Vardy scores twice as Leicester stun Liverpool

Britain Football Soccer - Leicester City v Liverpool - Premier League - King Power Stadium - 27/2/17 Leicester City's Kasper Schmeichel celebrates after Jamie Vardy scores their third goal Reuters / Darren Staples Livepic

Reuters - LEICESTER CITY 3 LIVERPOOL 1

Leicester City returned to form in stunning fashion on Monday as Jamie Vardy scored twice in a 3-1 Premier League defeat of Liverpool that lifted the champions out of the relegation zone.

In their first match since manager Claudio Ranieri was sacked after five successive defeats, Leicester took the lead in the 28th minute when Vardy netted their first goal of 2017.

Danny Drinkwater made it 2-0 with a stunning volley six minutes before halftime and Vardy headed rejuvenated Leicester's third on the hour as Liverpool's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League suffered a setback.

Philippe Coutinho gave Liverpool a lifeline after 69 minutes but Leicester held on for a crucial victory which took them up three places to 15th.

(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Clare Fallon)