Tanaka’s Stoppage-Time Stunner Denies Liverpool in Six-Goal Thriller
Leeds United stunned Liverpool with a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser from Ao Tanaka, capping off a wild six-goal second half at Elland Road.
Liverpool had earlier blown a two-goal lead, then thought they had snatched the win when Dominik Szoboszlai restored their advantage late on. But Tanaka came off the bench and smashed home at the far post in the sixth minute of added time, sending Elland Road into chaos.
Arne Slot’s side, who had lost nine of their previous 12 matches, are now unbeaten in three. Still, they let victory slip away again — on a day Mohamed Salah was once more left on the bench.
After a quiet first half, Hugo Ekitike struck twice in three minutes to put Liverpool in control. But the visitors handed Leeds a lifeline when Ibrahima Konate clumsily fouled Wilfried Gnonto in the area. Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted the penalty, and Anton Stach levelled on 75 minutes.
Leeds looked energised, but Szoboszlai struck five minutes later to restore Liverpool’s lead — only for Tanaka to have the final say deep into stoppage time.
The draw lifts Leeds to 16th, three points above 18th-placed West Ham, while Liverpool remain eighth. For the third straight match, Slot benched Salah, opting for Szoboszlai on the right in a 4-2-3-1 setup.
Liverpool saw plenty of the ball in the first half but rarely troubled goalkeeper Lucas Perri. Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Ekitike were quiet, and Curtis Jones came closest when he struck the post from distance.
Slot resisted the temptation to introduce Salah or Alexander Isak at half-time. Instead, Liverpool were gifted an opener when Joe Rodon’s poor pass allowed Ekitike to round Ethan Ampadu and finish cleanly. Ekitike then bundled in a second — becoming Liverpool’s first player this season to score twice in a Premier League match.
Yet Liverpool’s defensive frailties once again proved costly. Stach found space far too easily for Leeds’ second equaliser, and Tanaka’s late strike exposed more poor set-piece defending. Only Nottingham Forest have conceded more non-penalty set-piece goals this season.
For Leeds, this week could have been decisive for Daniel Farke’s future. But after dismantling Chelsea on Wednesday and fighting back with real spirit against Liverpool, his side have delivered when it mattered. Tired for long spells, they dug deep and fed off the Elland Road atmosphere to claim a valuable point in their battle for survival.