Premier League: Leicester 2-3 Liverpool recap
Liverpool edged out Leicester in a breathless game of goals, cards and missed penalties. Recap all the action here.
FT: Leicester 2-3 Liverpool
Leicester: Schmeichel, Simpson, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell, Mahrez (off 61), Ndidi, King, Albrighton (off 80), Vardy, Okazaki (off 64)
Subs: Gray (on 61), Iheanacho (on 64), Hamer, Amartey, Slimani (on 80), Iborra, Fuchs
Goals: Okazaki (45+3), Vardy (69)
Missed pen: Vardy (73)
Booked: Albrighton (17), Ndidi (22), Vardy (90+2)
Liverpool: Mignolet, Gomez, Matip, Lovren, Moreno, Can (off 74), Henderson, Wijnaldum, Salah, Firmino (off 65), Coutinho (off 79)
Subs: Karius, Milner (on 74), Sturridge (on 65), Klavan, Oxlade-Chamberlain (on 79), Solanke, Alexander-Arnold
Goals: Salah (15), Coutinho (23), Henderson (68),
Booked: Matip (45+2), Lovren (56), Mignolet (72)
⏱ FT: Leicester 2-3 Liverpool
The free-kick is cleared, and it's Schmeichel who attempts to reload it. But there's no time! The final whistle blows, and Liverpool have held on. Brilliantly daft game of football and Liverpool, just about, deserved winners for their first-half display. Coutinho was splendid.
90+5: Schmeichel coming up for it!
90+5: Simpson cross blocked, but the ball breaks to Iheanacho who is caught on the shoulder by a high Oxlade-Chambelain foot. Free-kick in a dangerous area.
90+4: Throw for Leicester. Still time here.
90+3: Schmeichel hoofs one long, but it bounces all the way through to Mignolet. Klopp pacing his technical area like a 1970s expectant father.
90+2: YELLOW - VARDY. Striker's challenge on Moreno as he looks to clear earns Vardy an inevitable caution.
90+1: Five added minutes. We're into the first of them as Maguire dispossesses Sturridge in the penalty area. Had to get that right, did.
90: Maguire gets his head to the throw, but Anthony Taylor has spotted a foul. Respite for Liverpool.
89: Throw to Leicester. Chilwell to launch it.
88: Leicester throwing everything at Liverpool now.
87: Milner gets an inadvertent stamp from Maguire, but he's okay.
85: And now Liverpool. Good work from Oxlade-Chamberlain to set up Wijnaldum, who slices well wide from the edge of the area.
84: Leicester's turn to attack now, and Vardy whips in a wonderful cross from the right that Slimani heads wide. Ref's spotted a foul elsewhere in the box, though.
83: It's like a basketball match now, except this is quite entertaining. Liverpool counter the counter-attack, but Salah's offside.
83: Leicester break, but it comes to nothing.
83: Morgan eventually manages to clear the corner. Liverpool throw, though.
82: Save! Great shift-and-shoot from Sturridge, but Schmeichel dives to his left to turn the ball behind for a corner.
81: Salah skips into the Leicester area, but his low cross is well punched clear by Schmeichel.
80: SUBSTITUTION: Slimani, who scored midweek, replaces the ever-running Albrighton.
79: SUBSTITUTION: No more Coutinho loveliness for us to enjoy among the frantic frenzy of this game. On comes the Ox.
76: Football is silly. That should've been a penalty for the Can handball as well, by the way.
74: SUBSTITUTIONS: Okazaki replaced by Iheanacho. Liverpool boss Klopp wisely opts for Milner to try and calm things down. Can makes way.
74: Huge penalty appeals from Leicester as Gray's cross hits Can on the arm. Not this time.
73: PENALTY SAVED! Vardy opts for power, but Mignolet stands up and beats the ball to safety.
72: YELLOW - MIGNOLET. Booked for the foul.
72: PENALTY TO LEICESTER! Amazing throughball from King. Vardy bursts clear of the defence and is hacked down by the outrushing Mignolet.
71: There hasn't been much predictable about today. But this is: Okazaki is about to be replaced.
⚽️ 69: GOAL! VARDY! LEICESTER 2-3 Liverpool
Oh my. Lovely play from Albrighton on the left. His cross finds Gray who controls on his chest before volleying goalwards. Great technique. Mignolet parries, but Vardy is Johnny on the spot to head home the rebound.
⚽️ 68: GOAL! HENDERSON! Leicester 1-3 LIVERPOOL
Vardy almost in at one end, but suddenly Liverpool have a three-on-two break. Sturridge waits and waits to draw the second defender before playing in Henderson, who calmly cuts on to his right and beats an out-of-position Schmeichel.
67: Dicey couple of minutes for Leicester, stretched to breaking point with at least two last-gasp blocks needed to deny Salah.
