Liverpool vs Leicester City Review
Liverpool came from behind to defeat Leicester City 3-1, increasing their lead at the top of the Premier League to a remarkable seven points and marking their eighth consecutive win on Boxing Day. Although Liverpool was expected to win against relegation-threatened Leicester, the match started with an unexpected twist. The bold Foxes took the initiative early on and surprisingly went ahead when Stephy Mavididi made a strong run down the left and set up Jordan Ayew, who scored with a shot into the bottom corner. However, Liverpool didn’t need to worry too much, as Leicester has been known for conceding goals easily lately, and only the post prevented them from going behind further when Andy Robertson’s header hit the woodwork.
It would have been understandable to expect a better performance from Liverpool, who struggled throughout the match. However, their star player Mo Salah nearly equalized just before halftime, hitting the top of the crossbar with a curling shot. There was still time for one last attack, which resulted in the Reds’ equalizer when Cody Gakpo curled a shot into the far corner.
From that moment on, Liverpool took control and scored again within five minutes of the second half, with Curtis Jones finishing off a driven cross from Alexis Mac Allister. There was a tense moment as they awaited the outcome of a lengthy VAR check to confirm the goal. Chris Kavanagh was busy at Stockley Park, as another extended VAR review was necessary to rule out Gakpo’s second goal due to Darwin Núñez being offside in the buildup, preventing Gakpo from scoring again.
Currently, it’s hard to imagine a Liverpool match without Salah making an impact, and he did just that by scoring the hosts’ third goal, marking his 100th home Premier League goal. This capped off a fantastic evening for Slot’s team, who capitalized on Chelsea’s earlier loss to gain more ground in the title race. In contrast, Leicester’s situation is grim, following Wolves’ victory over Manchester United, they have fallen back into the bottom three.
