Misery was in store for the faltering Premier League holders once again in the weekend showdown at the King Power Stadium as a majestic comeback by the hosts ensured a third straight defeat in top-flight action for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
A well-worked play between Roberto Firmino and Mohammad Salah led to the latter finding the back of the net in the 67th minute before it all went horribly wrong for the visitors.
James Maddison’s exquisite free-kick got the better of Alisson Becker soon after Salah’s opener and the Brazillian international was culpable for the second game in a row to gift Brendan Rodger’s Foxes outfit a hard-earned advantage minutes following their equaliser.
Harvey Barnes rounded off the scoring and put the match to bed in a superb manner, with all of Leicester City’s three goals coming within just seven minutes to make matters worse for an under-fire Reds.
TEAM NEWS
Changes were notable in the XI that took the field in East Midlands for Liverpool FC, with Thiago Alcantara being surprisingly dropped in favour of James Milner’s return.
New recruit Ozan Kabak, who joined the Merseysiders on deadline day, made his debut and started in the heart of the defence alongside skipper Jordan Henderson.
MATCH PROCEEDINGS
Liverpool FC upped the ante in the opening minutes of the game and came close to getting a well-deserved lead but Foxes No.1 Kasper Schmeichel continued to defy the visitors’ efforts on goal.
Mohammad Salah could not keep a fantastic defence-splitting pass from Jordan Henderson in check and the Leicester City backline eased further worries by playing the long ball.
On the other end of the pitch, the ever-present Jamie Vardy was just centimetres away from opening the scoring but Alisson Becker was saved the blushes as the crossbar came to shot-stopper’s aid.
Worries arose for the Reds in the form of yet another injury issue as James Milner was withdrawn off the pitch after being unable to continue beyond a quarter of the game’s proceedings and Thiago Alcantara took the veteran midfielder’s spot.
The opening 45 minutes came to a close without any substantial trouble caused on either end of the pitch besides Vardy’s effort which dinked the crossbar.
Klopp’s men continued to dominate the tempo of the game and the reward finally came in the form of a fantastic ball teed up for Mohammad Salah by Roberto Firmino and the former’s curling effort broke the deadlock in Liverpool FC’s favour.
However, the minutes that followed Salah’s strike were horror-ridden for Jurgen Klopp’s men as the hosts staged an epic three-goal comeback within a very short span of time.
A clumsy challenge from Thiago on the edge of the penalty box gifted the Foxes an unnecessary free-kick of which James Maddison make the perfect use, with the England international driving in a ferocious effort into the back of the net.
Liverpool FC’s hopes of reclaiming their lead were handed a shocking blow as a terrible piece of judgement from the under-fire Alisson Becker allowed Jamie Vardy to steer the ball into an empty net.
Harvey Barnes also got in on the action and the Liverpool FC’s defence were unable to cope up with the Leicester City winger’s rapid pace on the flank and he was able to triple his team’s scoring in a brilliant fashion.
3 – Liverpool have lost three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since November 2014, when managed by current Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers. Regressed. pic.twitter.com/EKJu9rHM0y
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 13, 2021
The final whistle marked the end of another shallow showing from Jurgen Klopp’s side on the defensive front and the loss leaves the defending champions in real danger of missing out on European football for the 2021-22 campaign.
