Liverpool’s brilliant victory against Leeds was marred by one horrific incident. Liverpool’s teenage star Harvey Elliott was seriously injured after a challenge from Pascal Struijk, which earned him a red card.
He had to be taken off on a stretcher and was immediately taken to a hospital. It was initially suspected that Elliott broke his left leg, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed that he was hospitalized for a dislocated ankle. Elliott will undergo another surgery and is likely to be out of action for a few months.
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa showed his support for the teenager as he also defended Struijk’s actions.
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“I regret dearly that the opponent’s player had to leave the game. I am 100% sure that Pascal [Struijk] did not have a bad intention,” he said. Bielsa also spoke about the tackle and called it ‘totally frequent’.
“These types of (tackle) are totally frequent. I regret dearly that such a young player playing at such a high level has been interrupted,” Bielsa added. Fans would hope for a quick recovery for Elliott, as the player looks like a future star. He has also frequently featured in Klopp’s plans with a surprising amount of trust being shown in the youngster.
The red card didn’t make a lot of difference on the result as Liverpool coasted to a comfortable victory. Mohammad Salah, Sadio Mane and Fabinho were the goal-scorers, and Mane also missed a few clear cut chances. Trent Alexander-Arnold had another amazing match while Mohammad Salah continued to produce his extraordinary standards of output. The Egyptian also reached 100 Premier League goals and ticked another box in the GOAT Premier League winger debate.
Marcelo Bielsa analyzes Leeds United’s performance against Liverpool
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Bielsa was humble in defeat and conceded that the result was a fair one. Leeds were never in the game and just held on after the red card.
"Leeds are scruffy at set-pieces there's no doubt about that"
Fabinho puts Liverpool 2-0 up at Elland Road! 🇧🇷
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— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 12, 2021
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“The result was fair. We weren’t in charge very often in the game. They were superior to us in all aspects of the game. When we lost the ball, they would create danger. When we were in conditions to cause danger, we didn’t. In that dynamic, it was clearly favorable to Liverpool,” Bielsa concluded.
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