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A historic moment for Liverpool represented an ominous warning for the future of their Premier League rivals. Leicester came to Anfield with genuine designs at the top of the table, but were vastly outmatched by a Liverpool side missing three-quarters of their first-choice defense, captain Jordan Henderson and top scorer Mohamed Salah.
Jürgen Klopp’s side managed 64 league games at home without losing, beating the club’s record set between 1978 and 1981, thanks to a comical own goal by Jonny Evans, another by Diogo Jota and a late header by Roberto Firmino. The supposedly shaped side of Brendan Rodgers was never able to appear. They were harassed, outmaneuvered and exposed at all times by the Premier League champions. A long injured list, which Naby Keïta joined here, shows no signs of undermining her superiority.
Liverpool paid tribute before kick-off to Ray Clemence, in many eyes the best goalkeeper to ever play for the club, who died last Sunday at the age of 72. The current goalkeeping team laid a crown behind Kop’s goal as Alisson warmed up in a replica Clemence jersey from the 1981 European Cup final. The jersey will be signed by the entire Liverpool team and auctioned to raise funds for the prostate cancer research.
It is not the first time this season that the defense against Alisson was interrupted by injury with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez joining Virgil van Dijk on the sidelines. And once again, whatever weaknesses lurked in such a changed Liverpool defense was hidden by the high quality that the champions possess elsewhere. Not that Klopp’s backline was too bad, as Fabinho returned from a hamstring injury to teammate Joël Matip in central defense and James Milner replaced Alexander-Arnold on right-back. Liverpool’s productivity in that department did not cease in the absence of the England international. It was Milner’s corner that created the breakthrough against a passive and sloppy team from Leicester.
Liverpool were sharper, more aggressive and more assertive from the first whistle. Sadio Mané headed into the side net from a Milner corner after just two minutes. Curtis Jones saved Kasper Schmeichel’s first save of the night when, after receiving a good pass from Keïta inside the area, his shot at angle was blocked by the goalkeeper at his near post. Jones put on another excellent display to the right of Liverpool’s midfield three, proving in his second Premier League start to the season that he is with the team on merit rather than necessity. The midfielder’s movement, precision in possession and a sense of responsibility belied his adolescence and helped Liverpool dominate the first half. Leicester was rarely able to free Jamie Vardy and their formation looked more like an overly cautious 5-4-1 when they were forced to submit.
That said, the visitors gave Liverpool the lead when Evans inadvertently headed a Milner corner kick past his own goalkeeper at point-blank range. The Northern Ireland international was more concerned about Mané than the flight of the ball as he battled the forward within his six-yard box. By the time Evans sensed the danger, it was too late. Schmeichel was already beaten by his own goal.
Leicester struggled with Liverpool’s set pieces throughout. Matip headed from Andy Robertson’s corner and also went unmarked when the full-back launched a free kick into the area moments later. Matip’s header sailed towards the back post where Firmino could not convert from a jump.
However, an outstanding goal from the team in open play produced Liverpool’s second. “Be aggressive, be aggressive,” Schmeichel yelled as Marc Albrighton tried to shut down Robertson when he received a cross pass from Jones. The goalkeeper’s warning was ignored. Robertson ghosted past his marker and threw a delicious cross down the left wing into the area where Jota, who came in ahead of Christian Fuchs, beat Schmeichel with a perfectly placed header. In the process, the Portugal international became the first player in Liverpool history to score in each of their first four home games in the top flight.
Leicester’s threat was fleeting, but they should have leveled two minutes after Evans’s own goal when Harvey Barnes sent Vardy running down the left. The forward’s recoil came back in attractive fashion for Barnes only for the midfielder to stray too far. James Justin came closer with a curling shot from the edge of the box and Alisson saved Vardy’s feet in the second half (the forward was offside from a James Maddison free kick anyway), but the visitors created little bit. They were second best throughout and were lucky enough to escape further punishment.
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Schmeichel made a magnificent one-handed save from Mané as the Senegalese international scored on the goal. Fuchs was off the line before Jota could convert the rebound. The keeper also denied Jota twice, and Evans nearly scored another own goal when he headed off his own post attempting to clear from the second stop, while the wood somehow prevented Firmino from adding a third. After walking away from Wesley Fofana at the 18-yard line, the Brazilian beat Schmeichel with a low shot that hit the inside of the far post. The rebound hit Firmino and he went head-to-goal until Albrighton barely managed to clear on the line, but only until Mané, whose scraping shot also hit the post through the goalkeeper before falling back into Schmeichel’s arms.
But Firmino and Liverpool could not completely refuse. With four minutes to go, from another Milner corner, the striker rose above Cengiz Under to head for Schmeichel’s lower right corner.
