Match Report: Leicester City 2-3 Liverpool
Having been knocked out from the Carabao Cup by Leicester City earlier in the week, Liverpool returned to the King Power Stadium to seek revenge. Klopp’s side came into the game determined to take three points home, with a Mohamed Salah header, courtesy of a beautiful delivery from Philippe Coutinho giving the Reds the lead.
Soon, the little magician doubled Liverpool’s lead with a beautiful free kick coming off a foul from Ndidi on Alberto Moreno. The Brazilian looked sharp on the ball and was a real threat to Leicester throughout the first half.
The first half saw Liverpool dominate possession just like they usually do and they created plenty of chances in the game. Towards the 30 minute mark, both teams created chances through counter attacks and corners but failed to find the net. As the half-time approached, Joel Matip tripped Jamie Vardy at the edge of the box which gave Leicester a final chance to take the lead before the referee blew the whistle.
Marc Albrighton put in a curler from the left which Liverpool goalkeeper, Simon Mignolet failed to clear, as the ball fell to Shinji Okazaki who then tapped it in to give Leicester their first goal of the game. Okazaki looked like he was holding off Mignolet before he scored. But the referee did not spot that.
The foxes went into the break with a hope of a comeback, having found a late goal. The second half began with Leicester trying to capitalise on Liverpool’s lack of confidence having given away a goal in injury time.
Around the 55th minute, Liverpool saw a flurry of corners as Coutinho put in some great crosses, of which Lovren almost made good use of, before Harry Maguire held him off by pulling his shirt. Lovren pleaded for a penalty but ended up getting a yellow for arguing with the match referee.
The 60th minute of the game saw Craig Shakespeare bring on Demarai Gray for Riyad Mahrez, who quickly injected pace into the team. 4 minutes later, Jurgen Klopp made his first change of the game, bringing on Daniel Sturridge for Roberto Firmino.
Daniel Sturridge made an immediate impact after he came on, as he set up Jordan Henderson for the 3rd goal of the game. But it was short-lived as Jamie Vardy scored the second for Leicester after getting on the end of a deflected shot off Demarai Gray.
Around the 72nd minute, Leicester City were awarded a penalty after Simon Mignolet’s failed attempt at a clearance brought down Jamie Vardy inside the box. Vardy stepped up to take the spot kick but was denied by the Belgian.
The final 20 minutes saw an end to end battle between both sides as both managers began to make use of their substitutions. Klopp brought on Milner for Can while Shakespeare threw in Iheanacho for Okazaki in the 74th minute.
While Liverpool looked to increase their lead, Leicester were looking to equalise as Shakespeare brought on Islam Slimani for Marc Albrighton while Klopp replaced Philippe Coutinho with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
In the end, Liverpool managed to keep their nerves as they took home all three points despite some controversial refereeing and their usual defensive fragility.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Liverpool’s win:
What a rollercoaster! In the end we get what we deserve: 3 points!! #YNWA #LFC 💪🔴 pic.twitter.com/1dxQN1Wjxv
— Simon Mignolet (@SMignolet) September 23, 2017
Mo Salah in numbers:
6 PL games
4 goals
7 chances created
1 assist
9/11 take-ons
68% shot accuracyWhat a signing 🤙🏻 pic.twitter.com/CswC3vsnEP
— LFC Stats (@LFCData) September 23, 2017
Look at Moreno and Coutinho pic.twitter.com/dTjafihsfV
— Sam McGuire (@SamMcGuire90) September 23, 2017
https://twitter.com/YoungyLFC98/status/911679082299043844
A Liverpool win fucking makes my weekend man. Mad how much a football club impacts my mood.
— – (@AnfieldRd96) September 23, 2017