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Saturday’s pick of the Premier League games was the battle between the 1st and 3rd at Anfield. Liverpool welcomed Leicester City looking to continue their 100% record in the league so far. The Reds had not faced defeat at home in the Premier League for 43 games, a period where they had won 33 times. Jurgen Klopp’s men were also on a run of 16 consecutive Premier League victories, a club record and bettered in the league only by Manchester City, who had managed 18!
Leicester City was no pushover either, and they had been going from strength to strength under the guidance of former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. Interestingly, only Liverpool and Manchester City had managed to gather more Premier League points than Leicester City since Rodgers took charge. As such, Jurgen Klopp was not taking his opponents lightly and he named a strong team for the tie.
Liverpool Starting XI: Adrian; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Georginio Wijnaldum, Fabinho, James Milner; Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane
Liverpool piled on the pressure on the visitors from the kick-off and took the lead through Sadio Mane in the 40th minute. James Maddison equalized for Leicester City in the 80th minute and it looked like Liverpool’s 100% record in the league was coming to an end. However, James Milner scored from the spot in injury time to help the Reds win the game 2-1. Here are 5 men who were brilliant for Liverpool.
#5 Fabinho
The Brazilian anchored the midfield on the day and allowed Liverpool to attack with full freedom. Fabinho provided added cover to the defense and helped Liverpool to deal with the threat of the visitors. The Brazilian had 82 touches on the ball and was an integral part of Liverpool’s build-up play. He attempted the most passes in the game – 65 and also registered the most accurate passes – 53.
Fabinho was not shy of doing the dirty work and also registered 3 tackles in the game. The Brazilian even attempted 3 dribbles with a 67% success rate and was one of the reasons why Liverpool managed to overcome Leicester City.
#4 Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian striker continues to be one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League this season and Leicester City certainly had their hands full while dealing with him. Mohamed Salah gave the visitors a lot of headaches and was a constant threat throughout the game. The Egyptian registered 5 shots in the game, 2 of which were on target, but failed to score.
However, Salah was still very effective with his movement in the final third and also registered 3 key passes on the day. His speed and technical abilities kept the oppositions on their toes and he regularly ran at the visitors, completing all of his 3 attempted dribbles. Salah also combined very well with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane and ran riot in counter-attacks. Even though Leicester City managed to keep his away from the score sheet, Mohamed Salah was one of Liverpool’s most important players on the pitch.
#3 Trent Alexander-Arnold
The Englishman was a tireless running all night and worked extremely hard till the last kick of the game. Trent Alexander-Arnold is a vital part of Jurgen Klopp’s tactics and against Leicester City, he was fully involved in both ends of the pitch. The youngster saw a lot of the ball; he had a game-high 112 touches on the day and he was very effective with the ball at his feet.
Alexander-Arnold’s lung-bursting runs down the right has been a regular feature in Jurgen Klopp’s team in recent past and it was no different against Leicester City. The Englishman bombed forward on every occasion, but also tracked back religiously to ensure that Liverpool stayed compact at the back. His deliveries were also crucial as Liverpool attempted to break down a resolute Leicester City defense. He also registered 5 key passes in the game. Trent Alexander-Arnold had a near-perfect night for Liverpool and helped his team continue their perfect run in the Premier League.
#2 James Milner
Jurgen Klopp was aware of Leicester City’s rising dominance in the league and knew that he needed a warrior in the middle of the park to help win the midfield battle. The Foxes had quite a few talented technicians in the team who had the ability to catch Liverpool on the break, so the German manager opted to install the versatile James Milner for added insurance in the midfield. It was a move that worked like a charm.
Milner brought much-needed experience and composure in the Liverpool team. He drove the team forward, while also keeping an eye out for the Leicester City counter-attack. The Englishman had 70 touches on the ball and attempted 54 passes with 87% accuracy. Interestingly, he registered 2 key passes, one of which was an inch-perfect final ball to Sadio Mane that led to the opening goal.
In the dying minutes of the game, when Liverpool won a penalty, James Milner stepped up, summoned all his experience and won his team all 3 points.
#1 Sadio Mane
The Senegalese was clearly the best player on the pitch and once again showed the world that he was Jurgen Klopp’s main man at Liverpool right now. Sadio Mane started the game as a part of the same tried and tested front three that caused the opposition a lot of trouble but struggled to find a breakthrough. However, all that changed in the 40th minute.
As soon as James Milner had the ball at his feet, Mane saw an opportunity to use his speed. He ran through the channels, working brilliantly to stay onside and was spotted well by Milner. Mane then showed a glimpse of his fascinating pace, as he ran past Johny Evans with ease to run clear on goal. The Senegalese striker took two touches on the ball to set himself up nicely and then unleashed a low drive into the bottom right corner to give Liverpool the lead.
When it looked like Leicester City would return from Anfield with a point, Mane made another telling contribution to the game. He won a penalty in injury time and ultimately helped Liverpool win the game.
