Leicester City earned a dramatic, hard-fought 1-0 win over Premier League title challengers Liverpool on Tuesday at the King Power Stadium as the Reds failed to score for the first time all season. It was substitute Ademola Lookman’s 59th-minute strike that paced the Foxes, ending a poor run of form. Leicester had conceded nine goals in their last two games, including three to Liverpool in the League Cup. Leicester lost to Manchester City 6-3 in their previous match on Boxing Day.
Brendan Rodgers’s team had just six shots and 36.5 percent possession, registering an xG of 0.59, their third lowest of the league season. But they had the counter attack available to them and capitalized on an opportunity right before the hour mark, taking the surprising lead and holding on in the end with goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel making numerous clutch saves.
Liverpool finished the first half with 11 shots and an xG of 1.98, yet could not beat an inspired Schmeichel in either half. Not only did the Danish goalkeeper save a poor penalty kick from Mohamed Salah in the first, but he also denied the Egyptian from point-blank range with a ridiculous reaction save moments later, tipping a powerful shot over the bar with his right hand fingers.
The result now means Manchester City have a chance to go nine points clear this weekend when they face last-place Norwich City.
Here are three takeaways from the match:
Lookman made the most of his chance
Lookman has now scored in back-to-back games, but boy was this a bigger one. Off the bench, he completed all 12 of his pass attempts, his change of pace gave a gassed Liverpool defense serious trouble, and he also made an impact on the defensive side with two recoveries and an interception.
Here’s the moment he scored:
That speed and technical ability kept Liverpool on their heels, and credit to him for getting pace behind a shot that most expected to go back post. He’s now showing he can be a super substitute, and that’s what this team needed after one win in their last four league clashes.
One to forget for Salah
Salah is going to hope Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones approaches him after the match with the neuralyzer to help him forget what he just experienced. That had to be as frustrating of a performance for the Reds superstar as he has had as of late. Not only did he create two chances and have five shots, he finished with an xG above 1.0 and failed to score. He finished with an xG of 1.69, much of which came from the missed penalty kick and the crossbar hit seconds after.
But he had more looks, and some great ones. First, the penalty was poorly executed and gifted the save to Schmeichel, and then his point-blank shot that the goalkeeper tipped over just left him baffled.
This is just the second time all season he’s failed to score in back-to-back Premier League games. On to the next one.
The winner was there for Mane
It was a nightmare in truth for the Liverpool attacking trio. Forget that Diogo Jota looked off and rarely threatened, but Sadio Mane was off as well, completing just 65 percent of his passes in the final third. Part of it was a superb defensive performance from Leicester, but Mane really should have scored on a second-half opportunity where Jota played him in. The Senegalese talent infiltrated the box, took a touch and got the ball past the goalkeeper but missed the frame completely.
That miss encapsulated the club’s night in what was a shocking defeat and leaves a bad taste in their mouths ahead of Sunday’s clash with Chelsea.
