Leicester City hosted Liverpool in their latest fixture in the Premier League and ran out comfortable winners. It was Jamie Vardy who opened the scoring the 28th minute when he latched on to a Marc Albrighton through ball to beat Simon Mignolet.
The Foxes soon doubled their lead in the 39th minute when Danny Drinkwater scored one of the contenders for the goal of the season and the Reds misery was complete in the 60th minute when Vardy outjumped Emre Can to score his side’s third and final goal of the evening.
Also Read: EPL 2016/17: Leicester City 3-1 Liverpool, Player Ratings
While Philippe Coutinho did pull one back for the Reds in the 68th minute, there was very little thereafter and the game finished 3-1 in the favour of the hosts.
We take a look at five talking points from the game.
#1 Leicester seized the initiative in the first half and were duly rewarded
While Liverpool were still waking up from their slumber, Leicester seized the initiative from the word go. The Foxes denied the Reds any time and space on the ball during the opening stages of the game and stifled the visitors throughout the game to ensure that they do not find any rhythm.
Once the side had seized the initiative there was no stopping them as they stuck to their plan of making every counter attack count. They were rewarded with two goals via counter-attacking moves on either side of a wonderfully crafted Danny Drinkwater volley, while ensuring Liverpool were afforded very little space to work themselves into.
The midfield duo of Danny Drinkwater and the recent recruit, Wilfred Ndidi, worked tirelessly in the centre of the pitch and complemented each other’s skill sets to trouble the visitor’s midfield, which looked bereft of ideas on many occasions. The Foxes flew into tackles frequently and were effective going into tackles as they won close to 66% of their 47 tackles; they also made a higher number of interceptions (16 compared to Liverpool’s 13) and were more than willing to put their body on the line to help the side come out victorious.
#2 The game was the perfect tribute to Claudio Ranieri by the players and fans
While Claudio Ranieri might no longer be the manager of the club at the moment, the Italian has left a lasting impression on the club and the game on Monday was a tribute to him by the players and the fans. Leicester absorbed the pressure that came their way and essentially played Ranieri’s style of football by counter-attacking at every possible opportunity and it was only apt their first goal brought back memories of the 2015-16 campaign.
Despite being involved in a relegation battle currently and rendered without a full-time manager, the mood in the stadium was anything but sour and the club’s fans created the perfect atmosphere as their side turned up in style.
The troubles and allegations that were levied on several of their players were paid no heed by the supporters as they acknowledged each player when they arrived on the pitch and unlike several other cases, there were no boos around the stadium. That would be a huge morale booster for the players as they are currently entangled in a relegation battle and the full support of its fan base in attendance remains a prerequisite.
#3 Jamie Vardy turns back the clock
After lighting up the Premier League last season, Jamie Vardy has had a rather underwhelming season this year, until he lined up against Liverpool. The Englishman had scored in just 3 games in 22 appearances before the game against Liverpool, which included a hat-trick against Manchester City, and was singled out for criticism by several pundits.
However, on Monday, the striker was unplayable as England manager Gareth Southgate watched on. The striker exposed Liverpool’s lack of pace and was on Lucas Leiva’s case throughout the evening with his incessant running. With Leicester reverting to their time and tested formula of playing direct, no-nonsense football, Vardy was instantly made more threatening and deservedly scored a brace.
While his first goal was the result of an incredible pass by Marc Albrighton, the second goal was a result of Vardy’s incessant and undying spirit going into the attack.
The 30-year-old striker remains his side’s top scorer in the league this season with 7 goals. However, for the side to retain their status as a Premier League club for the upcoming season, he will need to ensure that he adds consistency to his game.
#4 Philippe Coutinho goes missing yet again
While he might have scored his side’s only goal of the evening, Liverpool’s magician and creator-in-chief, Philippe Coutinho, was rendered ineffective by the Leicester midfield and defence for most parts of the evening. That has been the case now for some time as the Brazilian has failed to perform and that might be the reason his side finds themselves in a spot of bother at the moment.
His first touch looked shoddy on several occasions, he ran into the Leicester defence time and again and failed to create anything meaningful for his teammates to work into.
When a side’s most creative player stops creating frequent chances in the game, it is a simple recipe for disaster and it does not come as a surprise that the Reds have looked clueless on numerous occasions over the last several games.
The 24-year-old playmaker has created a measly 10 chances in the last 5 games and with the side lacking a genuine playmaker who can fill in the void, if he does have a bad run of games, teams playing against Liverpool could model their tactics around the Leicester game.
#5 Liverpool’s dreadful form in 2017 continues
Liverpool have been knocked out of every single cup competition and have just the league to play for. With the title practically out of their reach, the goal for Jurgen Klopp and co. should be to qualify for the upcoming season of the Champions League, failure to achieve which could mean trouble.
Klopp has had over 12 months to mould his team. He has had three transfer windows and despite the funds being made available to him, he has not decided to dip into his reserves to add more quality to the side. Additionally, with the physical toll of his pressing game taking its effect on the players, perhaps, Klopp would need to revisit the drawing board to tinker with his tactics.
While not being entirely negative, we believe some combinations, despite seeming good, do not work out (remember when Chelsea bought Fernando Torres/Andriy Shevchenko and it didn’t work out) and that might be the case with Klopp. It's a possibility that will definitely be deeply examined if Liverpool do not make the cut for the Champions League, come the end of the season.