66: Sturridge's first involvement is a lovely crossfield ball for Can, but Simpson halts his forward march with a perfectly timed tackle.
65: SUBSTITUTION: Sturridge on, Mahrez off.
64: Relief for Liverpool as Morgan is penalised for a shove on Gomez.
63: Free-kick for Leicester wide on the right. All started by Vardy chasing his own flick.
62: Great from Vardy, literally chasing down his own flick-on and forcing Lovren to hack clear.
61: SUBSTITUTION: Gray replaces Mahrez for Leicester.
60: Coutinho cuts in from the left - always a worrying sight for the opposition - but Morgan is on hand to block the shot.
58: A heavy touch from Firmino in the box sees a chance lost. King nips in, and is fouled for his trouble.
57: Chances at both ends. Game's gone very open, which suits Liverpool's style but also gives Leicester plenty of hope.
56: YELLOW - LOVREN Liverpool win a couple of corners. Lovren is furious that he gets nothing for being pulled back from the second of them, and earns a yellow card for his troubles. A silly booking for a centre-back to collect with so long left in the game.
54: Promising spell for Leicester. Mahrez flicks the ball on for the run of Okazaki, but Mignolet beats him to the ball.
52: Liverpool give the ball away needlessly to Ndidi, but Vardy was inexplicably not ready for Liverpool giving the ball away needlessly and is loitering offside when the ball's played through to him.
50: Gomez catches Chilwell as they contest a high ball. Free-kick Leicester.
48: Leicester "have a spring in their shoe" after that goal, declares Glenn Hoddle, never a man frightened of a bit of linguistic virtuosity.
47: Coutinho casually starts the second half by almost volleying Liverpool 3-1 ahead from the Di Canio Position.
46: We're back under way. These one-man kick-offs still look odd to me.
HT: So, what's going to happen next? No idea. It's all too silly. It's not a thinking man's race out there, is my excuse and I'm sticking to it. But Over 5.5 goals as a 3/1 Price Boost looks all right given the maverick approach to defending that both these sides have adopted thus far. Ditto Liverpool to win 3-2 at 7/1.
⏱ HT: Leicester 1-2 Liverpool
And that's the end of a breathless and quite silly first half. Liverpool scored two excellent goals among the haste and misplaced passes that had otherwise defined the game, and then conceded a nonsense of a goal to give Leicester hope in the second half.
⚽️ 45+3: GOAL! OKAZAKI! LEICESTER 1-2 Liverpool
This is peak Liverpool. A corner - one that came about because of that needless Matip foul remember - causes an absolute nonsense in the box. Mignolet comes for it, doesn't get it, and wants a free-kick. He's not getting that either as the ball pinballs to Okazaki who prods it home as the Liverpool keeper desperately tries to pull him back. Mignolet in microcosm: great save, shambles from the resulting corner.
45+2: Great ball in and a header goalwards from King is tipped over the bar by Mignolet.
45+2: YELLOW - MATIP. Long ball over the top has Matip struggling in a foot race with Vardy. Even though Mignolet is there to mop up, the Liverpool defender drags down his man. Leicester get a free-kick, and Matip gets a booking.
45+1: Leicester work a reasonable crossing chance on the left, but Albrighton's cross is too close to Mignolet. We're into two added minutes.
45: Leicester can't clear their lines, giving the ball away repeatedly in dangerous areas. Ndidi the worst culprit, giving Firmino a route to goal until Simpson comes across to intervene. Even then, Leicester don't clear. Home fans unimpressed. A wild cross means Liverpool fail to capitalise on their hosts' generosity, on this occasion at least.
43: Chance! Should be three. Liverpool pull Leicester one way and then the other before Firmino is played in down the left. Drags his shot wide when he really should've done better.
41: Can does three Cruyff turns in his own half for absolutely no real reason. Man, I love this Liverpool side.
39: Ha, only a slightly iffy offside flag keeps me in the game as Okazaki gets on the loose ball from a free-kick and rifles past Mignolet. Might have been level with the last man, you know, having been undoubtedly offside when the ball was initially played. All about the phases.
37: Right, I was gigantically wrong about the last Price Boosts, let's have another go. Liverpool 4-0 at 9/1 seems too obvious. Might stick with Vardy as next goalscorer at 13/2. If it is broke, don't fix it.
36: Disappointing cross from Mahrez after another well-worked Leicester move. Just floats into Mignolet's hands.
35: Good interchange between Chilwell and Albrighton - and a good advantage from the ref along the way - before Chilwell's drilled low cross-shot is well gathered by Mignolet. Needed his handling to be secure there - Okazaki and Vardy both sniffing around.
33: Moreno takes the corner, which Matip heads straight at Schmeichel.
