz and glamour of the Premier League. Ten years ago today, for the record, they were playing in front of 3,480 at Nuneaton Town.

And it is that scrappy ability to punch above their weight which has given Rob Edwards’ admirable team belief that they are not in the top flight just to make up the numbers. They came to Anfield not just for the day out but with a point to prove.

It also felt like they had a score to settle after Liverpool scraped a point at Kenilworth Road with Luis Diaz’s 95th-minute equaliser in November, a run of results that saw Luton also lose by just one goal to Manchester City and Arsenal, the latter by a 97th-minute winner.

In keeping with the feeling of a third-round FA Cup clash, Liverpool hammered on Luton’s door with chance after chance, or more correctly miss after miss, and then the away side threw numbers forward and were rewarded with a goal against the run of play after 12 minutes.

It came after a brave passing move down their left-hand side starring former Manchester United man Tahith Chong, who hammered a shot at Caoimhin Kelleher, which was parried poorly straight into the path of Irish team-mate Chiedozie Ogbene to head home the rebound.

Either side of that, Luis Diaz was the most guilty member of many Liverpool attackers to miss gilt-edged chances. He was thwarted in two one-versus-one situations and shanked other shots, while Cody Gakpo, Harvey Elliott and Alexis Mac Allister also saw efforts go terribly wrong.

Klopp was clearly irked and got into a verbal scrap with opposite number Edwards, while the German boss was also seen venting his irritations at fans behind him in the Main Stand. Anfield was subdued and a venue filled with frustration at missed opportunities.

That all changed at the break, as if Klopp had telepathically included the Kop in his half-time team talk. His team, and the fans, returned for the second half with more energy and urgency. The pattern of wayward shooting continued - but not for long.

Instead, the pattern changed to one of the themes of this season. Once one goal goes in, the others soon follow, with the Reds now winning 22 points from losing positions this term. In two, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it minutes, Liverpool turned this game on its head.

Both goals were scored by Dutchmen, both were assisted by Argentine midfield maestro Alexis Mac Allister. The first was a pitch-perfect corner thumped home by the head of captain Virgil van Dijk, the second nodded in the goal after a quick throw-in and half-volley to Gakpo.

And from there the floodgates opened, with Diaz finally taking his chance with his ninth shot of the game to all but secure the three points in the 71st minute. Elliott also got a deserved goal as the match ticked into stoppage time with a tidy left-footed finish.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

3' Diaz misses good chance

4' Diaz's shot wide out

9' Gakpo's shot too straight

12' GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Luton Town (Chiedozie Ogbene)

18' Yellow Card! Alfie Doughty booked

31' Diaz's shot wide out

35' Diaz's long shot over the bar

56' GOAL! Liverpool 1-1 Luton Town (Van Dijk)

58' GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Luton Town (Cody Gakpo)

71' GOAL! Liverpool 3-1 Luton Town (Luis Díaz)

80' Gakpo's shot wide out

90' GOAL! Liverpool 4-1 Luton Town (Elliott)

Line-ups

Liverpool XI: W. Endo, Van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Kelleher, Cody Gakpo, Mac Allister, Luis Díaz, Gravenberch, Elliott, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley

Subs: Adrian, Robertson, Tsimikas, Konate, Kaide Gordon, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Trey Nyoni, Jayden Danns

Luton Town XI: Thomas Kaminski, Barkley, Cauley Woodrow, Amari'i Bell, Carlton Morris, Chiedozie Ogbene, Gabriel Osho, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Chong, Alfie Doughty, Mengi

Subs: Krul, Townsend, Luke Berry, Jordan Clark, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Dan Potts, Reece Burke, Issa Kaboré, Zack Nelson