Liverpool mounts second-half fightback to beat Luton 4-1 and go 4 points clear in Premier League

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This article was published 21/02/2024 (956 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool mounted a second-half fightback to overwhelm Luton in a 4-1 win and move four points clear atop the Premier League on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Liverpool recovered at Anfield thanks to goals in the space of 125 seconds by Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo that put the hosts in front by the 58th minute.

Luis Diaz added a third for the Reds in front of his celebrating father, Luis Manuel Diaz, who was at the stadium — and wearing a Liverpool jersey — 2 1/2 months after being released by members of a guerrilla group who kidnapped him in northern Colombia. Harvey Elliott wrapped up the scoring in the 90th.

It was ultimately a strong response from an injury-hit Liverpool to title rival Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday. That had left Liverpool, City and Arsenal separated by just two points in what is shaping up to being a three-team fight for the title.

Liverpool is now four points clear of City and five ahead of Arsenal, but has played an extra game.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was without senior players Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones, among others, for the match and it showed at times with Luton — adopting a bold man-to-man marking approach — looking dangerous on the break.

From one of those occasions, Tahith Chong raced into the area and sent in a shot that was saved by the legs of goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher and rebounded out to Chiedozie Ogbene, who nodded the ball into an empty net in the 12th minute.

Liverpool squandered a glut of half-chances before the break through either weak shots or poor decision-making in the final third. When Elliott overhit a pass through to Diaz, there were groans from the Main Stand — eliciting an angry reaction from Klopp as he turned to Liverpool’s fans in that section.

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Liverpool found its cutting edge in the second half, with Van Dijk heading in a 56th-minute corner by Alexis Mac Allister, who then drove over a cross that Gakpo nodded in.

Substitute Andrew Robertson forced a turnover that led to Diaz’s goal in the 71st, and Elliott whipped home a finish for the fourth as Luton’s overstretched defense tired.

Liverpool plays Chelsea in the English League Cup final on Sunday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer