Leicester City 0-4 Liverpool: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis | Premier League 2019-20

#3 Naby Keita passed big test with flying colours

Sign of things to come? Keita made his presence felt with an encouraging midfield display on this occasion

We've seen occasional flashes of the individual brilliance that saw Liverpool part with £63 million for Naby Keita in July last year but injuries, inconsistent form and the Guinea midfielder lacking confidence at times has seen his progression stall under Jurgen Klopp.

Having impressed in Doha last week, the 24-year-old started alongside Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson against their closest title rivals and delivered another solid display that is sure to boost his spirits ahead of an important year in 2020.

He had 59 touches, won 10 of 16 duels contested, completed all six of his attempted dribbles, enjoyed 92.3% pass success (36 succcessful), made two interceptions, one tackle, key pass and clearance in 70 minutes.

Replaced by the dependable James Milner after that as Klopp freshened things up, it was certainly an encouraging performance from a player needing confidence after spending large periods of 2019 either sidelined through various injuries or struggling for form.

He expressed himself confidently in possession and was unafraid to take risks, running at Leicester's midfield. We haven't seen that often enough since his debut against West Ham in August 2018. If not for Salah's rash decision-making after Keita's defence-splitting pass early on, his contributions here would have been more appreciated.