City look destined for the drop after a lifeless showing
REDS CRUISE TO EASY VICTORY
LEICESTER City sank deeper towards relegation last night as a lifeless performance was punished by Liverpool.
City look destined for the drop after yet another defeat, Dean Smith’s side unable to spring a surprise on their Champions League-chasing opponents.
But neither was there much in the way of fight, with City losing all belief and enthusiasm after they conceded the first goal.
Curtis Jones finished a Mo Salah cross to open the scoring and he quickly got a second as panic set in, with City failing to muster any kind of comeback in the second half, when Trent AlexanderArnold’s brilliant strike settled the game.
There were more boos and chants towards the players, who may be relegated next week against Newcastle. If Everton beat Wolves next weekend, City would need victory at St James’ Park to avoid their return to the Championship being confirmed.
After a 5-3 thumping at Fulham, masked by two late goals, Dean Smith made three changes.
Skipper Jonny Evans came in for his first Premier League start in more than seven months, replacing the injured Caglar Soyuncu, with Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi also brought in.
And while the hope of survival had taken a huge hit with that loss at Craven Cottage, City made a bright start at the King Power Stadium.
They were quick to the 50-50s and made sure they won them, while they moved the ball into forward positions well. Harvey Barnes poked the ball through for a Jamie Vardy chance 12 minutes in, Alisson scampering out to block the angle.
But slowly Liverpool began to gain control and build pressure.
That steadily increased over 15 minutes until they got the opener.
Wout Faes lost the flight of the ball in the air and Luis Diaz picked it up, spreading wide to Mo Salah, who crossed to Jones to finish first time.
It was the 18th time in 19 Premier League games that City had conceded first, and they utterly fell apart.
Liverpool quickly had a second, Salah playing Jones in on the edge of the area, the midfielder spinning and finishing past Daniel Iversen.
Both goals were checked by
VAR for offside, and despite it initially looking like Jones had gone beyond the last man for the second goal, both were awarded.
The enthusiasm and fight had been sucked out of City completely and Iversen was needed to deny Salah a Liverpool third as the visitors cut them apart at will.
Smith’s men were booed off at the break.
There was little in the way of a comeback attempt, with Liverpool coasting to victory and City appearing to have accepted their fate.
One Barnes shot was saved by Alisson, but it may have been called back for offside anyway.
The match was sealed when Salah laid off a free-kick for Alexander-Arnold, who curled a beauty of a strike into the top corner.
That prompted City fans to make their way to the exit, so that there were fewer left to boo when the final whistle came.