Leicester City 0 Liverpool 3
Trent Alexander-Arnold demonstrated one of the more elegant methods to score a goal in a simple victory that assures Manchester United may feel Liverpool screaming down their spines. Jürgen Klopp once claimed there are five million different ways to conquer a game.
Gareth Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland were present, so Alexander-Arnold could not have chosen a better time to put the game away with a superb free kick. After a magnificent double by the superb Curtis Jones, Alexander-Arnold, who once more played as an inverted full back, sprang up in the centre, arrowed his strike into the top corner to secure a seventh straight victory.
Liverpool railroaded a degraded After Jordan Henderson was adjudged to have been fouled by returning Jonny Evans, Liverpool scored twice in the first three minutes of the second half to establish a comfortable lead. Alexander-Arnold then sealed the victory. The lone unexpected moment came when Mohamed Salah missed with a shot on 79 minutes as Liverpool looked for a fourth goal.
Leicester's focus is firmly elsewhere while Liverpool's desperate attempt to make the Champions League keeps on gaining momentum. A club that has won one of its previous 15 games must win one, if not both, of its remaining games if Leicester is to stay alive. Even then, it might not be effective.
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The fact that Leicester was celebrating with the FA Cup on this day two years ago after winning the trophy at Wembley for the very first time in the club's history serves as a reminder of how the team's fortunes have altered. The club skipper Evans made his first league appearance since October due to a hamstring complaint, and five other members of the starting eleven from that day also started here. Evans initially appeared to bring some much-needed calm, but two goals from Liverpool in the space of three minutes quickly dispelled any lingering sense of security.
Seven years after their unbelievable 5,000-1 championship win, they are now facing relegation to the Championship. It irks interim manager Dean Smith that up until Jones's first goal, which came on minute 33, Leicester had maintained a distance from Liverpool.
Earlier, Luis Dáz, one of Liverpool's two substitutions from the team's triumph over Brentford the previous time out, skittled a shot into the side netting. Then Alisson sent a long ball downfield, changing the situation. Daz was the first to the ball because Wout Faes failed to deal with it. Klopp's other substitution, Henderson, connected with Salah, who fired a pass towards the back post. It was already too late for Boubakary Soumaré to stop Jones from sweeping the ball in with his left foot by the time Jones appeared in his peripheral view.
From the point of view of Leicester, the goal inflicted much agony. However, things were about to escalate and the suffering would intensify. Cody Gakpo swiftly left Wilfred Ndidi and Soumaré behind as he advanced towards the opposition's goal. He then passed the ball to Salah, who cleverly set up Jones to make a run for the ball. Using his right foot, Jones received the ball, rotated his body, and swiftly propelled the ball into the net past Daniel Iversen with one swift touch.
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At this point, which marks 36 minutes on the clock, all remnants of faith were completely destroyed. A few fans made their way to the concourses. Iversen made an instinctive save to prevent Gakpo from scoring a third goal for Liverpool within seconds. Smith covered his face with his hands when Gakpo made a dash towards the goal, and he was expressing his disappointment by hitting his thighs when Liverpool missed another scoring opportunity before the break.
The potential for disappointing results looms over Leicester as they play Newcastle and then Brighton in their upcoming matches, coinciding with the gloomy half-time skies that were a slate-grey color. Smith responded to last week's embarrassing loss at Fulham by revoking the players' day off, and subsequently, this week's anticipated awards ceremony was canceled.
In his programme notes, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, the chairman of Leicester, maintained an optimistic outlook. He expressed confidence in our ability to shape our destiny through our deeds, but if we don't succeed in winning, we will have to depend on our opponents to assist us.
Leicester refused to give up and Alisson was required to make the first significant stop in the second half. Harvey Barnes collaborated with Jamie Vardy and Youri Tielemans by passing the ball back and forth, and finally received possession of the ball near the Liverpool penalty area. Barnes directed his shot with his right foot, but Alisson anticipated and moved quickly to his left, blocking the ball's trajectory with a well-executed right hand.
Leicester's defensive performance was not up to par, providing Liverpool with an opportunity to push forward. As a result, Díaz was able to send a ball that was easily accessible across the six-yard box. After his injury layoff, there were no surprises that Ricardo Pereira, the full back who secured Leicester's first European semi-final just over a year ago with his goal, was showing signs of rustiness. Fortunately for Leicester, there were no players wearing red shirts available to push the ball in.
As soon as Evans brought down Henderson, Liverpool capitalized on the chance to score their third goal. Salah executed a backheel on a free-kick that was directed towards Alexander-Arnold, who unleashed an invincible shot that soared into the upper corner. Alexander-Arnold celebrated by sliding on his knees in front of the group of Liverpool fans. Ibrahima Konaté initiated his celebration and within no time, the other players in red replicated his moves, amplifying the excitement.
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