Liverpool 2-1 Leicester City: 5 Talking Points, Premier League 2019/20
Saturday's featured clash between Liverpool and Leicester City saw Jurgen Klopp's side pick up a 2-1 victory in their latest Premier League clash, with Sadio Mane and James Milner finding the net for the hosts. The win saw Liverpool open up an eight-point gap over Manchester City, who face the Wolves at the Etihad Stadium.
Liverpool took 40 minutes to breach a well organised Leicester defence, after James Milner's wonderfully weighted through ball found Sadio Mane, who slotted it past Kasper Schmeichel, thereby scoring his 50th league goal for The Reds. The initial exchanges saw Leicester's midfield and defence hold their shape, which led to Liverpool to attack through the wings.
The second half saw Liverpool control possession and thwart Leicester's midfield from feeding the likes of Jamie Vardy, who looked isolated against the pairing of Dejan Lovren and Virgil van Dijk. Despite controlling the game, Liverpool lacked the incisiveness to make the final pass that could have furthered Liverpool's advantage.
Leicester scored the equalizer from their first meaningful attack when James Maddison scored past Adrian in the 80th minute. Liverpool looked like dropping their first points of the season but were awarded a penalty in the dying seconds of the game when Marc Albrighton brought down Sadio Mane in the penalty box. James Milner scored the ensuing penalty which saw the hosts secure their eighth win of the season in as many games.
Here is a look at the talking points from the game at Anfield.
#5 Liverpool's organization key in securing eight win of the season
During Jurgen Klopp's tenure, Liverpool have transformed from a team playing with a gung-ho approach to a side that emphasizes on the overall organization. Such tactical tweaks have seen Liverpool somewhat perfect the art of grinding out wins even while not at their scintillating best.
This organized approach played a key role in helping Liverpool secure victory against Brendan Rodger's side. Jurgen Klopp made two changes to the side that took to field against RB Salzburg, with James Milner and Dejan Lovren coming in place of Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez respectively.
Liverpool's midfield trio of Fabinho, Milner and Wijnaldum prevented Leicester's midfielders from linking up with the forwards by cutting off all passing lanes. They also used their work rate to aid Liverpool's rearguard while Leicester were on the counter. Fabinho played a role in marshalling James Maddison for most parts of the game. The Brazilian broke up several attacking advances by making some crucial interceptions in midfield.
In addition to the shift put in by the midfield, Liverpool's centre backs put in a brilliant display whilst coming up against a tricky striker in Jamie Vardy. Dejan Lovren was a standout performer against The Foxes. The Croatian international, who played his first game since the 2-0 win against MK Dons in the Carabao Cup, was composed while in possession and made many crucial tackles in key areas of the pitch.
Another key aspect in the game was the willingness of Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino to drop deep and contribute defensively. There were certain instances when Mane dropped deep and prevented Ben Chilwell from delivering some teasing deliveries into the box.
Overall, the willingness of the team to defend in numbers was key in securing a 2-1 win over Leicester City.