Liverpool survive scare against Luton to restore four-point lead at the top
A stirring second-half comeback saw leaders Liverpool restore their four-point advantage at the top and avoid one of the shocks of the season with a 4-1 victory over Luton.
Chiedozie Ogbene’s early header was only the 11th Premier League goal a visiting team had scored at Anfield this season but for a long time it looked like producing another twist in the title race.
But headers from Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo within the space of two minutes turned things around before Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott fired home to ease them away from the clutches-of-second-placed-manchester City.
Any slip-up, even at this stage, could have significant implications in what is currently a three-way battle and without this victory city would have had the chance to go top at Bournemouth on Saturday as Liverpool are otherwise engaged in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea. That Wembley encounter meant no risks were taken with mohamed sal a hand Darwin Nunez, who are both carrying knocks, but with injuries already ruling out nine other players it left Jurgen Klopp with very few options.
Luton stunned Anfield by taking the lead in the 12th minute. Tahith Chong received a return pass from Cauley Woodrow before shooting from a narrow angle and the ball squeezed under Caoimhin Kelleher and bounced up to the far post where Ogbene headed into an empty goal.
Elliott’s radar was off from two breakaways as his passes to Gak power ethreefe et short and two yards too long as the final ball continued to elude them and frustrations threatened to boil over with Klopp exploding in rage at a fan near the front of the main stand, presumably for his negative reaction to a third mis-placed Elliott pass.
The early omens in the second half were not much better as Diaz fired straight at Teden Mengi but when Gakpo’s nearpost shot was turned behind Vandijk powered home a header from Alexis Mac Al lister’ s 56th-minute corner.
Two minutes later it was Gakpo producing a brilliant leap to launch Conor Bradley’s cross past Thomas Kaminski, who had brilliantly saved Bradley’s deflected shot with his legs.
The Luton goalkeeper did even better to repel another powerful Van Dijk header as Liverpool turned the screw, with substitute Andy Robertson charging forward to tee up Diaz for the third.
Elliott grabbed his second of the season late on as Luton remained in the bottom three.