32: Coutinho pulling the strings now. Plays in Moreno, whose shot from distance is diverted behind for a corner.
31: Quieter little spell in the game which, in truth, I'm grateful for.
29: Leicester don't muck about this time, looking long and early, but Vardy is offside.
28: Maguire turns into trouble and loses the ball before just about recovering enough to touch the ball away from Salah. Bit Liverpooly that defending from Maguire.
27: Free-kick for Leicester, but nothing comes of it.
26: Corner comes to nothing.
25: Liverpool on the attack again. Corner.
24: Another winner for David John. Three out of four. What a man.
⚽️ 23: GOAL! COUTINHO! Leicester 0-2 LIVERPOOL
Yep, you fancied that. Coutinho curls it over the wall and beyond the despairing dive of Schmeichel.
22: YELLOW - NDIDI. Booking for the Leicester man after a clash with Moreno and, perhaps more importantly, a free-kick in Coutinho's crosshairs 25 yards from goal and pretty central.
19: Corner comes to nothing, but my word Liverpool are their own worst enemies at times.
18: Chance! Liverpool almost give the lead straight back in farcical style. Mignolet charged down by Vardy as he dallies on a clearance, and the ball breaks to Okazaki. His attempt is on target but lacks oomph, and Mignolet gets a touch to prevent a goal but concede a corner.
17: YELLOW - ALBRIGHTON. First booking of the day as Albrighton goes through the goalscorer Salah.
⚽️ 15: GOAL! SALAH! Leicester 0-1 LIVERPOOL
How's he scored from there?! Sensational cross from Coutinho, and Salah ghosts in behind Chilwell to head past the flat-footed Schmeichel from a near-impossible angle. Poor defending, poor goalkeeping, but great link-up between Coutinho and Salah.
15: Okazaki just offside as he tries to get on Albrighton's cross.
14: Vardy's low cross is dealt with by Matip, who does well to get the ball out for a throw rather than a corner.
13: Post! Liverpool work the ball nicely on the edge of the area to create time and space for Can to shoot. He drills it low against the post, and Salah then slices wide when the ball comes back to him. Not dissimilar to Harry Kane's second earlier, but the ball came back a touch quicker. Really should've scored, though.
12: Better spell for Liverpool as soon as I flag up a Leicester bet, obviously. The Foxes, though, happy to play without the ball for the most part.
10: Some early live Price Boosts available. Liverpool to win and BTTS has obvious appeal at 11/4, but 6/1 for Vardy to score first stands out for me. Already got in once. Liverpool not switched on yet at the back.
9: Coutinho nutmegs Simpson on the halfway line, and is unceremoniously hacked down for his cheek. Free-kick.
8: Too floaty from Coutinho, easy grab for Schmeichel who then immediately instigates a counter-attack led by Albrighton. Comes to nothing, though, as he completely mishits his attempted cross and sends the ball out of play for a goal-kick.
7: Free-kick's nicely worked by Liverpool to create a two-on-one out on the wing, and Henderson uses the space to whip in a dangerous ball that Simpson heads over his own bar for a corner.
6: Quick feet from Henderson wins Liverpool a free-kick out on the right.
5: Too easy. Far, far too easy. Liverpool absolutely carved open down the left. Mignolet blocks Vardy's effort, and Mahrez should probably do better on the follow-up but slices over the bar.
4: In the first four minutes we've already seen the quality of Liverpool going forward and their vulnerability at the back. Great fun to watch. Exhausting to support.
3: Another sloppy Liverpool pass, from Gomez this time, gives the ball to Mahrez on halfway. He looks to go long for Vardy early, but his attempted pass is blocked.
2: Liverpool work the ball forward nicely. Can gets three attempts to pick out his cross, but after two blocks the third is gathered by Schmeichel.
2: Not a great start for Liverpool as Lovren plays a pass from the back straight out of play, but the Reds soon have the ball back.
1: And we're off!
1727: The players are out at the King Power. Liverpool the clear winners of the pre-match tracksuit top battle for mine.
1715: PRICE BOOSTS: Usual array of Fancy Prices from Sky Bet available before and during this one. Vardy and Salah both to score is 15/2 from 11/2, while in the first goalscorer market you can get enhanced odds of 11/2 on Firmino or 12/1 on Mahrez to oblige.
Plenty more where those came from to be found here.
1700: Pressure firmly on Liverpool here, with all their major rivals picking up three points - one way or another - earlier. They return to the scene of Tuesday's Carabao Cup disappointment knowing they need to put things right here. Team news is above, both teams making plenty of changes from midweek with perhaps the most significant news the presence of Jamie Vardy in the home side, with both Lovren and Matip okay for Liverpool.
Now head here to read David John's verdict. He's had two winners from three tips so far today and knows of what he speaks.
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