With three games left to secure their Premier League status for another season, Leicester City welcomed Liverpool to the King Power Stadium. The visitors had plenty to play for too, with Jurgen Klopp’s side looking to mount a late push for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
LEI: Iversen; Castagne, Evans, Faes, Pereira; Ndidi, Soumare; Barnes, Tielemans, Maddison; Vardy
LIV: Alisson; Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate, Alexander-Arnold; Jones, Fabinho, Henderson; Diaz, Gakpo, Salah
A scrappy start to the game saw Leicester win a flurry of free-kicks early on, but as time progressed, Liverpool began to assert their dominance on the game. Trent Alexander-Arnold attempted to thread a pass into the box with 23 minutes on the clock, but a well-executed block by Wout Faes saw the chance come to an end.
There was concern at the back for the Foxes soon after, as Jonny Evans looked uncomfortable clearing the ball – driving along the face of goal seemingly oblivious to Luis Diaz’s press. The defender was able to get out of danger just in time though.
Luis Diaz squandered a chance to put the visitors ahead with the thirty-minute mark fast approaching, but the Colombian opted to shoot towards the near post rather than picking out Mo Salah on the opposite flank. Jurgen Klopp was visibly frustrated on the sidelines, urging Diaz to open his eyes.
Liverpool took the lead in the 33rd minute though, as Curtis Jones slotted home into the far corner to send Leicester closer to the Championship. Wout Faes seemed to have lost his bearings after a long ball over the top bounced, and some neat play saw Jones receive the ball just inches from goal – beating the Belgian defender at the near post to drill a shot across goal. A lengthy VAR check followed as it looked as if there was an offside in the buildup, but the goal stood.
Jones doubled his tally three minutes later, receiving the ball from Mohamed Salah once more before tucking a tidy effort past Daniel Iversen. Yet another VAR check ensued though, and it swung in Liverpool’s favour again – ruling that Jonny Evans had just about played the midfielder onside.
It could have been three soon after, as Mo Salah drove towards goal before laying the ball off to Cody Gakpo. The Dutchman’s strike was directed straight into the arms of Iversen though, much to the relief of the Foxes faithful.
The Foxes trailed by two goals at half-time – and while that wouldn’t be impossible to overcome in the second half, it would certainly be a tough task. Dean Smith’s side were booed off as they made their way down the tunnel, with fans knowing that a loss would almost certainly condemn the team to at least one season in the second tier.
Harvey Barnes looked to claw one back for the Foxes in the 52nd minute, as Harvey Barnes looked to curl an effort into the top-right corner from the edge of the box. The winger’s strike forced Alisson into action, but the ‘keeper was able to push it away.
The introductions of Tete and Patson Daka seemed to spark life into the Leicester frontline, but the Foxes still remained unable to penetrate the visitors’ defence. Ultimately though, it was Trent Alexander-Arnold that found the breakthrough in the 71st minute with a moment of brilliance to extend Liverpool’s lead. A free-kick on the edge of the box was rolled towards the right-back by Mo Salah, and his strike nestled in the top corner with pinpoint precision.
Salah should have made it four soon after, as he found himself one-on-one with Daniel Iversen after being played through on goal by Cody Gakpo. The Egyptian’s effort was sent well wide of the near post though – a rather uncharacteristic miss from the winger.
With fifteen minutes still left to play, the King Power started to empty out rapidly – and by the final whistle, there were just a few home fans left to see their side suffer yet another loss in what has been a dismal Premier League campaign. They remain in the relegation zone with just two games to play, with a trip to Newcastle up next before they host West Ham on the final day of the season.
Leave a Reply