Leeds manager Daniel Farke says he was “always confident” about troubling Liverpool from set pieces, suggesting the Reds are easy to exploit.
Farke’s side battled their way to a 3-3 draw on Saturday night, with Ao Tanaka equalising from a corner deep into stoppage time.
Speaking to the media after the game, the Leeds boss admitted he had belief in his team causing Liverpool problems from set-piece situations.
“We know that we ourselves spend so much attention on set pieces, and we all know that we are quite physical and can score in these situations,” Farke said.
“We spend so much time on the training pitch in order to do this, so for that I was always confident.
“And against the top side, it’s always crucial – not just against Liverpool – that you are dangerous in this situation because you can’t dominate games against this type of opponent with 80 percent possession.
“It is difficult to win any headers against Van Dijk and Konate, but nevertheless, we are still confident and back ourselves that we can score.”
Are Liverpool the Premier League’s softest touch?
When Liverpool are in moments of adversity this season, they arguably feel as easy to play against as anyone in the Premier League.
Even when Dominik Szoboszlai put the Reds 3-2 up late on at Leeds, an equaliser for the hosts still felt more than possible, which is damning.
Liverpool are a far cry from mentality monsters that Jurgen Klopp created, and Slot last season for that matter, with opponents never feeling like they are out of games.
Slot himself discussed Liverpool’s set-piece issues after the match, struggling to put his finger on what is going wrong.
“I don’t think there’s any team in the world that can be in a higher league position than we are if you concede 10 set-pieces and have not scored in the Premier League once unless you count that Dominik free-kick [against Arsenal],” Slot said.
“Maybe one at West Ham, a second-phase throw-in. Then it’s hardly possible to be in a higher position or having more points than we have if you concede so many of those.
“For me, it’s not the setup, because it’s the same setup as we had last season where we hardly conceded, or not concede at all, in the first half of the season.
“In this setup, there are a lot of similar players that are mainly important. So, tell me what it is. If I tell you now it’s bad luck, then you probably say that’s a bit too much after 15 games.”
Only Nottingham Forest (11) have conceded more goals from set-pieces in the Premier League this season (excl. penalties) than Liverpool (10).
It’s more than the Reds shipped from set plays in the whole of 2024/25 in the league (9). ? https://t.co/5oKDU45HD4
— Squawka (@Squawka) December 6, 2025
Liverpool are ultimately a soft touch this season, as the Premier League table suggests, and it has to change for Slot’s sake.
The Reds have now conceded stoppage-time goals against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Leeds, as well as an 84th-minute one at home to Man United.
Liverpool used to be the hardest team to face, in and out of possession and from set-pieces, but that is a distant memory right now.