Liverpool 3-1 Leicester: Reds move SEVEN points clear at the top of the Premier League after surviving an early scare from the Foxes – with Mo Salah among the goals again at Anfield

Over the years they have become accustomed to the thick fog that can drift into this spot from the Mersey and obscure the road. It was more disorientating than usual last night, clouds of mist blanketing the field one moment, clearing the next, then enveloping it again.

But Liverpool are now playing with the utmost clarity of thought and vision. Although the temptation was to throw the kitchen sink at Leicester after conceding early, they spent 39 tense minutes calmly and relentlessly securing the equalizer, which by the end had become a 22nd win in 26 matches for Arne Slot. He led his team with seven points. clearly on top with a game in hand.

The chants from ‘the top of the league’ – weak and hesitant at first, as if no one dared even tempt fate as to how this might all turn out – had expanded into a mighty roar as Anfield emptied for the last time this year. year.

Not for the first time this season, Curtis Jones was a lynchpin, scoring the decisive second goal in his 100th Premier League appearance, five years after his first appearance as a substitute for Jurgen Klopp at Bournemouth.

Much of what we see is the result of the work Klopp has done in developing and refining the squad Slot has inherited. Sitting on a bench somewhere, the German will certainly watch all this with nostalgia. Perhaps last night he was watching the TV feed of Slot striding towards the Kop after another day that had confirmed the shocking decline of Manchester City that has been such an obstacle for Klopp all these years.

Jones has certainly improved under Slot, whose passing philosophy better suits his own game, but it was the German who saw what he could become. Another beneficiary of the new Slot era is Cody Gakpo, who was deployed by Klopp in so many roles and failed to flourish in any of them.

The Egyptian provided a brilliant finish past debutant Jakub Stolarczyk in the 82nd minute

The Foxes took an early lead when Jordan Ayew smashed home the ball inside six minutes

Slot uses his compatriot as the wide attacker the player has always considered himself to be. He repaid that with Liverpool’s impeccable equalizer, his tenth goal of the season, cutting inside James Justin from the left and firing a shot into the top corner.

Leicester, who find themselves in the bottom three for the first time this season, could at least reflect on an improved performance after crushing defeats to Newcastle and Wolves, and a solid defensive display in the first half.

Van Nistelrooy is quickly introduced to the unpleasant and brutal reality of managing a hitherto poorly managed club. Preparations for this match included rightly dropping second-choice goalkeeper Danny Ward, after a difficult conversation, and bringing on third-choice Jakub Stolarczyk, a Pole who had had loan spells at Hartlepool and Fleetwood, but never had previously visited the Premier League. Stolarczyk thrived and was impressive. Liverpool’s previous experiences in the fog had generally not been great. Here in 1978 there was a Super Cup tie against Anderlecht which ended in total defeat, not to mention the 5-1 defeat in Amsterdam in 1966, with Bill Shankly insisting Ajax ‘got lucky’.

It looked like there might be more of the same when they fell behind early. There had been something brooding and ominous about their patient, calculated build-up in the opening five minutes until Leicester struck on the counter-attack.

A lack of defensive intensity was the cause of this. Trent Alexander Arnold allowed Stephy Mavididi to level a cross from the left and Andy Roberson allowed Jordan Ayew to bully him as he stretched over a shot that was deflected off Virgil van Dijk’s heel. “Trent was very good for the most part, with a few exceptions,” Slot said at the end. This was certainly one of them.

The home team hit back just before half time through Cody Gakpo, who excelled that evening

The Dutchman curled a shot into the far corner and restored parity after a frustrating first half

Curtis Jones put Liverpool ahead for the first time with a well-taken finish after the break

Arne Slot took advantage of their rivals’ mistake to move seven points clear at the top

For a while, Leicester’s counter-attack remained a threat. It earned Joe Gomez a yellow card and it produced a first-half effort from Alexis Mac Allister, who looked for an advantage as the others buzzed around the Leicester box in red shirts. The visitors might have scored again had Mavididi not missed a pass to Patson Daka on another counter. The timing of Gakpo’s equalizer on the stroke of half-time was cruel for Leicester.

From the start of the second half, Liverpool seemed keen to grab the match by the scruff of the neck. A beautiful move in the Leicester field involving Salah, Mac Allister and Curtis Jones gave them the lead, with Jones sending the ball into the back of the net from Mac Allister’s cross. Leicester’s defense was tired and Liverpool began to rotate that unit, creating space that was lacking in the first half.

Daka, the Ghanaian, who replaced the injured Jamie Vardy, squandered a chance to equalize at 2-2 after escaping Van Dijk’s attention. Small margins. Gakpo thought he had added a Liverpool third when he kicked in a loose ball in the penalty area, but Darwin Nunez was ruled out for offside. Instead, it was Salah who powered home the win, tapping in Victor Kristiansen and Jannik Vestergaard to score.

Slot refuted the idea that this is now the title Liverpool must lose. ‘Interesting question. “I don’t look at it that way,” he said. The great Bob Paisley, Liverpool’s most successful manager, is said to have shared his sentiment. “When you’re lost in the fog, you stay together,” Paisley once said. “Then you won’t get lost.”