Liverpool moved seven factors clear on the high of the Premier League desk with a 3-1 win over Leicester at Anfield.
Second-placed Chelsea’s defeat to Fulham earlier on Boxing Day gave Arne Slot’s aspect the prospect to increase their lead on the summit they usually took it with each arms – albeit after an early scare.
Leicester took a shock lead within the sixth minute when Jordan Ayew swivelled and located the underside nook with a deflected effort from Stephy Mavididi’s low cross, however the hosts got here roaring again.
Cody Gakpo levelled when he reduce inside from the left-hand aspect and curled house an excellent effort from the sting of the field in first-half stoppage time, with Liverpool then moving into entrance when Curtis Jones swept house Alexis Mac Allister’s cut-back early within the second interval.
Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring Liverpool’s equaliser towards Leicester on Boxing Day
Mohamed Salah, who struck the crossbar within the first half, added some gloss to the outcome late on when he drove into the field from the precise and guided a wonderful end past Leicester goalkeeper Jakub Stolarczyk for his sixteenth Premier League aim of the season.
Liverpool’s lead on the high can be diminished to 6 factors if third-placed Arsenal beat Ipswich on the Emirates Stadium on Friday night time however Arne Slot’s aspect nonetheless have a sport in hand, placing them in an much more commanding place within the title race.
Leicester, in the meantime, slip beneath Wolves into 18th place, a 3rd consecutive Premier League loss leaving them some extent from security.
Slot: You noticed how good we’re
Liverpool boss Arne Slot:
“It sounds weird but I thought we had a really good start. We were threatening them for six minutes, but then one moment where we underestimated a situation and it immediately led to a chance and a goal and we have to work really hard to come back in the game.
“In the long run I would not say we had been fortunate, but it surely actually helped to attain earlier than half-time, as a result of we went 1-0 down and it was a sport earlier than we made it 3-1. Then I feel you noticed how good we actually are.”
Curtis Jones celebrates after placing Liverpool 2-1 up towards Leicester
On the title being Liverpool’s to lose, he added: “I don’t look at it that way. It’s bit of a boring answer, but as a manager you go game by game because you know how many games you still have to play and you see especially in the Premier League results that you didn’t expect because teams have so much quality.
“Possibly if it was the Eredivisie it could really feel like this however not on this competitors.”
Salah on track once more
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah instructed Amazon Prime:
“It’s a good result. They were better in the first half, in the way they prepare themselves, they were very good.
“The best way they had been standing in entrance of the field, it was fairly onerous for us particularly within the first half, however we managed to attain three targets and it is an amazing outcome.
“[Gakpo’s] was a great goal and it gave us confidence in the second half to try to win the game. It’s something he’s practised a lot in training. It was a great finish from him.”
On his personal aim, Salah added: “It’s great. The most important thing for me is the team winning. Hopefully we win the Premier League and I have a big impact. We just need to focus and carry on like that.”
Cody Gakpo stated of his aim: “We do practise that a lot and they always say practise makes perfect so we’ll keep practising.
“Clearly we went behind, we needed to combat to get stage and we received some good alternatives. I received the ball from [Mac Allister] and I noticed some house and I simply did what we do in coaching.
“We know the qualities we have, but it’s not nice to go behind. We are working on that so we are not sloppy in the beginning.”
Evaluation: Is there any stopping Liverpool?
By the point the ultimate whistle sounded, Ayew’s opening aim felt like a distant reminiscence. Remarkably, Leicester didn’t have a single shot after the tenth minute of the sport.
Such is Liverpool’s capability to smother their opponents. They stayed cool after falling behind, at the same time as they struggled to seek out their rhythm. However Salah isn’t their solely game-changer.
Gakpo is one other. His equalising aim was a factor of magnificence and the outcome by no means seemed doubtful after that. Liverpool had been forward quickly after half-time and, in fact, Salah needed to get his aim too. In the long run, it felt like as simple a victory as Liverpool may have requested for.
It’s coming as much as 4 months since they final misplaced a sport. That September reverse towards Nottingham Forest seems to be increasingly more like an aberration. The latest attracts towards Newcastle and Fulham felt uncharacteristic too however Liverpool are again of their circulate now.
Their unbeaten run now stands at 22 video games in all competitions. They are going to be high on the flip of the yr, whatever the outcome towards West Ham on Sunday. They are going to most probably be high in Could too. It’s changing into troublesome to see some other consequence.
