Leicester took revenge for the recent elimination in the League Cup and, just six days after falling at Anfield, they endorsed Liverpool a loss that momentarily removes them from the Premier’s leadership. If Manchester City win tomorrow in Brentford, they will take 9 points ahead of the ‘reds’, who have a pending match to play.
Jürgen Klopp’s team was not successful in the auction and finished for the first time without scoring this season in the Premier. Kasper Schmeichel saved a penalty to Mohamed Salah, who sent the rebound to the crossbar. Instead, Ademola Lookman, a former Everton player, decided on the first shot between Leicester’s three sticks.
The first part was a continuous harassment and demolition operation by Liverpool, which did not let a Leicester of Brendan Rodgers breathe, a former technician of the ‘reds’, focused on resisting as best the avalanche that was coming upon him could. After a quarter of an hour, Mohamed Salah had the first big chance to open the scoring after being thrown off balance by Wilfred Ndidi, but Schmeichel saved the penalty. The rejection fell to the Egyptian striker himself, who only headed to the crossbar before goal.
Salah’s first penalty missed in Premier since 2017
It is the second penalty that Salah has missed in the Premier, the first since October 2017 against Huddersfield. Since then he had converted 15 in a row.
The game was as intense and spectacular as the one on December 22, when Liverpool eliminated Leicester in the quarterfinals of the League Cup on penalties after a 3-3, but this time the ‘reds’ lacked success against goal since many of his shots were not well directed.
Schmeichel frustrates Salah again
They tried in every way, although it lacked clarity to find passing lines between a well-retracted defense despite the casualties. Half an hour later, in one of Leicester’s few errors in the rear, Salah was hit by a ball in the area but again his shot to break found a hand from an immense Schmeichel.
In the final stretch of the first part, Leicester could appear in attack when James Maddison appeared between the lines and Jamie Vardy lavished two frustrated arrivals, first by Virgil van Dijk, who reappeared as Fabinho after overcoming Covid-19, and later by Joel Matip, who covered the crossed shot of the veteran forward with a goal mark.
Mané falla el 0-1 y Lookman sentencia
After the break, Liverpool seemed to find ways to pass when Diego Jota put a golden ball on Sadio Mané, who only shot high against Schmeichel (55 ‘).
Leicester, on the other hand, showed maximum effectiveness when he opened the scoring with his first and only shot between the three suits. Ademola Lookman, who had just taken the field, combined in the race with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and, after cutting Matip, nailed the ball to Alisson’s near post (59 ‘).
Leicester resists final siege
Leicester, in the box, was left without Maddison with 20 minutes to play, while Jürgen Klopp put all his artillery with the entry of Roberto Firmino.
But Liverpool lacked fluidity and, although it bottled up the rival in the final stretch, its best options came from set pieces, with a header from Diogo Jota that went just wide and a shot from Van Dijk that Schmeichel, the hero, kicked out. of the party and great responsible, along with his impenetrable defense. that the ‘reds’ finished this season without scoring for the first time in the Premier.
Leicester: Schmeichel; Castagne, Amartey, Ndidi, Thomas; Choudhury (Lookman, 56 ‘), Soumaré, Dewsbury-Hall; Maddison (Albrighton, 68 ‘); Vardy e Iheanacho (Tielemans, 56 ‘)
Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Henderson (Firmino, 71 ‘), Fabinho (Milner, 64’), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Naby Keïta, 55 ‘); Salah, Diogo Jota y Mané
Goal: 1-0 Lookman (59 ‘)
Referee: Michael Oliver. Cards: YELLOW: Matip (4 ‘)
Spectators: 32,230 at King Power Stadium
see match file