LONDON: Liverpool are improving from game to game. The Reds pulled level with the pack at the top of the Premier League after a decisive 3-0 win at Leeds. However victory was soured by serious injury to their brilliant teenaged midfielder Harvey Elliott.

The 18-year-old youth international was carried off on a stretcher midway through the second half with a serious leg injury. The injury clearly upset other players close to the incident. Leeds’ midfielder Pascal Struijk was shown a red card for the tackle responsible.

Liverpool were already two goals ahead so the numerical imbalance effectively decided the outcome.

Manager Jurgen Klopp was not in the mood to celebrate Liverpool’s 14th successive unbeaten game.

He said: “It is a bad injury. He had played an incredible game, he is an incredible player. I saw the situation immediately and saw his foot not in the right place. That is why we were all shocked.

“After the red card everybody was in shock. We lost rythm but we still controlled the game. We should have made more of the football we played. But in the end 3:0 is a top result. We are not that greedy that we should have had five or six or seven. We had a lot of shots bhut not good enough. We have space for improvement but the football we played was exceptional.”

Virgil van Dijk, badly injured five games into last season, said: “The injury looked bad. We’ll pray and hope for the best for him. We’ll all be there for him.”

Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa said: “They were superior to us in all aspects. I don’t know why. I regret dearly the opponent was injured and I’m 100 per cent certain our player did not have a bad intention. I wish it had not happened.”

Leeds’ Brazilian Raphinha as well as Liverpool’s Alisson and Fabinho all started after FIFA’s attempt to impose a ban in the row over quarantine regulations was reversed. Liverpool did miss Roberto Firmino but that was down to injury.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men made a lively start. Patrick Bamford shot wide then Rodrigo shot straight at Alisson. This was a costly miss. Liverpool began to pull holes in the Leeds’ defence and took the lead though Mo Salah in the 20th minute. He scored his 100th Premier League goal by converting a low right-wing cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Now Liverpool took command.

Salah provided a cross from which Thiago Alcantara headed into the net but the Egypt winger had been offside. Sadio Mane shot high over the bar from close range, Harvey Elliott had two shots blocked and Virgil van Dijk had a ‘free’ header from a corner deflected over the bar.

Klopp would have complained to his players at halftime at the failure to establish a winning lead and had to wait only five minutes into the second half for a response.

Virgil van Dijk headed for goal from a corner and when the ball fell loose Fabinho mis-kicked the first time but scored at second attempt. VAR checked for offside against Mane but the goal was given.

The game was then spoiled when Leeds substitute Pascal Struijk was shown a red card for a bad tackle which left Elliott with a serious injury to his left leg. Salah initially ran towards Elliott then covered his eyes as the Liverpool medical team raced on to the pitch. Elliott was carried off on a stretcher. Ironically Liverpool had been preparing to substitute him.

Struijk, a Belgian-born Dutch youth international, was sent off by referee Craig Pawson less for the tackle itself as for the severe injury it caused. Sky TV judged the injury so unpleasant that no replay was screened.

Elliott posted a picture on Instagram giving a thumbs-up and saying he is already on “the road to recovery.”

Mane made amends for missing a host of chances when he scored Liverpool’s third goal in the second minute of the eight in stoppage time. Most of those were added for the injury to Elliott.

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