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Leicester City vs Liverpool: 5 Talking Points & Tactical Analysis, Premier League 2018/19

Leicester City v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane were on the scoresheet for Liverpool

Liverpool won their fourth straight game at the start of the Premier League season, with goals from Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane giving Jurgen Klopp's side a good cushion at half-time.

Andy Robertson surged up on the left flank, and past Ricardo Pereira, before crossing into the box, for Mane to easily slot past Kasper Schmeichel and give the Reds a perfect start.

Firmino doubled the lead just before half-time, as he easily found space in the box to head home a James Milner corner for his first goal of the season.

The second half began with Leicester putting more pressure on the Reds, and they were gifted a way back into the game by Liverpool's new goalkeeper Alisson Becker. When he should have just cleared the ball, Alisson dwelt on it for far too long and allowed Kelechi Iheanacho to steal the ball and set up Rachid Ghezzal's first Premier League goal for the club.

Here are the five biggest talking points from the game.


#5 Alisson Becker is brought down to earth

Alisson's calamitous error didn't cost Liverpool points in the end
Alisson's calamitous error didn't cost Liverpool points in the end

Alisson started life in the Premier League in the best possible way, with three clean sheets in his first three games. The Brazilian was arguably the difference between a draw and a win in Liverpool's last two games, as he made two crucial late saves to deny Crystal Palace and Brighton.

Even in this game, he was being his typical self, as he was commanding when crosses came into the box, made some saves look a lot simpler than they actually were.

But in the 65th minute, it all came crashing down for the Brazilian, in a moment of madness. Jordan Henderson played an awful back-pass to Virgil van Dijk. The big Dutchman then proceeded to overhit a back-pass to the goalkeeper, and then it was compounded by Alisson trying a Cruyff turn with Iheanacho in close attendance.

The Nigerian stole the ball away and set Ghezzal up to slot into an empty net to make it 2-1.

Klopp did say last week, after Alisson chipped the ball over a rushing Brighton attacker, that he did not like what he saw in that specific moment, and his belief would only have been strengthened by that moment in this game.

Alisson is a very good goalkeeper, with a supreme belief in his ability with the ball at his feet. But sometimes, the confidence turns into cockiness, and that's where the troubles begin for any player.

This is a good wake-up call for Alisson, and he'll be thanking his lucky stars that his mistake didn't cost the Reds any points on the day.

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