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For Liverpool, it was the definition of a defensive breakdown, the speed and chaos that took their breath away. They looked ready for a much-needed win after Mohamed Salah’s excellent shot with the best assist from Roberto Firmino.
However, the champions have long since lost their certainty and this defeat – a fifth in 10 Premier League games – raised many more awkward questions, including whether they will be able to save a Champions League final from a disastrous defense of the qualification.
There was VAR drama about Leicester’s draw, which James Maddison claimed, but the defining moment came soon after, in the 81st minute, and for the second game in a row it involved an almost comical blunder from Alisson.
On two occasions in last Sunday’s 4-1 home loss to Manchester City, the goalkeeper made a mistake with punts that resulted in goals, but this mistake felt even worse because he had a clash with a teammate, the new signing Ozan Kabak, who endured a debut to forget.
Youri Tielemans had aimed a high ball at Harvey Barnes and with Kabak backing up and Alisson running out of his area, the perfect storm was generated. Kabak stretched out one leg to challenge as Alisson made his connection. But instead of clearing, he threw the ball directly at Jamie Vardy, who caught it and tossed it into the empty net.
What’s going on? As recently as December 19, Liverpool hoped to retain their title. That was the day they put seven past Crystal Palace and sat five points clear at the top of the table. Little has gone well since then.
Their afternoon lurched further in the wrong direction when they conceded the third. Moments earlier, Jürgen Klopp had grown furious with someone behind him in the stands and now he saw Salah lose possession and Wilfried Ndidi released Barnes from Kabak, who clearly didn’t have the legs to recover. Barnes stepped confidently over Alisson and Leicester could feel his top four hopes rising.
There was only introspection and sadness for Liverpool. They had enjoyed the best of the first half and much of the second in terms of possession and territory, but the fear problems lurking behind had been announced.
Klopp deployed his thirteenth central defensive association of an injury-plagued season with Kabak entering alongside Jordan Henderson, but there were two moments before interval when the new defender looked vulnerable.
Vardy spun around him in 12 minutes only to throw too high, while Kabak also slipped just before halftime when Leicester leapt forward. Maddison played the final pass, a good shot, and Vardy was clean. His shot hit the crossbar.
It wasn’t just Kabak who fought Vardy. The center forward’s clearest opportunity of the first half came when he found room behind Henderson to find a Barnes cross from the left, but his header was weak.
Liverpool were brilliant at first, with Salah’s move causing problems for Ricardo Pereira. He had two good chances in the first quarter, plus other blinks, but the end product was poor. Henderson took him out in the 10th minute with a beautiful ball overhead and although Pereira challenged again, it was still a surprise to see Salah fail.
Salah’s other big moment followed a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, but instead of shooting, he went for a cross that never seemed to hit Sadio Mané before Daniel Amartey.
Alexander-Arnold played well against England coach Gareth Southgate and nearly gave Liverpool the lead in the 57th minute only to have his deflected free kick bounced off the crossbar.
Liverpool’s goal was a blast, Firmino dragging the ball back with one foot earlier, in the same fluid motion, hitting Salah with the other. Salah hit his angles this time, heading for the far corner.
The game changed abruptly after Barnes stepped between Thiago Alcântara and Alexander-Arnold on the left of the area, feeling the contact of the first and falling to the ground. Only a penalty was awarded for the VAR to return it, having seen that the foul was committed outside the area.
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Maddison threw the free throw low through a herd of bodies to the far corner, but again the VAR was not happy, canceling it for an offside against Amartey, who had tried and failed to play the ball in the middle. Or so it seemed. After further review, Amartey was deemed to have been in play and Maddison’s goal stood.
Alisson would make a nice double stop at 2-1 to deny Barnes and Vardy, but by then the damage was done. It would get worse. In this troubled season, Liverpool are on their knees.
