Leicester City 0-3 Liverpool: 5 talking points as rampant Reds tame Foxes and put them on the brink of relegation | Premier League 2022-23
Liverpool beat Leicester City 3-0 at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Monday as the Foxes edged closer to relegation.
A brace from Curtis Jones coupled with a goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold got the job done for the Reds, who won for the seventh consecutive top-flight game.
Having beaten Liverpool in their last two home games, Leicester were looking to make it three in a row as their survival hopes were dangling by a thread. However, their high-flying visitors came flying out of the blocks and kept them on the backfoot. In the 33rd minute, they finally broke the deadlock.
Jones fired Liverpool in front with a cool finish at the back post and then made it 2-0 just five minutes later with a sumptuous finish into the far side of the net. The Merseysiders added a third after the break when Alexander-Arnold made a beautiful shot in the 71st minute.
Mohamed Salah, who assisted all three of his team's goals of the night, had the chance to make it 4-0 in the 79th minute, but he sliced his effort wide from a good angle.
Yet, nothing takes away from Liverpool's clinical display on the night as they closed the gap on the top-four to just one point, albeit having played a game more. Leicester remained in 19th, two points adrift of safety with two games remaining.
Here are the five talking points from the match:
#5. Curtis Jones, Liverpool's unlikely hero
Liverpool led 2-0 at half-time, courtesy of a sensational brace from the unlikliest source of them all, Curtis Jones, who scored for the second time in four league games.
The Englishman broke the deadlock for the Reds in the 33rd minute with a cool finish at the far post from a Mohamed Salah cross. He then doubled his tally and Liverpool's advantage five minutes later with a sumptuous lob from close range.
Jones has been on a fine run of form lately and his confidence was clear with a stunning first-half double, the first time that he's netted twice in a single top-flight game for the Reds.
#4. Jamie Vardy fails to light up against one of his favorite teams
When it came to scoring against Premier League's top-six, Jamie Vardy was second to none, always stepping up for Leicester City in the big games against the big guns.
Liverpool were one of his favorite teams to score against, having bagged 10 goals in 17 games before tonight, more than any team besides Arsenal (11). However, he's gone off the boil this season, so much so that the sight of red shirts too couldn't inspire his best form.
The 36-year-old had two shots on target but neither were powerful enough to beat Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson. The Foxes needed his touch to bail them out but Vardy's best days seem to be well behind him now.
#3. Mohamed Salah turns provider
So often the goalscoring talisman for Liverpool, Mohamed Salah turned provider on the night with three assists to make a huge impact even without scoring.
He assisted both of Jones' goals in the first half with crisp passes and then bagged a third for Alexander-Arnold's strike with a simple tap, becoming just the fifth player in the English top-flight to bag a treble of assists this season.
A goal for the Egyptian ace would've been the icing on the cake. He had the chance to get on the scoresheet in the 79th minute after Salah went one-on-one with Daniel Iversen, but somehow contrived to fire his effort off-target.
It was the only sore note for Salah on an otherwise memorable night. How he wished he could take home the matchball tonight!
#2. Leicester on the brink of relegation
Leicester City had been flirting with an unlikely relegation all season and their fears only amplified after tonight's facile defeat which left them two points adrift of safety with two games remaining in the season.
Neither of them is easy - the Foxes play away to Champions League-hopefuls Newcastle United in their penultimate match and end their torrid campaign at home to West Ham.
Today's toothless display encapsulated their overall performance during the campaign and if Liverpool were a bit more clinical, this could've been a rout for the Foxes.
There's no bite or desire left in them. A relegaiton seems inevitable at this point.
#1. Liverpool keep pressure on top-four
At the other end of the table, the race for top-four is heating up. Liverpool, after their seventh consecutive top-flight win in a row, are just one point behind Newcastle and Manchester United.
Both those teams have a game in hand over them but should they slip up, the Reds will be ready to pounce. The momentum is firmly in their favor right now with the side recapturing their mojo lately after blowing hot and cold for the entire season.
Jurgen Klopp will be pushing his team to finish with 71 points, the maximum they can achieve now. Given their last two fixtures are against Aston Villa and the already-relegated Southampton, you wouldn't put it past them either.
But will that be enough to secure Champions League football? We shall find out!