Photo credit: Sports Vision
In today's matchup, Liverpool's performance was a bit of a slump, with Fabinho's absence leaving a gaping hole in the midfield defense, and substitutions of Henderson and Thiago trying their best to fill in the gaps. On the other hand, Leicester City's overall performance was quite good, despite the fact that their defense was exposed by the two oops goals.
(Starting lineups for both teams)
Leicester City took the lead just four minutes into the game when Daka played a clever ball into the back of the net to the quick Dewsbury-Hall, Henderson's attempted interception was wide open and Dewsbury-Hall was able to push the ball into the 12-yard box for an easy goal.
The miss revealed Liverpool's first-half woes, with Fabinho's absence leaving the defensive midfield overwhelmed and Henderson far less able to fill in, while Leicester City stepped up with a compact layout of strikers dropping back and midfielders, creating a threat in the middle of the park on a number of occasions.
For Liverpool, the cooperation between Salah and Elliott was a bit rusty and Salah's form seemed to have slipped. Although Elliott kept feeding him shells, Salah struggled to form an effective attack. Arnold on the right looked hesitant in the defensive counter-attack, and his position was not well grasped, which was not beneficial to both offense and defense.
Chamberlain's play on the left was also quite mediocre, his runs lacked aggressiveness and he was unable to provide enough support for his team. Robertson had to step up to support Chamberlain when he couldn't be the mainstay on the left, but Liverpool were also unable to open up on the right, leaving Robertson on his own and looking out of his depth.
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Leicester City were heavily outnumbered in the middle of the park, with Ndidi and Soumaré active in midfield, four defenders holding their ground, and two highly active full-backs behind them. Liverpool were outnumbered up front due to Chamberlain's slump and struggled to form a continuous attack, while Leicester City kept the lead through long counter-attacks.With Vardy coming on after Daka's injury, Leicester City continued to attack, albeit not ferociously, but Liverpool's waist fillers created chances for Vardy and Ayoze Perez.
Liverpool turned the corner in the 38th minute when Darwin Núñez broke through defender Faes, but the overall attack was still lacking; Arnold's cross barely made it through, but Faes made a mistake and the ball flew into the back of the net at a bizarre angle.
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In the second half, Liverpool adjusted their strategy, Arnold and Henderson pressed forward aggressively and the team's possession was able to stabilize around the Leicester City 30-yard box. Liverpool were able to create a number of threats through quick counter-attacks and Salah's breaks down the right. Although Darwin Núñez and Salah both had good chances, they were handled roughly and Salah's form remained low.
Photo credit: Sports Vision
In the second half, Leicester City replaced Tielemans and Iheanacho to try to counter-attack. Klopp also made corresponding adjustments, Keita and Tsimikas came on as substitutes, and the team's midfield strength was improved. In the end, Liverpool beat Leicester City 2-1.
Although Liverpool had a number of poor performances, Thiago and Darwin Núñez deserve some recognition, and Fabinho's absence has affected the team's defensive and attacking midfield. The addition of Dutch midfielder Gakpo will bring strong offensive support to Liverpool, and is expected to improve the team's overall strength.
