Thanks to a late equalizer by forward Luis Diaz, who is currently dealing with the pain of his father being kidnapped, Liverpool managed to secure a 1-1 draw against newly promoted Luton Town in the 11th round of the Premier League on the evening of November 5th.
With their recent strong form, it was expected that Liverpool would easily dominate Luton Town, a team previously considered one of the weakest sides in the Premier League, having earned only five points in ten matches. In their most recent encounter, during the third round of the FA Cup 2008, Liverpool defeated Luton Town 5-0.
However, their trip to Kenilworth Road presented challenges for Jurgen Klopp’s team. Despite controlling 74% of the possession and attempting 24 shots, three times more than Luton, Liverpool struggled to break down the opposition. The statistics were remarkably similar for both teams regarding shots on target, with Liverpool having six compared to Luton’s five.
In addition to the exceptional performance of Luton’s goalkeeper, Thomas Kaminski, the lack of finishing from Liverpool’s attacking players played a role in their inability to convert chances into goals. In the 5th minute, Darwin Nunez dribbled and took a shot from outside the box, but Kaminski blocked it. Shortly after, the Uruguayan forward deflected the ball off the crossbar with an excellent header after a long pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, one of Liverpool’s best combinations in the first half.
In the 21st minute, Mohamed Salah missed the target when he had an opportunity to shoot in a chaotic situation in the penalty area. A little later, the breakthrough effort by Ryan Gravenberch created a chance for Diogo Jota, but Kaminski once again made a brilliant save.
After halftime, Liverpool didn’t create many more opportunities as the opposing team focused on defending. At times, Klopp’s team had to cross the ball into the box, hoping to reach players like Nunez and Jota, known for their aerial abilities.
In the 68th minute, substitute forward Cody Gakpo missed a close-range chance. Two minutes later, Nunez added to the list of incredible misses when he skyed the ball from only a few meters out after a cross from Salah.
Liverpool’s profligacy in front of goal came back to haunt them. In the 80th minute, from a counter-attack, Issa Kabore delivered a cross for substitute midfielder Tahith Chong, who slotted the ball into the net. Before that, Liverpool’s defense had been put on alert when Chiedozie Ogbene dribbled past two players, creating an opportunity for Carlton Morris to face Alisson Becker.
The home team immediately fortified their defense to secure the score, making Liverpool go through a difficult 10 minutes, during which they created almost no significant chances. However, in the 5th minute of the 10 minutes of stoppage time, Luis Diaz shone with a headed goal from Harvey Elliott’s pass, salvaging a point for Liverpool. This was a meaningful goal for the Colombian forward, who, after scoring, revealed a shirt with the words “For Dad.” Recently, Diaz’s parents were kidnapped in his hometown, and only his mother has been released so far.
The draw prevented Liverpool from moving up to second place in the league. They have 24 points, the same as Arsenal, but are two points behind Tottenham and three points behind Man City. Next week, Liverpool will visit Toulouse in the Europa League before hosting Brentford in the 12th round of the Premier League.
