Liverpool 2 Leicester 1
Liverpool ended a year they will remember with a night Wout Faes would dearly love to forget. The Leicester defender scored two ludicrous own goals to gift Jürgen Klopp’s team a victory that closed the gap on fourth-placed Tottenham to two points in the race for Champions League qualification.
Brendan Rodgers’ team led through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s early strike and were rarely troubled until Faes sliced two goals into his own net inside seven first half minutes. Both were easily avoidable and will become established fixtures in any future bloopers’ reel. “3-0 to the Leicester boys,” chanted the away fans. It was one of their better songs on a night when they spewed out the ‘always the victim’ chant towards Liverpool yet again.
Liverpool’s Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson laid a wreath of yellow and white flowers on the centre circle before kick off in a tribute to Pelé from both clubs. Liverpool’s captain, Jordan Henderson, laid another wreath in memory of the club’s popular former striker David Johnson, who died last month.
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Klopp had tasked his players with starting with the same intensity and sharpness that underpinned victory at Aston Villa on Boxing Day. Leicester’s early struggles against Newcastle on the same day, when they found themselves two goals down inside 10 minutes, had been noted. But so much for best laid plans. It was Leicester, called in on a day off by Rodgers to analyse their Boxing Day failings, who were positive, assured and energetic from the first whistle. They led after four minutes when Dewsbury-Hall took full advantage of a rupture in the centre of Liverpool’s defence.
The Leicester midfielder had plenty to do after Harvey Barnes and Patson Daka combined to turn Danny Ward’s goal-kick into his path. He skipped around Henderson with ease and suddenly, with Virgil van Dijk and Joël Matip lured out of position, a chasm appeared. Dewsbury-Hall duly ran through it and scooped a finish over Alisson into the Kop goal.
Liverpool were momentarily stunned. Their sluggishness lasted much longer. Klopp had made one enforced change from the Villa victory with Harvey Elliott replacing Fabinho, whose wife went into labour shortly before kick off. The contrast in performance level was stark, however, with Liverpool lacking cohesion and giving up possession cheaply.
Leicester lost Daka to an early injury sustained when attempting to close down an Alisson clearance. The striker was replaced by Jamie Vardy, who almost made an immediate impact when breaking clear down the right and threading a fine ball towards Barnes at the far post. Trent Alexander-Arnold flew in with a vital interception. From the resulting corner by Ayoze Pèrez, the impressive Wilfred Ndidi was left unmarked at the back post but a deflection off Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain turned his header wide.
Darwin Núñez tried to inject much-needed menace into Liverpool’s display and Mohamed Salah went close after one marauding run by the Uruguay international. Otherwise Rodgers’ compact team were comfortable. Enter Faes, and a truly inexplicable implosion.
Ward had already berated the Leicester centre-half for making a clearance at the near post when he had come to collect the ball when Alexander-Arnold swept a trademark cross towards the same spot. Leicester’s goalkeeper shouted for the ball. Faes didn’t listen, or didn’t trust his keeper enough, and stuck out a leg to clear. He succeeded in sending the ball up and over Ward, who turned around in horror to see the woeful clearance kiss the inside of the far post and bring Liverpool level.
The home side’s good fortune and Faes’ embarrassment did not end there. Minutes later Núñez was played clean through on goal by an intelligent touch from Oxlade-Chamberlain. The forward beat the advancing Ward with a cool chip that curled away from goal and onto a post. Faes was first on the scene to clear. He had time before Salah closed in on the rebound. He sliced into his top corner. It was a farcical, comical ending to the first half, although no-one of a Leicester persuasion saw the funny side.
The Kop shouted “shoot” whenever the Belgium international took possession in the second half but he avoided an unwelcome hat-trick. Henderson went close to adding a third for Liverpool when found unmarked inside the area by an Alexander-Arnold throw-in. Salah dragged a shot badly wide when played through by an exquisite, angled pass from Núñez, who lofted an excellent chance over Ward’s bar when found in space by substitute Naby Keïta. The Leicester keeper also denied Salah with a finger-tip save after more unselfish work by Núñez.
Leicester had opportunities too in an open, flowing second half. The best fell to Dewsbury-Hall when he sprinted into another gap in the Liverpool defence to meet Timothy Castagne’s cross only to miscue a header wastefully wide. – Guardian
