Liverpool escape defeat in injury time

Luis Diaz's equalizer helped Liverpool draw 1-1 with newly promoted Luton Town in round 11 of the Premier League on the evening of November 5.

It seemed that with their high form, Liverpool would easily suffocate Luton, a team that was once considered one of the weakest teams to participate in the Premier League and had only won 5 points after 10 matches. But in reality, the trip to Kenilworth Road made Jurgen Klopp and his team face more difficulties than expected.

Diaz jumped high to head the ball, helping Liverpool earn a hard-fought point at Luton. Photo: Reuters

The draw meant Liverpool missed the chance to move up to second in the table. They have 24 points, equal to Arsenal but two points behind Tottenham and three behind Man City. Looking at the match statistics, it can be seen that the visitors dominated with 74% possession and 17 shots with six on target. But in reality, Liverpool's attacks were not sudden enough to break down the multi-layered defense that the home team had built.

In the fifth minute, Nunez dribbled and shot from outside the box but was blocked by Kaminski. Not long after, the Uruguayan striker showed his lack of luck when he shot against the crossbar, despite his movement to receive a long pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold being considered Liverpool's most impressive combination of the first half.

Chong celebrates with his teammates after opening the scoring for Luton. Photo: Prime

But it wasn't just Nunez who missed. In the 21st minute, Mohamed Salah had a chance to get on the scoresheet in a chaotic situation in the penalty area and shot over the bar. Shortly after, Ryan Gravenberch's breakthrough effort opened up an opportunity for Diogo Jota to finish in the box, but Kaminski once again made an excellent save.

After the break, Liverpool did not create many more chances as their opponents defended more focused. There were times when Jurgen Klopp's team had to use high crosses into the penalty area in the hope of getting the ball to the position of good aerial players like Nunez or Jota but without success.

In the 68th minute, new striker Gakpo missed a chance to finish from close range. Just two minutes later, Nunez added to his list of unbelievable misses when he shot just a few meters into the air after Salah's cross.

Diaz lifted his shirt to reveal a message of support for his father after scoring the equalizer. Photo: Reuters

Luton not only defended better, they counter-attacked more sharply in the second half. Chiedozie Ogbene dribbled past two players before setting up Carlton Morris for a one-on-one with Alisson Becker, which was a wake-up call for the visitors. Then, from a similar counter-attack on the right flank, Issa Kabore crossed for Chong to open the scoring.

Liverpool endured a difficult few minutes and barely created any significant chances in the remaining 15 minutes. But in the fifth of 10 minutes of added time, Diaz's moment of brilliance saved them. It was a goal that meant a lot to the Colombian striker. After scoring, Diaz lifted his shirt to reveal the words "for dad". Diaz's parents were recently kidnapped and rescued in his home country, leaving him in shock.

Liverpool travel to Toulouse in the Europa League next week before hosting Brentford in round 12.

Quang Huy

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