Match reportLiverpool roar back to put four past Luton in Premier League
Liverpool produced a rousing second-half fightback to beat Luton Town 4-1 in the Premier League at Anfield on Wednesday.
Goals from Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott consolidated the Reds’ position at the top of the division, as they emphatically recovered from going behind to Chiedozie Ogbene’s 12th-minute strike.
Team news
The Reds made five changes from the team that had started the win at Brentford last Saturday. In came Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez in defence, Ryan Gravenberch in midfield, and Elliott and Gakpo in attack.
Elliott was making his 100th Liverpool appearance, and there was a place on the bench for 18-year-old Jayden Danns, who was named in a senior matchday squad for the first time.
Liverpool: Kelleher, Bradley (Robertson, 68), Quansah, Van Dijk, Gomez, Endo, Mac Allister (McConnell, 89), Gravenberch (Clark, 78), Elliott, Gakpo, Diaz (Danns, 89).
Unused substitutes: Adrian, Konate, Tsimikas, Gordon, Nyoni.
Download a copy of the official teamsheet here.
First half
Liverpool were fast out of the blocks, forcing a pair of corners inside the opening minute and seeing two early chances fall to Diaz.
For the first, the Colombian was unable to get his shot away after being sent clear, but he was unlucky with the second, curling a left-footed attempt just wide from Elliott’s superb pass.
Gakpo sent an acrobatic effort on target while at the other end Alfie Doughty dragged a shot wide from Tahith Chong’s pass.
Luton went ahead on 12 minutes, Ogbene nodding home from close range after Caoimhin Kelleher had saved from Chong.
Liverpool continued to push, with Elliott just unable to collect Gakpo’s neat flick into the box, Gomez shooting off target, and Diaz firing tamely at Thomas Kaminski in the visitors’ goal.
Diaz then just failed to convert Wataru Endo’s clipped pass, and drove another effort off target, while Gravenberch had a 25-yarder that Kaminski was able to hold.
The home attacks kept on coming, Diaz denied by Gabriel Osho’s fine challenge and Elliott sending his shot into the stands from 20 yards as Jürgen Klopp’s men were unable to find a leveller before the interval.
Second half
After the break, Liverpool continued to pile forward, with Diaz denied by Teden Mengi’s superb challenge in the six-yard box.
Gakpo drew a save from Kaminski at the near post, and from the resulting corner Liverpool got their equaliser. Alexis Mac Allister swung the ball in from the right and Van Dijk timed his arrival perfectly to head home.
It got even better just two minutes later as Conor Bradley’s throw-in was volleyed into the box by Mac Allister, with Gakpo providing the finishing touch from close range to make it 2-1.
Kaminski denied Van Dijk another soon after, but Liverpool got their third goal on 71 minutes as Andy Robertson, just on for Bradley, set up Diaz, who skipped past Mengi and finished clinically off his left foot.
Gakpo went close to a fourth after excellent work from Endo, while at the other end Kelleher stood firm, fielding Ross Barkley’s ambitious effort from distance with ease.
And the final word went to Elliott, who deftly found the corner of the Kop-end net as the clock ticked into its 90th minute to perfectly mark his Reds century.
Attendance: 59,896
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