Liverpool fell behind early but came back to beat Leicester 2-1, without the Reds scoring a single goal for themselves, at Anfield on Friday.
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The victory makes four in a row for Liverpool (28 points - 6th place), who now find themselves just two points behind Tottenham for 4th. Leicester (17 points), meanwhile, remain 13th, just four points above 18th-place Wolves and the relegation zone.
Leicester went ahead after just four minutes, as the Foxes went direct on the left wing and quickly cut through Liverpool’s midfield and defense with a quick passing sequence between Patson Daka, the assister, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, the scorer.
Wout Faes’ first own goal leveled things up in the 38th minute, as he badly mishit an attempted clearance of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross. Instead, the Belgian defender sent the ball looping high in the air, over the head of goalkeeper Danny Ward, just under the crossbar and just inside the far post for a thoroughly painful own goal.
Seven minutes later, Faes put the ball into his own net again, and the way it played out wasn’t any less painful to watch. Darwin Nunez lifted the ball over Ward but only found the front face of the far post. The ball bounced back into play, into Faes’ path about two yards off the goal line. In a rushed attempt to clear the ball, Faes hammered it into the ceiling of the net and sent Anfield into raptures once again.
WATCH LIVERPOOL vs LEICESTER FULL MATCH REPLAY
How to watch Liverpool vs Leicester live, stream link and start time
Kick off: 3pm ET, Friday (Dec. 30)TV Channel: PeacockOnline: Stream via Peacock Premium
Key storylines
Liverpool looked back to their best for large spells of the win against Villa but there are still a few defensive weaknesses which can be exposed. That said, Liverpool have won five of their last seven Premier League games and after a poor start to the campaign they are back in the top four hunt. The addition of Gakpo will boost them in the second half of the season and it will be intriguing to see where Klopp lines him up and what combinations they use in attack.
The Foxes missed James Maddison against Newcastle and his injury just before the World Cup break was a blow as he continues to recover from a similar knee issue. Jamie Vardy has so often been a thorn in Liverpool’s side over the years and he could be unleashed at Anfield once again. Brendan Rodgers knows his side has underperformed this season but after this trip to Liverpool they have some very winnable games coming up.
In-form players to keep an eye on
Mohamed Salah looked back to his best against Villa, while Alisson has been Liverpool’s star performer all season long. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson wrecked havoc from their full back positions and Virgil van Dijk was on the scoresheet last time out.
Leicester’s Youri Tielemans tried his best to get them going against Newcastle and he remains a world-class operator in midfield. It will be intriguing to see if Patson Daka starts or Vardy comes back in.
Liverpool team news, injuries, lineup options
Arthur Melo, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and Roberto Firmino remain out injured, while James Milner is also expected to miss out and Ibrahima Konate may not feature after his late return from the World Cup.
#LIVLEI Team news 📋
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 30, 2022
How we line-up to face Leicester City tonight at Anfield 🔴
Leicester team news, injuries, lineup options
James Justin, Ricardo Pereira, Jonny Evans, Ryan Bertrand and James Maddison remain out, while Dennis Praet is a doubt with a back issue.
For the final time in 2022 📝 🔵#LIVLEI pic.twitter.com/hNBPzovsh7
— Leicester City (@LCFC) December 30, 2022