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Two undefeated records remained in place at Anfield, however only one team could take real contentment from the result. Leeds United carried out a textbook game plan of frustrating and restricting the hosts, with the maiden goalless draw of Arne Slot's tenure highlighting the lingering issues behind the reigning champions' latest recovery.

Defensive Masterclass Earns Vital Point

A lacklustre goalless draw, the first in 84 matches for Slot's team, was largely due to the immense solidity of the outstanding centre-back pairing Struijk and Bijol, coupled with the Anfield side's inability to unlock a well-drilled visitors' unit. Liverpool were reduced to speculative half-chances, and a sprinkling of boos echoed around the stadium at the full-time signal on a sluggish display.

"If I do not utilise the whole group and we have a fixture list like this, I would not do this," Daniel Farke stated. "For a player like Dominic I have to protect him. We all are aware his recent history was challenging. He is in red-hot form but it's vital I look after him and sometimes the head needs to win over the heart."

The Hosts' Struggle in Front of Goal

Liverpool at first showed more zip and sharpness than in recent outings, with Jeremie Frimpong prominent on the flank. However, clear-cut chances were scarce. The home side's best openings in the first half involved striker Hugo Ekitiké.

• Following a smart one-two with Curtis Jones, the France forward drifted infield and forced a save from keeper Lucas Perri at his near post.
• The Leeds' goalkeeper spilled the effort, needing a timely block from James Justin to prevent Florian Wirtz converting the rebound.
• Ekitiké later raced through onto a ball over the top but was held by Jaka Bijol; despite not going down, his shouts for a penalty were dismissed.

Missed Chances Prove Costly

Ekitiké's evening was compounded when he failed to find the target with his clearest chance. Connecting with a pacy Frimpong cross in the goal area, the attacker misdirected a glance that struck the Perri while with an open goal.

For Leeds, their most notable opportunity arrived from an Alisson mistake. The Brazilian keeper sent a careless clearance straight to midfielder Ethan Ampadu, whose first-time shot back down the centre was gathered by the alert Alisson.

Scrappy Final Stages

The contest descended into a scrappy affair, devoid on incident. The midfielder, returning from suspension, tested Perri from distance. The subsequent scramble led to Ampadu controlling the ball, awarding Liverpool a set-piece in a promising area, which Wirtz wasted into the wall.

Slot introduced a triple substitution to bring urgency, and soon after Virgil van Dijk went agonisingly close to nodding his team in ahead from a set-piece, his effort bouncing just wide the post.

Late introduction Dominic Calvert-Lewin thought he had continued his goal streak for the visitors in the final stages, but his finish was flagged out for a marginal offside call. Ultimately, both teams had to settle for a single of the points.