Liverpool continued their run of form on both sides of the extended international break with a fortunate 2-1 win at Anfield against former manager Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City.
Jürgen Klopp’s men made it four wins on the bounce in the Premier League and two wins from two since play resumed in the Premier League in the wake of the 2022 World Cup, but few can look at tonight’s performance with any vein of confidence after Leicester produced a team performance that was perhaps far more worthy of something rather than a return to the KP stadium empty handed.
Liverpool move two points behind Spurs in fourth#LIVLEI pic.twitter.com/u9l1hNDIfW
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 30, 2022
The Foxes jumped to an unexpected 1-0 lead inside the opening four minutes of action on Merseyside after Patson Daka laid off into space for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall who drove through the gap in the heart of defense before calmly slotting past Alisson, with Liverpool once again falling behind to an early deficit during a frustrating 2022-23 campaign.
Tried as they did, Liverpool was unable to manufacture an equalizer on their own accord despite a number of half-chances both from dead ball situations and through the run of play, but a freak deflection in the 38th-minute off Belgian international defender Wout Faes lobbed over Danny Ward and into the back of the net after blocking a low cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold, drawing the Reds back on level terms in what originally seemed an innocuous passage of play.
It was the first goal that Leicester had conceded on the road in just under six hours of football in what has been improved defensive performances under Brendan Rodgers, but that run of defensive form took another hit just seven minutes when Faes turned goalscorer once more at the wrong end of the pitch when Darwin Núñez broke into space and lobbed Ward only for his effort to bounce off the far post before the Belgian horrifically shanked his clearance into the back of the net.
Liverpool went into the half-time interval with a one-goal cushion they hardly did enough to earn, but the second half offered enough evidence to suggest that Leicester still had enough in the tank left to claw back an equalizer given that the Reds had failed to secure a two-goal cushion despite a few spurned chances, none more evident and glaring than Núñez bent his effort just over Ward’s bar despite being presented with a clean-cut chance.
📰 Table Of Contents
Liverpool Player Ratings
- Alisson (GK): 6.5
- Trent Alexander-Arnold (RB): 7.5
- Joel Matip (CB): 6
- Virgil van Dijk (CB): 7
- Andrew Robertson (LB): 7
- Jordan Henderson (DM): 6
- Thiago (CM): 8
- Harvey Elliot (CM): 6.5
- Mohamed Salah (RW): 7
- Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (LW): 6.5
- Darwin Núñez (CF): 7
- Naby Keïta (Sub): 6
- Kostas Tsimikas (Sub): 6
- Joe Gomez (Sub): N/A
- Stefan Bajčetić (Sub): N/A
Leicester City Player Ratings
- Danny Ward (GK): 7
- Timothy Castagne (RB): 6
- Daniel Amartey (CB): 6
- Wout Faes (CB): 4
- Luke Thomas (LB): 7
- Boubakary Soumaré (DM): 6
- Ayoze Pérez (RM): 6.5
- Wilfried Ndidi (CM): 6.5
- Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (CM): 7
- Harvey Barnes (LM): 6.5
- Patson Daka (CF): 7
- Jamie Vardy (Sub): 6
- Youri Tielemans (Sub): 6
- Kelechi Iheanacho (Sub): 6
Social Media
Harvey Elliott in for Fabinho is Liverpool’s only change to play Leicester City#TelegraphFootball | #LFC #LCFC
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) December 30, 2022
4’ – Goal for Leicester.
[0-1]#LIVLEI
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 30, 2022
Slow starters!#BBCFootball #LIVLEI pic.twitter.com/kOvtvpWjHV
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) December 30, 2022
GOAL Liverpool 1-1 Leicester (38 mins)
Disaster for Leicester as Wout Faes’ attempted clearance loops into his own net#LIVLEI
— Premier League (@premierleague) December 30, 2022
Wout Faes is only the second player ever to score 2 own goals in a single game against Liverpool, after Danny Malloy for Cardiff in August 1959. #LFC #LIVLEI
— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) December 30, 2022
