Leicester 3-1 Liverpool: 5 talking points as Reds collapse puts top four offer in doubt

Leicester produced a remarkable late comeback to condemn Premier League champion Liverpool to a third straight loss and leave the Reds sweating in the top four.

Liverpool dominated for much of the first hour and went ahead thanks to a curved shot from Mohamed Salah in the 67th minute.

But James Maddison’s bubbly free kick equalized in the 78th minute, causing the visitors to collapse dramatically at the King Power.

A mix-up between Alisson and Ozan Kabak gave Jamie Vardy the simplest ending to give the Foxes the upper hand. Minutes later, Harvey Barnes burst into the goal to score a third.

The result means Liverpool’s top four offering has been derailed and it could finish eighth in the table if the teams below them win their games at hand.

Here are five talking points from the King Power.

1. Kabak’s debut

Ozan Kabak made his first start with Liverpool since joining the Reds on a six-month loan from Schalke.

The 20-year-old lined up to the right of Jordan Henderson in the center-back pair, the latter continuing to replace after another injury at Fabinho.

Henderson stole the limelight in the early stages with an impressive diagonal ball to Mohamed Salah in the rear in the 10th minute.

But Kabak grew in confidence as the first half progressed and became more ambitious with his passing, albeit with mixed success.

Leicester’s offensive midfielders took turns trying to pull the youngster out of position and for the most part he held his ground and kept a good line with his defensive teammates.

Kabak made some good challenges in the second half and was unlucky enough to receive a yellow card.

But his debut will be remembered for an unfortunate mix-up with Alisson, when he took out the rushing goalie and the ball fell directly to Jamie Vardy to trot to goal and finish.

Kabak could have also done better for Leicester’s third goal, with Harvey Barnes quickly passing it to finish strong at the far post.

2. Another Alisson catastrophe

Jurgen Klopp sent a reassuring message to Alisson before the match, insisting that the goalkeeper had the backing of all his Liverpool teammates after his nightmarish outing against Manchester City.

And if Alisson was nervous about the King Power, he didn’t show it; the Brazilian went out of line to shut off a pass in the third minute and cleared a fly ball to Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Alisson also lived up to the efforts he faced from Jamie Vardy in the first half and was on the alert to snatch the ball from the forward’s toes after a bad header from Jordan Henderson.

But when it rains, it pours, and Alisson’s erratic decision to go out and clear a looped ball was punished as Leicester took the lead.

The closer collided with Ozan Kabak and who else was going to fall the ball than the man who is always in the right place at the right time: Jamie Vardy, who knew how to walk the ball into the net.

Alisson somehow redeemed himself by making a fantastic double save after Leicester went up 2-1, but there was little he could do with the powerful effort of Harvey Barnes moments later.

3. Rodgers forced to shuffle the defense

Leicester suffered a major injury before Liverpool’s visit, as James Justin was ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

The young defender was enjoying a good season and the cruel moment of the coup put an end to his hopes of earning a place in the England European Championship.

Justin’s injury also left Leicester without options as a winger, and summer signing Timothy Castagne was also ruled out with a thigh injury.

In response, Brendan Rodgers displaced Ricardo Pereira to the left and Daniel Amartey moved up as right back for his fourth Premier League start of the season.

The Foxes’ weakness as a winger was attacked by Liverpool from the start and Mohamed Salah particularly threatened Pereira in the early stages. On the other flank, Amartey did a good job keeping Sadio Mane quiet.

When Liverpool stormed or crossed into the area, center-backs Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans were excellent at eliminating danger.

It was another impressive defensive display for Leicester which, when combined with their host of talented attackers, shows why they are likely to finish in the Champions League places.

4. More injury problems for the Reds

Liverpool have been hit hard by injuries all season, and there has been no sign of that abating in the last week.

Fabinho was ruled out of the trip to Leicester with his third injury of the season, and Jurgen Klopp confirmed midweek that Diogo Jota and Naby Keita are still weeks away from being in top form.

There was more bad work on match day, as the signing of Ben Davies and forward Divock Origi was ruled out in January.

Liverpool’s troubles were compounded when James Milner limped off in the 17th minute at King Power to be replaced by Thiago Alcantara.

The latest complaint from the veteran midfielder increases Liverpool’s injured ranks to double digits and presents Klopp with more selection headaches ahead of crunchy matches with RB Leipzig and Everton.

5. Impact of the main four

Liverpool’s torrid run in 2021 has derailed not only their bid for the title, but also their hopes of finishing in the Champions League spots.

The victory at King Power would have seen the Reds overtake Leicester to go third, but the loss means they could finish eighth in the table, if the teams below them win their games at hand.

Serious questions will be asked of Jurgen Klopp in the coming days.

Liverpool controlled the game for the first 60 minutes, but James Maddison’s draw took their breath away.

Last season’s ‘mind monsters’ now look vulnerable and belief seeped out of the Reds as Jamie Vardy came in with the ball to give Leicester the lead.

Fundamentally, it seems likely that Liverpool will never strike back in the final stages as they have so often in the past two seasons.

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