Mohamed Salah scored two penalties as Liverpool closed to within three points of Premier League leaders Manchester City with a 6-0 hammering of Leeds United at Anfield.
Salah netted either side of Joel Matip’s superb strike to give Jurgen Klopp’s team a comfortable advantage before Sadio Mane added a late double of his own and Virgil van Dijk completed the scoring.
The stunning victory gives Liverpool renewed hope of catching Pep Guardiola’s league leaders, who lost at home to Tottenham on Saturday and must still welcome the Reds to the Etihad Stadium.
City could have expected few favours from Leeds, however, with Marcelo Bielsa’s men firmly in a relegation scrap with the league’s most porous defence.
After a high-octane opening, Liverpool were awarded a 13th-minute spot-kick when Stuart Dallas handled a cross, allowing Salah to fire into the bottom corner.
Raphinha saw a tap-in ruled out for offside as Leeds looked to respond, but they found themselves two down after half an hour when Matip surged forward from the back, playing a one-two with Salah before thumping home his first goal of the campaign.
Rampant Liverpool earned a second penalty moments later, when Luke Ayling brought down Mane. Salah elected to smash the ball into the top corner this time, scoring two penalties in a single game at home to Leeds for a second season running.
Junior Firpo’s clearance denied Salah a first-half hat-trick and the winger spurned another chance for his treble on the hour, but Liverpool still were not done with the scoring.
An incisive move ended with Mane converting Jordan Henderson’s cross, before the same man was on hand to profit when the ball fell into his path after Illan Meslier blocked from Divock Origi.
Liverpool kept up their intensity until the final whistle, refusing to turn their attention to Sunday’s EFL Cup final ahead of time as Van Dijk nodded the 93rd-minute sixth.
