The Foxes came into the game on the back of three consecutive away victories, all of which came with the added bonus of a clean sheet, and they were in front after less than four minutes at Anfield. A long ball from Danny Ward found Harvey Barnes and, after quick one-touch football involving the winger and Patson Daka, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall found himself in acres of space in the middle of the park. Questions must be asked of the Reds’ backline, who allowed the 24-year-old to move forward unchallenged, but the finish was calm and composed.
Liverpool struggled to create any clear-cut opportunities in their attempts to equalise - they didn’t muster a shot on target until the 35th minute. Fortunately for Jürgen Klopp’s men, however, they were able to rely on Leicester defender Faes. The first own-goal was particularly unlucky, the ball slicing off his foot, over Ward and in via the post, but he should have comfortably cleared the second instead of striking into the roof of the net after Darwin Núñez had struck the post. Despite testing their opponents’ goalkeeper just once before the interval, the hosts had two goals and a lead at the break - football is a funny game sometimes.
Klopp’s men were eager to extend their advantage at the start of the second period, as Henderson and Mohamed Salah both came within a whisker of finding the bottom corner. Leicester were not without attacking threat of their own, and Alisson needed to be alert to stop Barnes’ close-range effort. In the end, though, the hosts stood firm and were able to see the game out with relative ease.
The result sees Liverpool move up to sixth in the PL table, just two points adrift of Manchester United in fourth. Leicester, meanwhile, continue to languish in mid-table and must be careful not to get drawn into a relegation battle.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)