Relentless Liverpool go 13 points clear
Klopp’s men surge 13 points clear at top
The stadium light show and the pyrotechnics were Leicester’s way of telling Liverpool that they were entering a cauldron, though there was something in faces of the league leaders as they stood in the tunnel — relaxed, smiling — which told you it would take more than stage management to halt this momentum.
The Anfield side won with an ease which made a mockery of the notion that Leicester are title contenders and revealed that only Manchester City can feasibly dent a lead, extended to 13 points, which is surely unassailable now.
Leicester’s certainty that they can challenge the league’s best by playing them at their own game has been soundly deconstructed in five days which have seen City and Liverpool beat them.
Jet-fuelled by Trent AlexanderArnold
and Roberto Firmino, Jurgen Klopp’s side had the game wrapped up in little more than an hour. The league’s second side could not muster a shot on target.
Bragging rights have reached something approaching the ridiculous for a club who were on their knees and on the brink of financial disaster under previous ownership, just a little more than ten years ago.
‘And now you’re going to believe us, we’re champions of the world,’ their fans sang without the remotest hint of irony.
Liverpool eased through the first period without providing the slightest hint that the 9,000-mile return trip from Doha and the FIFA Club World Cup had been a burden. The energy of Firmino,
Mo Salah and Sadio Mane required every ounce of Leicester effort.
Alexander-Arnold, who drew a sharp one-handed save from Kasper Schmeichel in the game’s first minute, and Andy Robertson exploited the space in the wide areas afforded them by a Leicester side whose willingness to advance in numbers bore out Brendan Rodgers’ promise of adventure.
Salah’s break from his own defence to a position where he was running at Leicester’s midway through the first half was a paradigm of what Liverpool brought. Mane was at the apex of that give-and-go, although Schmeichel raced out to force Salah wide and his shot clipped the side netting.
Leicester were certainly in the game, with James Maddison and
Youri Tielemans displaying the quick feet and presence of mind to test Liverpool in front of their own defence but they could not create any threat for Jamie Vardy.
After a compelling half-hour befitting a first versus second clash, Liverpool took the lead in rather prosaic fashion.
Alexander-Arnold guided a ball with exquisite precision over the head of Ben Chilwell, behind whom Firmino lurked to score. Leicester have become accustomed to driving on after the break. But Liverpool maintained levels of pressing and passing which left them struggling for any notion of how to break back.
Rodgers’ players did bring more intent. Ricardo Pereira dragged a ball back behind Robertson to advance to the touchline and on into the right side of Liverpool’s defence but Klopp’s side still looked relatively untroubled.
The manager was confident enough to withdraw Salah ten minutes past the hour and the game was wrapped up shortly afterwards. Caglar Soyuncu moved his arm unnaturally towards an Alexander-Arnold corner, conceding a penalty which sub James Milner clipped nonchalantly to Schmeichel’s left.
Firmino’s clever movement brought the third. he disappeared undetected after starting a move which Milner took on and was free in space to drive home from the cross Alexander-Arnold sent across the box.
The embrace between him and his manager told of the significance of the moment and
the night which Alexander-Arnold turned into something exceptional a few minutes later. He raced 30 yards into the path of a ball processed across the width of the pitch by Milner and Mane to drive home a low, first-time shot.
Alexander-Arnold said: ‘We played really good football after all the travelling and intense period. It is the best performance of the season and we controlled it.
‘You don’t really think you will be 13 points clear but we are happy to be in this position.’
Klopp counselled against complacency last night but it will take a miracle to stop his side. The course is set for Liverpool to bring the title home after 30 long years of waiting.
LEICESTER (4-1-2-3): Schmeichel 6; Pereira 6, Evans 6, Soyunbu 5, Chilwell 6; Ndidi 6; Praet 6 (Perez 73), Tielemans 7; Barnes 6 (Albrighton 58), Vardy 6, Maddison 7 (Choudhury 77).
Subs not used: Justin, Morgan, Gray,
Ward, Perez. Booked: Maddison.
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3) Alisson 6; Alexander-Arnold 9, Gomez 6, Van Dijk 6, Robertson 7; Keita 6 (Milner 69), Henderson 7 (Lallana 82), Wijnaldum 6; Salah 7 (Origi 69), Firmino 8. Mane 6. Subs not used: Adrian, Shaqiri, Jones, Williams.
Booked: Gomez. Man of the Match:
Trent AlexanderArnold
Referee:
Michael Oliver.
Attendance: 32,211.