Leeds hit back to beat Liverpool 4-2, Calvert-Lewin impresses amid injury worry | OneFootball

Leeds United rounded off their US pre-season tour with a 4-2 comeback win over Liverpool in Chicago, a second-half surge offering three clear takeaways. yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk highlights the injury worry, the attacking lift from key substitutes and the midfield pecking order.

Trailing 2-0 at the break to goals from Luke Chambers and Florian Wirtz, Leeds flipped the game after the interval. Brenden Aaronson pulled one back, Dominic Calvert-Lewin levelled, Aaronson then crossed for Sean Longstaff to make it 3-2 before Calvert-Lewin headed a late fourth.

Gabriel Gudmundsson’s apparent hamstring problem is a concern. After an early collision with Wirtz, the left-back went down again around the half-hour, appeared to rub his hamstring and was replaced by Sebastiaan Bornauw. James Justin shifted to left wing-back and coped for spells, although a couple of crosses exposed limitations.

This is potentially a nightmare for Daniel Farke, with the club’s only natural senior left wing-back sidelined three weeks before the new campaign. Leeds need cover, a signing that looked necessary anyway, and the episode underlined how quickly depth can be exposed.

Calvert-Lewin’s first outing of the summer coincided with Leeds finally finding rhythm in the final third. He, Aaronson, Longstaff and Harry Wilson combined well, and the striker’s hold-up play helped win territory and press high, as seen for Aaronson’s goal.

Longstaff impressed off the bench, not just for a second goal in three pre-season games. His scuffed finish from Aaronson’s cross wrong-footed Georgi Mamardashvili and hinted at meaningful contributions next season and beyond.

By contrast Ao Tanaka struggled to impose himself again, his US minutes marked by sloppiness in possession and little rhythm. If Leeds do pursue a new midfielder, bids for Shea Charles suggest they might. It could need one in and one out, and at this stage Longstaff looks ahead of Tanaka, particularly if Farke wants cover for Stach with attacking impetus.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk