Leicester City 1-0 Liverpool
A second-half goal from Ademola Lookman gave Leicester City a shock Premier League victory over Liverpool, who stay six points behind Manchester City at the top of the league table.
The Foxes were looking for revenge after their unlucky EFL Cup exit at the hands of the Reds last week and it was a sweet night for them and their boss Brendan Rodgers.
The hosts started the game with a number of players unavailable and were almost behind when Mo Salah won a penalty, but Kasper Schmeichel saved. And when Lookman gave them a lead early in the second half, they fought like warriors to hang on to the three points.
The latest Premier League 2021 betting oddshave shifted sharply in favour of Manchester City in recent weeks, and this was a serious blow to Liverpool.
Highlights of the game
Liverpool had Boxing Day off after a COVID cancellation of their planned date with Leeds United and they looked rested and ready to go as they dominated the early exchanges. Trent Alexander-Arnold tested Kasper Schmeichel with an early shot and Jordan Henderson blazed the rebound over the bar.
And the Reds had a golden opportunity to go ahead when they won a penalty on 15 minutes. Salah jinked his way into the penalty area but there was no clear danger until Wilfred Ndidi went to ground and Salah tripped.
The Egyptian climbed to his feet and hit the penalty to Schmeichel’s right, but it was at a nice height for the stopper to save. Salah’s follow-up header then hit the crossbar and bounced to safety.
And the Leicester keeper was called on again, on the half hour, when the ball broke to Salah some ten yards out and he unleashed a fierce shot which Schmeichel saved brilliantly.
Jamie Vardy was only fit enough to sit on the bench during the Foxes’ Boxing Day defeat to Manchester City. But he made a start today and he came so close to giving Leicester a lead when he played a one-two with Timothy Castagne to break free in the Liverpool area, but Joel Matip slid in to make a goal-saving block.
The Leicester crowd was lifted by the penalty miss and the Foxes’ fighting spirit and were right behind their team throughout the first half, and it wasn’t long in the second half before the roof came off. The lively Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall slid a pass into the path of substitute Ademola Lookman and he fired a fierce shot past Alisson at his near post.
Liverpool had half an hour to get something out of the game but as much as they pressed the Leicester defence, which conceded six goals to Manchester City just 48 hours ago, the hosts held firm. Man-of-the-match Schmeichel made another great save to deny Virgil Van Dijk to ensure the Foxes would impose a second league defeat of the season on the Reds.
Key statistics
The Foxes Premier League 2021 resultshaven’t been at all impressive, but this was a cracker to end Liverpool’s unbeaten run of ten games. And there were some other unwelcome stats for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Salah’s penalty miss was only his second in the Premier League for Liverpool, the last being in 2017 and he has scored the last 15 since.
This was the third game in a row in which Liverpool conceded the first goal, and it’s five years since Liverpool last lost a league game in December.
What’s next?
Christmas is always a great time for SBOTOP football fans and the action just keeps n coming. Next up Liverpool have a huge game, on the 2nd January, when they head to London for a clash with Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea. The Blues have recently welcomed Romelu Lukaku back from injury and they won 3-1 away to Aston Villa on Boxing Day, before they meet Brighton at Stamford Bridge on the 29th.
Then Klopp’s men continue their heavy fixture schedule with an EFL Cup clash away to Arsenal, before returning to Anfield for a FA Cup meeting with League 1 side Shrewsbury.
The Foxes have a couple of very winnable games to come over the next two weeks, both at the King Power Stadium. First they entertain bottom club Norwich City on New Year’s Day. The Canaries lost 3-0 to Crystal Palace on Tuesday night to make it five defeats on the bounce, conceding 14 goals while failing to score.
Then it’s the FA Cup when some more Premier League strugglers head to the East Midlands. This time Claudio Ranieri’s Watford are on the agenda. The Hornets had a difficult time on Tuesday too, losing 4-1 at home to West Ham United, a result which keeps them in the thick of the relegation scrap.
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