Liverpool put in a sterling second-half comeback to defeat Luton Town at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Chiedozie Ogbene had an amazing first half for the Hatters, with his 12th-minute goal seperating the two sides at half-time.
However, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds turned on the charm in the second half, with Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott all finding the back of the net.
It moved Liverpool four points clear of Manchester City once again, having played one more game, as this match was moved forward from the weekend after Klopp’s side reached the Carabao Cup final.
Here, Aadam Patel explores some of the more unusual talking points you may have missed from Liverpool 4-1 Luton Town.
Threatening Ogbene shines for hosts
The opening goal here had origins in Cork, with Caoimhin Kelleher’s save flying straight into the path of Chiedozie Ogbene, who headed in.
Both were born in Ireland and made their first starts for Ireland together in 2021.
Ogbene was an absolute handful for Liverpool when they played at Kenilworth Road in November, winning more duels and completing more take-ons than anyone else and on Wednesday night, he showed his threat again with a superb performance down the right flank.
Jurgen’s strop forces Kop to find its voice
Jurgen Klopp had called on the Anfield crowd in his pre-match press conference to help his side, given their injury crisis but he took out his anger at the fans midway through the first half, when they reacted negatively to another missed chance.
Klopp turned and furiously lifted his arms toward the Main Stand.
‘Is this a library,’ sang the Luton fans, before bellowing a rendition of ‘Conference Champions, you’ll never sing that.’
Ten years ago, Luton won the Conference and their fans had their fun here, before Liverpool turned it up a gear in the second half and Anfield found its voice.
And Klopp treated all four stands with his customary fist bumps after the final whistle.
Karting Konate
Ibrahima Konate was the cover star of the match programme and it was interesting to see him compare leading a title race to go-karting.
‘Being in first place can be good but it can also be complicated,’ said Konate. ‘For example, if you are in front when go-karting, people are behind you and you are up there for people to have a go at you,’ he added. Whatever suits you, Ibou.
One thing’s for sure. Neither Man City or Arsenal will be able to overtake Liverpool on the weekend.
Lockyer’s new superpower
Luton captain Tom Lockyer appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, where he described his implantable cardioverter defibrillator as his ‘new superpower’.
Lockyer revealed that he thought he was dying on the pitch when he collapsed against Bournemouth in December.
‘I kind of knew (it was serious) which is why when I started coming round and I couldn’t move or speak, the staff there were in ‘go-mode’. They were focused and it was very serious,’ said Lockyer.
‘That’s when I was like, “wow, I could be dying”. My heart got back into rhythm thanks to the incredible medical staff. I’m lucky it happened where it did because if it was to happen outside of hospital or a football pitch, the survival rate is one in 10.’
The 29-year-old also confirmed that he would take in his family’s considerations before deciding whether to return to football.
Liverpool youth prevails
Jurgen Klopp named Liverpool’s youngest Premier League starting line-up since February 2018, with an average age of 25 years and 68 days. Five of Liverpool’s substitutes were aged 19 or under, including 16-year-old Trey Nyoni.
Only Tottenham (37) are on a longer scoring run in the Premier League than Luton, who have now scored in 13 consecutive games. A statistic that is a testament to the fearless nature with which Rob Edwards’s side have approached their first season in the Premier League.
In Mo Salah (19), Diogo Jota (14), Darwin Núñez (13), Cody Gakpo (11), and Luis Díaz (10), Liverpool are the first club in Europe’s big-five leagues to have five players reach 10+ goals in all competitions this season.
In fact, the Reds also became the first side from Europe’s big-five leagues to score 100 goals in all competitions in 2023-24.
Liverpool have recovered 22 points from losing positions in the Premier League this season, more than any other side, and their joint-most in a single campaign in the competition (also 22 in 2008-09).
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
