Liverpool 2-1 Leicester City: 3 reasons why the Reds won against the Foxes | Premier League 2019-20

Liverpool hosted Leicester City at home in the Premier League. The home side won the intense affair in the dying minutes of the game through James Milner's penalty.

Jurgen Klopp made two changes to his Liverpool side from the narrow 4-3 win against Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League. Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez paved the way for James Milner and Dejan Lovren's inclusions in the team.

Liverpool took the lead through Sadio Mane's strike just at the brink of half time. James Milner's long through ball was picked up by Mane after Jonny Evans failed to intercept it. Sadio Mane reached his milestone of 50 Premier League games with his goal.

Leicester forced the issue and found an equalizing goal through James Maddison in the 80th minute. Brenden Rodgers made a defensive switch by introducing Hamza Choudhury for James Maddison in the 86th minute.

The game was well and truly heading for a draw but a clumsy last-ditch tackle on Sadio Mane by Marc Albrighton gifted a penalty to the home side. James Milner converted from the spot against Kasper Schmeichel as Liverpool kept their 100% win-record alive in the league.

The Reds will stay at least 5 points ahead of Manchester City at the end of the match week

Here are three reasons for the Reds' win at home.

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#3 Liverpool neutralize the threat from Leicester's fullbacks

Mane helping out in the defence against Chilwell

Leicester City's fullbacks Ricardo Pereira and Ben Chilwell are one of the finest duos in Europe. They have a case for being the 2nd best fullback partnership after the undisputed best duo of Robertson and Alexander-Arnold.

Liverpool started with a different set up with Roberto Firmino on the left and Sadio Mane on the right. Mohamed Salah started through the middle. Mane and Firmino supported Liverpool's defensive efforts on the wings as the output of Leicester's fullbacks was practically nil.

Ben Chilwell dropped a disastrous performance and Ricardo Pereira was fairly quiet without much threat. Mane tracked back well in the defence as did Wijnaldum and Milner.

The heatmaps of both Chilwell and Pereira show a bright red spot on the wing in their own half which goes to suggest that their threat was minimal. Chilwell and Pereira lost possession a combined 60 times and lost 15/23 ground duels. Their combined long pass completion was 4/15 and cross completion was 0/7.

Liverpool simply ate the Leicester fullbacks alive.

#2 Van Dijk, Lovren and the aides keep Leicester's pesky attack at bay

Lovren and Van Dijk were solid in the defence

Dejan Lovren made his first start for Liverpool in quite some time but he looked as though he has been playing week in week out. With the ever-sturdy Virgil van Dijk, Lovren was a solid cog in the heart of Liverpool's defence.

By half-time, Jamie Vardy had managed only 8 touches off the ball and had lost 2 out of 3 ground duels. As the clock hit 90, Vardy's output was 0/2 dribbles, 21 touches, 2/5 ground duels won and 2/8 aerial duels won.

Van Dijk and Lovren were both solid in the air - winning 9/12 duels combined. When it came to ground duels they won 6/8 combined.

Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino tracked back willingly to help and reduce the risk from the Leicester fullbacks. Mane made two brilliant tackles on Ben Chilwell in the first half as he was about to execute a cutback. Fabinho, even though struggled a bit, did his part to keep James Maddison as quite as possible. The Liverpool midfield reduced Maddison to 0 key passes and 6/14 successful duels.

All in all - a gritty Liverpool performance on the defensive end saw the Reds edge the game and it had contributions from every player on the pitch.

#1 Sadio Mane's all-round brilliance as the team hails a never say die attitude

Sadio Mane was spectacular against the Foxes

Liverpool wasn't very convincing to be blunt. Even their last win against Sheffield United wasn't convincing and for that matter neither was the second half against Chelsea. But what separates this Liverpool team under Jurgen Klopp from the teams of recent times is their willingness to leave everything on the pitch. This team just doesn't give up, no matter what the circumstances.

Sadio Mane was brilliant at both ends of the pitch. He ended the first half as Liverpool's lead tackler with 4 - which includes an important slide tackle at the edge of the box to stop a would-be dangerous cross. As the clock struck 40 minutes, Mane was on the left-flank again and on the end of James Milner's ball to get his 50th league goal.

Liverpool dug deep to stop Leicester's attack but James Maddison eventually managed to catch all of - Adrian, Van Dijk, Lovren, and Fabinho - cold at the same instant. In a game poised for a draw, Liverpool still pushed for a winner and Mane was tripped inside the box after 90 minutes.

They say winners come in all shapes and sizes and so it was James Milner this time who would hold his nerve and convert the pressure penalty.

After 8 games, Jurgen Klopp's side doesn't yet know the meaning of being satisfied with a result and they don't know the meaning of quit. Liverpool with this attitude would be firm favourites for the title.