Ian Doyle with the main talking point from Liverpool’s Premier League clash at home to Leeds United on Thursday evening
20:12, 01 Jan 2026Updated 22:35, 01 Jan 2026
Arne Slot reacts during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Leeds United at Anfield on January 01, 2026 (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
New Year, same old problems for Arne Slot and Liverpool. The rebuilding of Fortress Anfield is proving anything but painless.
An instantly forgettable goalless draw at home to resurgent Leeds United may have extended the Reds’ unbeaten run to eight games – their longest such sequence in almost a year – but there was precious festive cheer for home supporters.
Instead, there was a dismal reminder of why Liverpool have long realistically given up hope of defending their Premier League crown.
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Slot has always maintained the best time to start assessing a team’s fortunes at this season is at the halfway stage.
After 19 games, then, the Reds are left scrabbling around for the fourth and final Champions League qualification place. Recent evidence suggests it’s unlikely the top three of Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa will be caught.
The most worrying aspect for Slot will be the sheer lack of imagination and energy in breaking down a dour Leeds side that, while well organised, hadn’t kept a clean sheet since August. Liverpool barely created a chance worthy of note.
In mitigation, the Reds have history for this sort of outcome, given only three times in the last 12 years have they now won their first league game of the New Year.
And this, similar to the win over Wolves last Saturday, smacked of the busy festive schedule with minds and bodies tired and rotation forced through necessity rather than design.
While there’s no argument much-needed tactical tweaks in recent months have made Liverpool much harder to beat, the challenge now must surely be to re-introduce more creativity to the team.
There aren’t enough players right now capable of conjuring the magic required going forward.
Any positives come with that caveat. Having lost four out of five league games, Liverpool have now steadied the ship by avoiding defeat in their last four. None, though, have been particularly easy to watch.
That said, remarkably this was the first goalless draw for Slot as Reds boss in his 84th game in charge.
There were a smattering of boos at the sounding of the final whistle from referee Chris Kavanagh that, perhaps borne of frustration, swiftly made way for the usual applause for the efforts of the players.
But in reaching the midway point, Liverpool served to show everyone just how far they have still to travel.