Liverpool rallied after conceding early to defeat 3-1 Leicester City at Anfield on December 26 to take a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Struggling Leicester took an unexpected lead in the sixth minute thanks to Jordan Ayew, but they were able to hold on until Cody Gakpo equalised on the stroke of halftime.
Second-Half Domination
Liverpool then put Leicester under siege right away, taking the lead four minutes into the second half through Curtis Jones before Mohamed Salah sealed the win in the 82nd minute with a superb finish.
The victory extended Liverpool’s league unbeaten streak to 13 games and moved them to 42 points at the top of the table.
They also have a game in hand over second-placed Chelsea (35 points) and third-placed Nottingham Forest (34 points).
Manager’s Perspective
We created enough, but because we went down 1-0, it was a game, Liverpool manager Arne Slot said.
Leicester didn’t want to return to the game after you saw how good we were.
Leicester City Early Shock
On a misty night in Liverpool, Leicester silenced the crowd with an early goal, as Stephy Mavididi’s run down the left resulted in a square cross into the penalty area that found Ayew, who used his strength to hold off Andy Robertson’s challenge before slotting home.
Liverpool Response
Salah’s curling left-footed shot struck the crossbar in the 45th minute, and Robertson nearly made amends when his header struck the upright in the 25th minute.
Gakpo then cut in from the left and fired a superb curling effort past Leicester custodian Jakub Stolarczyk for a well-deserved equaliser.
VAR Drama and Key Goals
Jones scored after Liverpool moved the ball around in tight spaces, and the Englishman steered in Alexis MacAllister’s square pass.
There was a lengthy VAR check before the goal was confirmed, and there was another long wait for a check when Gakpo scored again in the 67th minute. It was eventually ruled offside.
Salah’s strike was another classy finish, as he scored his 100th home Premier League goal with a characteristic cut inside from the right flank, followed by an expertly placed finish across the face of the goal.
Liverpool Dominance
Liverpool was so dominant that they could have won by a wider margin.
Leicester City Struggles Continue
After Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated Manchester United 2-0 at home earlier on Boxing Day, Leicester fell into the relegation zone prior to kickoff.
After a third straight league defeat, Leicester was still two points ahead of Ipswich Town, who were in last place, at 14 points.
Upcoming Fixtures
On December 29, Leicester will host champions Manchester City, while Liverpool will travel to West Ham United.
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