Liverpool ended a year to remember with a night Wout Faes would like to forget. Leicester’s regular defender scored two ridiculous own goals to give Jürgen Klopp’s side a lucky win and maintain their momentum in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
Brendan Rodgers’ side took the lead through Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s opener and were rarely troubled by a lackluster Liverpool display until Faes netted twice in seven first-half minutes. Both were easily avoidable and are destined to appear in classic own goal clips for years to come. “3-0 to the Leicester boys,” chanted the visiting fans, with some justification. This was one of their best offerings on a night when they once again issued the pathetic “feed the wringers” and “always the victim” chants at Anfield.
Liverpool were a grateful recipient of the Belgium international’s defensive negligence. The home side were erratic in possession and sluggish, but they are two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham after a fourth straight Premier League win. And with Cody Gakpo’s promise to come. The new PSV Eindhoven signing was in the crowd to witness Darwin Núñez put in another influential but wasteful display, Trent Alexander-Arnold impressed throughout and Liverpool improved after the interval without punishing one of several openings guests
Liverpool’s Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson laid a wreath of yellow and white flowers in the center circle before starting a tribute to Pelé from both clubs. Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson laid another wreath in memory of the club’s popular former striker David Johnson, who died last month.
Klopp had tasked his players to start with the same intensity and sharpness that underpinned the win at Aston Villa on Christmas Day. Leicester’s early struggles against Newcastle on the same day were noticeable when they found themselves two goals down inside 10 minutes. But so much for the best laid plans. It was Leicester, summoned on a day off by Rodgers to analyze their Boxing Day mistakes, who were positive, louder and more energetic from the first whistle. They took the lead after four minutes when Dewsbury-Hall made the most of a break in the center of Liverpool’s defence.
The Leicester midfielder had plenty to do after Harvey Barnes and Patson Daka combined to turn Danny Ward’s goal kick into his path. He pounced on Henderson with ease and suddenly, with Virgil van Dijk and Joël Matip drawn out of position, a chasm appeared. Dewsbury-Hall duly crossed it and slotted a goal past Alisson in the Kop goal.
Liverpool were momentarily stunned. His slowness lasted much longer. Klopp had made one forced change since the Villa win with Harvey Elliott replacing Fabinho, whose wife went into labor shortly before kick-off. The contrast in performance level was stark, with Liverpool lacking cohesion and giving up possession cheaply.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall gives Leicester an early lead. Photograph: Carl Recine/Reuters
Leicester lost Daka to an early injury which he suffered trying to close down an Alisson breakaway. The striker was replaced by Jamie Vardy, who almost made an immediate impact when he broke down the right and threaded a fine ball towards Barnes at the far post. Alexander-Arnold flew in with a vital interception. From Ayoze Perez’s resulting corner, the impressive Wilfred Ndidi was left unmarked at the back post, but a deflection from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain deflected his header wide.
Núñez tried to inject some much-needed threat into Liverpool’s display and Mohamed Salah went close after a sack from the Uruguayan international. Otherwise, Rodgers’ compact team was comfortable. Enter Faes, and a truly inexplicable implosion.
Ward had already reprimanded a Leicester defender for deflecting at the near post when he had come to collect the ball when Alexander-Arnold swept a marked cross towards the same spot. The Leicester keeper clearly called the ball. Faes didn’t listen, or didn’t trust his keeper enough, and stuck a leg out to clear him. He managed to send the ball up and over Ward, who turned in horror to see the woeful clearance kiss the inside of the far post and put the team in Liverpool.
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The luck of the locals and the embarrassment of Faes did not end there. Minutes later, Núñez was played through on goal with a clever touch from Oxlade-Chamberlain. The striker beat the onrushing Ward with a cool chip that went away from the goal and onto a post. Faes was the first on the scene to clean up. It was cut off at the top corner. It was a farcical and comical end to the first half, although nobody at Leicester saw the funny side.
The Kop shouted ‘shoot’ every time the Belgium international took possession in the second half, but he avoided an unwanted hat-trick. Henderson came close to adding a third when he was found unmarked inside the box by an Alexander-Arnold service. Salah dragged a shot wide with an exquisite angled pass from Núñez, who fired an excellent chance over Ward’s crossbar when substitute Naby Keïta found him in space. The Leicester keeper also denied Salah with a fingertip save after more unselfish work from Nunez.
Leicester also had chances in an open and flowing second half. The best fell to Dewsbury-Hall when he sprinted into another gap in the Liverpool defense to meet Timothy Castagne’s cross only to mistime a header wide. A strange seven minutes from Faes cost them dearly.