Liverpool and Man United sent ‘message’ by a Leeds side starting to believe | OneFootball

Leeds left Anfield with a thoroughly deserved draw on New Year’s Day and in the process made a point to both Liverpool and Manchester United.

It was, in short, a very good night for Daniel Farke and co. It could have been even better still, had Dominic Calvert-Lewin not been a dangling leg offside when clipping home what would have been the only goal of the game.

But they will certainly take this. Not least because Leeds made absolutely no secret that this was what they were coming here for.

Among four changes from the 1-1 draw at Sunderland was Calvert-Lewin, the Premier League’s in-form striker, named among the substitutes. Impossible not to draw two fairly obvious conclusions from that; Leeds would be enormously content to walk away from Anfield with a point but also that they see the weekend’s home clash with Manchester United as distinctly winnable.

And it really is hard to argue with Farke’s logic there. The Leeds team here – also missing defensive talisman Joe Rodon to injury which gave things a confusing and unfamiliar look – offered a reminder of how this Christmas period really should play into the hands of the biggest clubs with the deepest squads.

Farke had decisions to make and priorities to balance, and concluded that Man United on Sunday was more important than Anfield on Thursday. To still emerge with a point and perhaps the best defensive performance of Leeds’ entire season must be enormously satisfying.

The only real fly in Leeds’ ointment was the sight of Ethan Ampadu collecting a slightly daft booking for handball and ruling himself out of the United game.

But to dwell on that would be to miss the bigger picture. This result – and a first away clean sheet of the season – was another big step forward in a Leeds season that has become full of them in recent weeks.

It’s now six games unbeaten for Farke and his side. Those six games have included two games against the defending champions, another against Chelsea, and a trip to a Brentford side that has lost at home in the league only to Man City this season.

Man City, of course, is where this Leeds renaissance began. Not with tangible points, but with the discovery that they could absolutely compete with the best in this division. The resulting jolt of confidence has undoubtedly survived the late heartbreak in that game and looks like it’s going to be more than enough to propel Leeds clear of relegation trouble.

While Leeds had heroes all over the pitch, for Liverpool, this was another disappointing evening in a season already full of so many. It is not the start to 2026 they would have imagined, and it leaves yet more questions about where this team and manager is headed.

It really wasn’t as hard as it should have been for Leeds to achieve what they set out to achieve here. With the exception of the excellent Hugo Ekitike (and even he will spend considerable time rueing a first-half headed chance he somehow managed to send further away from rather than towards an unguarded net), Liverpool were soporific and uninspired.

Jeremie Frimpong, again pushed forward from his more customary right-back starting spot, offered glimpses and flashes. Florian Wirtz again flattered to deceive. Liverpool’s final chance of the night was a hopeful long shot from Virgil van Dijk that was blocked by a white flash of Leeds defender throwing himself into its path.

It was a conclusion that summed up both teams. Leeds putting everything on the line and in Liverpool’s way, but Liverpool undeniably guilty of not making that task as tough as it should have been.

Liverpool can count themselves fortunate that the competition for a top-four finish this season is so weak. They will likely stumble over that line one way or another.

Leeds now find themselves in a position, dare we say it, approaching comfort. This current run of 10 points from the last six games has stretched their advantage over the bottom three to seven points.

It’s a compelling gap. It has taken West Ham nine games to amass their last seven points, and even with a trip to Wolves next on their agenda, there is little current evidence to suggest a flurry is about to occur from the Londoners.

More importantly, there seems little reason for this newly confident, newly secure and thoroughly self-assured Leeds to worry anyway.