Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points as they came from behind to beat Leicester City 3-1 at Anfield on Thursday evening.
The Foxes, who started the game in the relegation zone, put in a battling performance that started with Jordan Ayew putting them in front.
However, goals from Cody Gakpo and Curtis Jones either side of half-time turned the game around before Mohamed Salah wrapped it up late on, ensuring the Reds took advantage. Chelsea slide against Fulham before Christmas Day.
How the game developed
Liverpool seemed to indicate their intention when salah forced a save with a short-range volley just seconds from the first whistle. But it was Leicester who took the lead after six minutes, Ayew turning sharply to finish inside the box after great work from Stephy Mavididi down the left.
Inevitably, the home side responded by piling on the pressure, but created very little of a string of crosses into the box, with Andy Robertson’s header going the closest.
LeicesterMeanwhile, he was fired up on the break and came within a point of Virgil van Dijk playing Patson Daka for a chance to make it 2-0.
Unfortunately for the Foxes, the pressure began to mount as half-time approached, with Salah hitting the crossbar from inside the box. And Liverpool were level soon after, Gakpo heading home a trademark curler after cutting down the left.
The Reds then picked up where they left off after the break, with Darwin Nunez squandering a golden opportunity to smash Ryan Gravenberch’s cut-back over the bar. But they were ahead from a similar move moments later, Jones slotting in from a Mac Allister cut-back following a well-worked move down the home side’s right.
To their credit, Leicester held on and would have been level had Daka not completely botched a left-footed cross after a quick break. Meanwhile, LiverpoolThe wait for a game-clinching goal was extended when a Gakpo strike was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check for offside in the build-up.
But they were given breathing room in the final ten minutes as Salah curled a low finish at the far post after dribbling into the box.
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Having conceded eight goals in their last three games, Liverpool could have seen this clash with Leicester as an opportunity to show they are not as porous as they have appeared of late. Instead, Alisson Becker was taking the ball out of his own net with just six minutes on the clock against a side mired in the relegation zone.
The Reds have now added a clean sheet in their last six outings (against Girona), and they lack the solidity that characterized their strong start to the season. Maybe the imminent return of Ibrahima Konate will help, but Arne Slot will be desperate to find a solution either way.
Jurgen Klopp went so far as to apologize to Cody Gakpo last season for hurting his form by making too much use of his positional versatility. After the Dutchman scored eight goals in his last 12 appearances in a favored left-back position scoring against Leicester, you can see the former Reds manager had a point.
Gakpo looks like a player reborn this season and his form of late means he may even have moved ahead of Luis Diaz in the pecking order in this wing. It’s certainly a selection headache that Slot will appreciate.
After the ‘new manager bounce’ gave way to heavy defeats against Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester fans had every reason to dread this trip to Anfield.
Instead, they will surely be buoyed by a disciplined and hard-working performance that on another day could have earned them at least a share of the points. If the Foxes continue to show this level of togetherness going forward, they will at least have a chance at more wins.
