Leicester City began life without Claudio Ranieri in stunning fashion as they put up a spirited display to beat Liverpool 3-1 at the King Power stadium.
Jamie Vardy’s two goals, either side of a stunning Danny Drinkwater strike was enough for the defending champions to climb back out of the relegation zone. Philippe Coutinho’s goal for Liverpool proved to be the only scant consolation.
Also Read: EPL 2016/17: Leicester City 3-1 Liverpool, 5 Talking Points
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For Jurgen Klopp’s Reds, it was more gloom in 2017, as they have now won only 2 games out of 12 in all competitions since the turn of the year.
Here’s how each player fared:
Leicester City
Kasper Schmeichel - 6/10
Schmeichel was very good and did his job whenever he was called upon. He made two crucial saves to deny Coutinho and Lallana before Leicester had made it 3-0.
Danny Simpson - 7/10
Simpson played brilliantly and was mostly confined to doing defensive work to nullify the threat of Coutinho. It was a task that he performed to perfection.
Wes Morgan - 6/10
Morgan marshalled that back line really well. There were a few moments when Firmino’s skill got him in trouble, but he managed to remain steady throughout the game.
Robert Huth - 7/10
Huth was commanding and did not allow Liverpool’s skilful players to affect the game as he imposed himself on them. He could have gotten himself a goal in the first-half with one of Leicester’s many opportunities from set-pieces, but it was not to be.
Christian Fuchs - 6/10
Like Morgan, Fuchs too was steady. But he was largely helped by both Sadio Mane and Nathaniel Clyne being terrible on the Liverpool right flank. The confidence seems to be back, though, as was exemplified by him trying to beat Mignolet from the halfway line in second-half stoppage time.
Wilfred Ndidi - 8/10
It was a majestic performance from the young Leicester midfielder. He was energetic, tackled well, was in the right positions and his passing was on point. These were the first Premier League goals scored by Leicester since Ndidi joined them in January, and incidentally, the first Premier League points too.
Danny Drinkwater - 8/10
Like Ndidi, Drinkwater was brilliant at the heart of the Leicester midfield. He got hold of the ball and got the attacking players into the game, much like he did for a large part of last season. It was a fine performance that was capped off by a stunning strike into the corner to double Leicester’s lead.
Marc Albrighton - 7/10
Albrighton set the tempo in the early minutes for Leicester. But, as the game wore on, he didn’t impact it as much as an attacking force. The defensive side of his game was always on point as he didn’t give either Liverpool full-back an inch.
Riyad Mahrez - 5/10
He was the quietest of all the Leicester players on the night. He tried to make things happen, but it looked like was trying too many fancy flicks when he should have kept things simple. He also switched off on numerous occasions, defensively. He can consider himself lucky that Leicester weren’t punished for his average performance.
Shinji Okazaki - 6/10
We got what we always get from Okazaki – industry, graft and whole-hearted effort. That was what Leicester needed and he provided that in abundance.
Jamie Vardy - 9/10
The party is back on, eh? Vardy now has three goals in two games, and looks to be enjoying himself on the field. Watching him play was like watching Leicester of last season. They kept looking for the early ball to send him racing clear, and he obliged, always making the required runs and putting in his shift. They were both very neat finishes to cap off a brilliant performance. Man of the Match.
Substitutes
Daniel Amartey – 5/10
He came on to shore up the numbers in midfield, as Leicester looked to protect their two-goal cushion.
Demarai Gray – 4/10
Gray was on the pitch for around 15 minutes. He made one powerful run, but slipped at the crucial moment and the chance went away.
Ben Chilwell – N/A
He was brought on in second-half stoppage time.
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet - 5/10
There was little he could do for any of the Leicester goals. Some would say that he could have at least tried getting to that Drinkwater shot, but he wouldn't have got there in either case. Made a few good saves and rushed off his line regularly to clear the danger after Vardy had gotten in behind.
Nathaniel Clyne - 4.5/10
It seems like Clyne has a brain that works only until he reaches the final third of the pitch. Once he's there, he's unimaginative, predictable and ineffective.
Joel Matip - 4.5/10
The never-ending running of Vardy and Okazaki posed a problem for Matip throughout the game. With Albrighton and Mahrez constantly making darts from midfield, Matip’s work was made even tougher. His passing was rather good.
Lucas Leiva - 3/10
Lucas should not be playing at centre-back for a club in the top six of the Premier League. Against Leicester, he again showed why. Vardy, with his pace and power, bullied the Brazilian all night long, until he went off in the 82nd minute.
James Milner - 3/10
It was another awful game for Milner. Going forward, his final ball has become diabolical with every passing game. Defensively, his lack of pace is getting caught out more often now.
Emre Can - 4/10
He got the assist for Coutinho’s goal, but that was just about his only worthwhile contribution for Liverpool in the game. More mediocrity from the German.
Georginio Wijnaldum - 3/10
It is curious that Wijnaldum just never shows up on away days. It was another such performance from the Dutchman.
Adam Lallana - 4/10
It was a frustrating performance from Lallana. His decision-making was terrible and he kept finding himself in trouble. This was probably his worst performance of the season.
Sadio Mane - 4/10
The Senegalese had a disappointing outing. His touch let him down severely which meant that he was never really in the game when he was on the pitch.
Philippe Coutinho - 5/10
It was a lovely finish by the Brazilian to score his first away goal since the opening day of the season. But that apart, he was unimaginative and failed to create chances.
Roberto Firmino - 4/10
There was no lack of effort from Firmino, but his quality on the ball was poor.
Substitutes
Divock Origi – 4/10
He tried hard after coming on midway through the second half. But it was a mountain too high to climb for Liverpool, by the time he came on.
Alberto Moreno – 3/10
He barely touched the ball in a meaningful position on the pitch.
Ben Woodburn – N/A
The only positive of the night for the 17-year-old was that he added 10 more Premier League minutes to his experience.
